Homobody Tip #49: Don’t count calories (or points)

Yesterday I happened upon an article on MSN called “How the Elite Eat: Dara Torres.” Now I have loved Dara Torres ever since she hosted the Taebo infomercial with Billy Blanks back in the late 90’s, so I was very interested to learn how she eats.

What did I learn?

She doesn’t count calories.

Her reason?

She had an eating disorder (bulimia) in college.

This is why I don’t recommend specific diets or diets in general.

Calorie-counting (and point-counting) diets are the first step on the road to eating disorders. You begin by calculating the number of calories you ate in a day, then you plan how many you’ll eat in the coming week, and it’s not long before every bite of food you put in your mouth paralyzes you with guilt. It’s not long before numbers and grams and percentages are all you can think about. And then how do you stop?

People who are “successful” at diets often develop mild eating disorders. A few years ago, when I was losing two to five pounds a week on my diet, many people lauded my willpower and commitment. However, inside all I could think about was food. I’m lucky that I found help before I developed serious health problems.

This is why I approach eating in a different way.

Instead of letting a number on a box determine how much you should eat, how about letting your body tell you when you are full? Instead of giving a best-selling book the power to plan your meals, how about finding what foods make you feel strong and healthy?

That’s what I’m talking about!

P.S. For more info about Dara and other elite swimmers with eating disorders, check out this article.

Written by Charlie Fields, RKC.
Charlie is a Russian Kettlebell Certified Personal and Small Group Trainer in San Diego. His training focuses on fat loss for San Diego men and women who are tired of not getting results from their workouts! Charlie trains clients individually in their homes or in small groups at San Diego parks. He can be reached by e-mail or by phone at (619) 723-5674. New clients get their first in-home session for only one dollar! Click here to sign up!
For more information about his small group training, click here.