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4.22.26 - Calorie Counting
For so long, I was consumed by a number.
I was consumed by the number of calories that I had to stay under every single day.
I spent hours counting every calorie in every meal, making sure I never went above my limit.
It was exhausting.
And it was pointless.
Your body is not a calculator. So stop treating it like one.
There are simply too many variables involved in determining how many calories your body needs in a day. You can do all the equations in the world, and still not know the exact number your individual body requires.
Even the most commonly used formulas (like BMR and TDEE) are just estimates, and can be significantly off for individuals (Pontzer et al., 2021).
Calories Burned Are Not Just From Exercise.
Many people think calorie needs are based on how much you exercise in a day, but that’s only a small part of the picture.
In reality, your body uses energy for:
Organ function (heart, lungs, kidneys)
Brain function
Digestion
Hormonal processes
NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis)
Daily movement like walking to class, standing, or even fidgeting
In fact, exercise typically accounts for only a small percentage of total daily energy expenditure, while basal metabolic processes make up the majority (Levine, 2002; NIH).
Your Body Is Constantly Adapting
Your calorie needs are not fixed.
They change daily based on:
Sleep
Stress
Hormones
Food intake
Activity levels
This is why trying to hit a perfect number every day is not only unrealistic, it’s unnecessary.
So What Actually Works?
You will never know the exact number your body needs.
The only thing that can tell you…
is your body.
Your hunger
Your fullness
Your energy levels
That is real feedback, not a number on an app.
Calorie counting didn’t make me healthier.
It made me more disconnected from my body.
When I stopped relying on numbers…
I started learning how to actually take care of myself.
You don’t need to calculate your body.
You need to listen to it 🤍
Sources
Pontzer, H. et al. (2021). Daily energy expenditure through the human life course. Science.
Levine, J. A. (2002). Non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT). American Journal of Physiology.
National Institutes of Health (NIH). Energy balance and metabolism research.
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