Unlike most Westerners, I don't count calories. This is why.
1. I reject the belief that calories are more valuable than nutrition
The central idea of counting calories is to keep a daily record of calorie consumption and usage through diet and exercise. As long as you're staying within budget, you can still lose weight or maintain a healthy weight. This leads to people having "cheat days" as a way to "avoid insanity".
I disagree with this notion. I believe that healthy diet is a LIFESTYLE, not a temporary diet to lose weight. I believe that a healthy lifestyle must be pure in thought and deed. Having a "cheat day" breaks the purity of a healthy diet (by returning to old bad habits) and the desire for good health. I believe that, instead of making weight loss the objective, people should make good health the objective and allow weight loss to be the consequence of good health. Nutrition should be more important than calories, not the reverse.
2. I reject the belief the counting calories is more valuable than achieving satiety
Counting calories is all about the caloric budget. It does not account for nutrition. Someone can count calories and eat low-calorie processed food (full of preservatives and other food additives). As long as the calories meet a certain threshold, the person should stop eating for the day, regardless to how full she/he is feeling.
3. I reject the belief that you can eat whatever is available, as long as you stay within the caloric budget
About a month or so ago, I decided to eliminate store-bought ready-made foods, processed foods, restaurant foods, and added sugar. I began to read Nutrition Facts labels carefully for any ingredient that I couldn't pronounce. I believe my transition to whole foods with an emphasis on a plant-based diet (rich in whole fruits and vegetables) helped me lose weight and improve my general health. My blood pressure is no longer pre-hypertensive; my body becomes slimmer; and for the first time in months, I have another menstrual period. Since my very first period at 15 years of age, I rarely have periods. That recent menstrual period is significant, because amenorrhea or oligomenorrhea is a sign of PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome), a condition that I have been diagnosed with early this year; and if I do not receive a period, I am more likely to get endometrial cancer later in life. I have never taken prescriptive drugs on a regular basis before, or even birth control pills, and I cannot imagine being forced to take medicine to induce a period or to regulate hormonal levels. So, a healthier lifestyle works for me.
Therefore, I reject the belief that you can eat whatever is available on the table, including junk food with no nutritional value, as long as you stay within the caloric budget. I also reject "cheat days".
The picture below shows the relationship between PCOS and obesity. I don't really have many of the signs of PCOS. I have never been obese, just overweight. I am mostly bare, except my pubic regions and hair. Some hair may grow sparsely on my chin and my shin. I don't have Type II diabetes, and the last time I checked my blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol levels, which was probably last October or November, my blood sugar level was normal; my blood pressure was normal but on the pre-hypertensive side; and my LDL cholesterol level was very high. My main problem has been oligomenorrhea. A healthier lifestyle leads to weight loss, which breaks the chain.
4. I reject the belief that thoughts don't matter
I believe that thoughts and feelings about food are very important. If something does not seem very filling, then people are more likely to eat more to achieve fullness. This just provides one more reason why fruits and vegetables are extremely important to a healthy diet and why people should eat more fruits and vegetables, not only because they are low in calories, but also because they are rich in water, fiber, nutrients, and the ability to induce satiety quickly.
5. I believe that a "healthy lifestyle" depends on the individual and his/her cultural background.
Some people are gluten-intolerant. Some people are lactose-intolerant. Some people are phenylketonuric. Some people have food allergies. Some people have religious dietary restrictions against certain foods considered "unclean". Whatever the case may be, a healthy diet varies from society to society, from culture to culture, and from person to person.
6. Counting Calories makes it extremely difficult for a communal eater.
Communal eating is part of my cultural background. As a communal eater, I find it impossible to keep track of the portion sizes of the meal and what should be adequate. So instead of counting calories by the minutiae, I just reduce portion sizes to half of what I used to eat or what I would eat in an unrestrained manner. Reducing portion sizes and making healthier food choices (heavy in fruits and vegetables) help with weight loss.
7. Most importantly, I believe in the importance of enjoying life and loving oneself regardless of size or weight.
I believe that counting calories on a daily basis is stressful and unnecessary. I prefer to enjoy life and love myself regardless of my size or weight, while emphasizing good lifestyle habits -- habits that are sustainable for the rest of my life.
The biggest motivation for me is the desire to live a healthier lifestyle. As long as I have good results from bloodwork and the ability to have a normal menstrual flow every month, I am satisfied.
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