Calories...To Count Or Not To Count

By:  Maria



I have this conversation from time to time:

Them: "What do you think of counting calories"
Me:     "I never do it."
Them:  "Never?"
Me:      "Never."

Now, I won't sit here and say that calorie counting is not useful in some situations, but for most folks, it's more about the quality of food they need to worry about, than the caloric number.  Change what you're eating (and you know what needs to be changed, right?) and suddenly the calories become inconsequential.

Talk to any one person that is or has counted calories and you'll get the same response - they hate(d) every minute of it!  Eating becomes a source of dread and food becomes an unhealthy obsession.
Numbers should not be placed on real, whole food.  Food is nourishment and fuel - our source of life - and when we attach numbers to it, food becomes a source of anxiety and displeasure.

The most healthy people I know - those that have maintained ideal body weight (even through their 50's and 60's) and manage to live a happy, stress-free, illness-free life, have never counted calories.
What do they all do besides not count calories?
All of them eat real, whole food, their meals are thoroughly enjoyed and never a target of obssession or drudgery.
That says something.

Choose foods that you know are nourishing, like those found in the perimeter of the grocery stores, at your local CSA's or farmer's markets - grassfed meats, seasonal fruits and vegetables. Rid your pantry of the dead food, the stuff that is forcing you to count calories - you know what those foods are.

I never count calories - I don't live by numbers attached to my food, I enjoy and find pleasure in the food I eat. 

What about you?