How To Stop Counting Calories

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Last updated on May 20th, 2024 at 01:30 am

It can be extremely difficult to stop counting calories if you feel you have become obsessed with calorie counting or an eating disorder. Calorie counting can be an addictive behavior that decreases your overall quality of life.

To stop counting calories you need to:

  • Identify why you are counting calories
  • Get clear about what calorie-counting rules you have
  • Challenge food guilt associated with high-calorie foods
  • Make peace with food and follow an intuitive eating journey

Calorie counting is a common result of diet culture and eagerness for the thin privilege that exists in Western societies.

In this article we’ll explore the addictive nature of calorie counting, why we might find calorie counting attractive, and how to stop counting calories for good.

Can I Be Addicted To Counting Calories?

Yes.

Calorie counting CAN be an addiction. If you feel the urge to change what you eat or how much you exercise based on the number of calories in a food, you’re probably addicted to calorie counting.

Calorie counting can be extremely dangerous to both our mental and physical health. 

You are addicted to counting calories if:

  • You must know the calorie content of every meal
  • Not having a label on food gives you anxiety
  • You have a list of good foods and bad foods that you decide based on the calorie content
  • You refuse to keep certain foods in the house because of their caloric content
  • You track the calories in your food using an app or pen and paper and are anxious if you miss a day
  • You get anxious if you go over your calorie goal for a meal or the day
  • You refuse to eat certain foods that don’t match your caloric rules
infographic of causes of calorie counting additctions

Obsessive Calorie Counting

Obsessive calorie counting often leads to:

  • Obsessive thoughts
  • Restricted eating
  • Compulsive exercise/female athlete triad for women
  • Food avoidance
  • Eating disorders

Obsessive Calorie Counting Examples

You know you are addicted to calorie counting if

Calorie Counting and Eating Disorders:

Calorie counting is common in eating disorders including anorexia, atypical anorexia, Orthorexia, Bulimia nervosa, and Binge eating disorder

Obsessive calorie counting usually comes with:

  • A desire to lose weight
  • Fear of gaining weight
  • Wanting to change the body shape
  • An unhealthy relationship with exercise
  • An obsession with “healthy eating”, “eating clean” or “eating organic”

These desires can quickly become symptoms of an eating disorder if they are not addressed.

Is It Bad To Be Obsessed With Calories

Yes.  

An obsession with calories will lead to: 

  • Shame
  • Guilt
  • Stress
  • Depression
  • Feelings of Inadequacy
  • Disordered eating or eating disorders

If you are currently experiencing an eating disorder or have had an eating disorder in the past, you should refrain from counting calories. Your healthcare team can give you a meal plan that does not include calories as a measuring unit to meet your increased energy needs.

How To Stop Calorie Counting

Instead of counting calories, here are some things that may work. 

  • Delete any calorie-counting apps
  • Write down why calorie counting no longer serves you. 
  • Change the word “calories” to something meaningful (for example- Energy, fuel)
  • Change the word calories to something meaningless (Michael Myers points)
  • Cover nutrition labels
  • Be present at each meal. Consider the taste/textures of food. 
  • Use an intuitive eating hunger scale. 
  • Create an alter ego and give it a name (for example- Fred). When you have. the urge to calorie count, blame Fred and kick him out
  • Give yourself a time limit when shopping at the grocery store
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Challenges With Discontinuing Calorie Counting

It’s important to note that when you stop counting calories you may feel: 

  • a loss of identity
  • lack of control
  • overwhelmed
  • undisciplined
  • unworthy
  • unlovable
  • chaotic

Working with a haes dietitian and mental health counselor can help you create a more positive relationship with food that does not involve counting calories.

When you stop counting calories, it might also be necessary that you grieve the thin ideal.

infographic of why you should stop counting calories

Recovering From Calorie Counting In Anorexia

Most people in anorexia recovery do not have appropriate hunger and fullness cues. This makes it critical to work with a healthcare team to make sure someone weight restoring from anorexia is getting enough to eat.

The person with anorexia also likely has a very loud eating disorder voice (inner dialogue) that will make it very difficult to resist the temptation of counting calories.

In addition to the strategies like covering labels and deleting calorie counting apps, someone with anorexia nervosa will likely need:

Even if someone with anorexia does not have access to calorie information, they will likely still count calories in their head or search calorie counts online.

It is important to know this is a normal part of recovery from an eating disorder.

infographic of calorie counting obsession

Will I Gain Weight If I Stop Tracking Calories

It depends.

Your weight is based on dozens of factors. Some of these factors include

  • Genetics
  • The climate you live in
  • Age
  • Gender
  • Access to healthcare
  • Access to resources
  • Activity levels
  • Food access
  • Digestion rate

There is no way to tell if you will lose weight or gain weight when you stop counting calories. This is true even if you end up increasing your total food intake throughout the day.

It’s important to practice body neutrality and respect your body, regardless of where weight ends up once calorie counting is discontinued.

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Shena Jaramillo. Registered Dietitian
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