Why Calorie Counting Apps Don’t Help you Lose Weight

When trying to manage their weight, people often resort to a variety of methods – increasing their frequency of exercise, limiting their consumption of unhealthy foods – and, probably the most common approach, counting calories.

One of the popular ways to count calories is through the use of mobile applications or websites such as MyFitnessPal, Lose It! and Cron-o-meter. Simply input your food intake (and sometimes your exercise), and the app generates how many calories and macronutrients (protein, carbohydrates, fats, etc) you’ve consumed for the day. In theory, we are told to burn more calories than we take in and TA-DAH, weight loss, right?

Well, not so fast...

While there is nothing inherently wrong with these apps (and they are certainly useful in some instances), here are some things to keep in mind when relying on a calorie counting app (or simply calorie counting for that matter!) for weight management.

The Problem with Counting Calories

• The process of counting calories is highly imprecise
  • The calorie and nutritional information found on food packaging is not always accurate. Food companies may use any of 5 different methods to estimate calories
  • Even if they are accurate, depending on how a food is prepared (cooked, chopped, or blended), the amount of energy available for digestion and absorption changes. For example, 100g of raw potato has 70 calories, while 100g of the same mashed potato has 108 calories
  • Some have estimated an error of up to 25 percent in calories reported!
• We do not absorb all of the calories we consume
  • This varies between different foods, and while scientists have tried to take this into account when reflecting calorie counts, there is still inaccuracy (especially for fiber- and protein-rich foods)
  • Individuals also absorb calories differently and variably, depending on our gut bacteria
• In addition, NOT ALL CALORIES ARE CREATED EQUALLY
  • Just think about it – 100 calories from ice cream will have a different effect in the body compared to 100 calories from kale
  • Calories can come from protein, carbohydrates or fat. Our bodies burn 20-30 percent of protein calories, 5-10 percent of carbohydrate calories and 0-3 percent of fat calories in the digestion process. This is known as the Thermic Effect of Food
  • Remember, the equation ‘calories in versus calories out’ is oversimplified, especially when we are comparing whole foods with processed foods (PS: one study found that eating whole foods took 46.8% more energy to digest on average than processed foods!)1

The Problem with Calorie Counting Apps

• Some apps give you an estimate of how many calories you should be consuming per day, based on the height and weight you input – but this is usually inaccurate or much too low
  • Apart from your basal metabolic rate, it does not take into account activity or movement level during the day
  • Through experience and client testimonials, this can perpetuate a mindset of restriction and deprivation, feelings of guilt (when eating more than the recommended calorie limit) and eventually, an unhealthy relationship with food
• The process of counting calories is an external system, in which an individual is outsourcing their appetite awareness (often to an app!)
  • In order to have lasting results, it is important to tune in to one’s internal hunger and satiation cues
• Finally, we know from literature and experience that one of the key contributors to sustainable, long-term change is accountability. If we could count calories and adhere to our health and fitness goals all on our own, a lot fewer people would be struggling with meeting their weight loss goals!
  • This is where health coaching comes in – having the right progress monitoring tools and someone to be accountable to makes all the difference

In conclusion, calorie counting can be helpful when we want to have a rough estimate of the calories and micronutrients we are consuming, but should not be relied upon solely for weight loss or on a day-to-day basis.

Our next question then is, if counting calories is not an optimum solution, what are the best recommendations for weight management?

Firstly, consume a diet consisting mostly of whole foods and minimally processed foods. This is one of those cases when quality matters more than quantity. Secondly, eat mindfully, paying attention to your body’s hunger and satiation cues. When eating a diet rich in nutrient-dense whole foods, you will be better able to listen to your body, without needing to count calories or control portions. 

Finally, for those who still insist on measuring portions, rather than counting calories with an app, try using a hand measurement system for portion sizes instead. This is a portable system (on your hand!) that does away with the tediousness and inaccuracies of counting calories. For example, for each meal,

• Your palm indicates your protein portions e.g. fish, lean meat
• Your fist indicates your veggie portions
• Your cupped hand indicates your carb portions e.g. brown rice, sweet potatoes, fruit
• Your thumb indicates your fat portions e.g. nuts/seeds, oils

Again, remember to stay flexible and adjust your portions based on your hunger, fullness, activity level, etc. Food is meant to be enjoyed instead of seen as the enemy, so we should work on developing a healthy relationship with it!

1. Barr SB and Wright JC.Postprandial energy expenditure in whole-food and processed-food meals: implications for daily energy expenditure. Food Nutr Res. 2010 Jul 2;54.