Calorie counting is why you can't lose weight
My 10 levers for losing 10lbs without calorie counting
Hi, I’m Aastha and thanks for joining Live Longer World as I parse through the snake-oil in longevity. On Health on Easy Mode, you can see my exact collection of non-toxic health products I use (15+ categories including clean water, lighting, air quality, non-toxic kitchen).
For 4+ years, I tried to shed my stubborn last 10lbs. I tried it all: calorie counting, intermittent fasting, long fasts, keto, gym grinding, you name it. I’d lose 1-2 lbs, then gain them back. This is despite working out every day and eating clean. I thought the problem was that I wasn’t restricting calories enough.
Then I got pregnant. I obviously wasn’t going to try and lose weight during this period. So I decided to let go. I ate whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted. I would finish tubs of honey ice-cream and packets of honey chocolate on some days. The caveat was that I’ve never enjoyed junk food much, so my diet was still 95% clean. But I had zero self-imposed restrictions. I enjoyed my chocolate and ice-cream guilt-free.
I noticed that my relationship with food started to change. Despite having unrestricted access to sweets in the refrigerator, most days I simply didn’t want it. I started eating naturally based on hunger cues. I wasn’t bound to the clock by crazy fasting schedules.
I had a healthy pregnancy, gained ~27lbs, and delivered a healthy chubby baby. I lost all my pregnancy weight in the first 3 months and miraculously in the next 6 months, I lost those stubborn 10lbs that I’d been trying to lose for 4 years. And I didn’t even try this time.
I re-established my power over food
While sunlight and other factors played a massive role in my weight loss, I realized that a big part of it was changing my relationship with food. Pre-pregnancy, I lived in fear of eating too much. Food had more power over me. This fear caused me to eat artificially: gorge on cheat days, eat less even when I’m truly hungry, eat more when I’m not hungry to follow my diet plan, and eat foods that I didn’t want to. I was living in a scarcity mindset, worried about food.
In pregnancy, I let go of this fear. I had power over food. One thinks that without any willpower or restrictions, you’d eat junk food all the time. Quite the opposite. I started to live in a state of food abundance. Because I knew I had access to food whenever I wanted, I didn’t worry about overeating.
Why calorie counting apps make weight loss harder
Those who struggle with overeating and/or eating junk food have a tenuous relationship with food, that I described above. The irony is that calorie counting and weight loss apps perpetuate this fearful negative relationship with food. By making you log every calorie, they make you live in constant fear of food. The very fear that was stalling me from losing weight. These apps want you to be loyal customers, not ones who fix the problem and leave.
Losing weight is not so simple as “eat less and move more.” It’s not a matter of willpower and counting calories. It’s a psychological game. It’s about you having power over food.
The answer to weight loss lies not in calorie counting but in changing your relationship with food.
How to regain your control over food
If you want to change your dynamic with food, try this experiment for a few days: eat as much as you want, whatever you want. Guilt-free. The first couple of days you might eat more. But then you might begin to notice how your fear over food changes. You begin to control food, food does not control you. You might begin to eat naturally, more intuitively. In this fearless state, controlling your food choices will become easier.
Weight loss is not about calories
Contrary to popular belief, calories are the least important metric when it comes to food regulation. Your appetite is heavily regulated by protein intake, circadian timing, light exposure, and hormones, not calories.
Below, I share the exact 10 things I changed to help me lose 10lbs without trying. No calorie counting. No willpower needed.
Morning protein breakfast: I used to do intermittent fasting and skip breakfast. My first meal of the day was around 11am. This shifted my gut clock to start the day later, which naturally pushed my dinner time later too. We have a master circadian clock in the brain and local clocks at every organ and cell. My master clock would get its cue from morning sunlight upon waking up. But my gut clock was getting its morning cue only much later in the day. This creates a desynchrony in our body clocks, disrupting circadian and hormonal signaling. Losing weight and optimal health requires your body to work in synchrony. Morning breakfast is key for proper circadian alignment. Aim for 30-40g of protein at breakfast. Eggs, meat, or Greek yogurt. This anchors your gut clock to your wake time and keeps you full until lunch without snacking.
Eat dinner by sunset: This was one of the biggest levers in me losing weight. I ran a simple experiment for a few days: eating the same dinner but finishing before sunset vs. after. I noticed that whenever I ate post sunset, I felt more bloated and had worse sleep. I also effortlessly started losing some weight after only a few days of eating by sunset. Eating after sundown not only delays the onset of melatonin which helps you wind down, but it also desynchronizes your body clocks which I discussed above. Eating late also tends to make you hungrier the next day and shifts your body toward fat storage. Your metabolism is highest earlier in the day and winds down as the sun sets. Eat with the sun, not against it.
