3 Nutrition Strategies if You Hate Counting Calories

If you’ve tried counting calories before and hated it, you’re not alone. Though there is a real benefit to tracking your meals and sticking to a calorie goal, not everyone finds it manageable. For a lot of my clients, counting calories takes up more time than they want to give, and it’s sometimes more stressful for them than it is useful. If that’s you – if you hate counting calories but you really want to find a way to stick to a calorie goal – these 3 nutrition strategies will help you out.

3 Nutrition Strategies if You Hate Counting Calories

Tracking calories isn’t the only way to stick to a healthy diet or a calorie deficit. If you’ve tried it and find that counting calories is just not for you, try one or all of the following healthy eating nutrition strategies.

Use Portion Control

Whether you’re trying to lose weight or just stick to a healthier eating plan, portion control is a great strategy. Knowing how much you should eat, and what that looks like in terms of portion sizing, goes a long way in preventing overeating.

What is Portion Control?

A portion of food is a guide that gives you a “close enough” estimate to how much of a certain food or food group you should be eating for your body type and fitness goals. There are multiple ways to practice portion control. Here are my favorits:

Hand Size Portion Control

You can use your hands to determine the right portion sizes for each macro nutrient. The nice thing about this method is two fold. First, your hands are always with you – convenience! Second, hands tend to be proportionate in size to your body, which works here because larger people have larger hands and tend to need larger portions of food, and vice versa for smaller people.

Here’s how it works:

• 1 serving of Protein = the size of your palm
• 1 serving of Starches and Grains = your cupped palm
• 1 serving of Vegetables = the size of your fist
• 1 serving of Fats = the size of your thumb

Aim to eat 3-4 servings of each throughout the day as a starting goal. If you find that you aren’t losing weight, adjust by decreasing 1 portion of carbs or fat. If you find that you’re still hungry, adjust by adding 1/2-1 portion of protein or veggies!

Colored Container Portion Control

Alternatively, you can use the same idea/method but substitute your hands for color coded containers. You can purchase containers on Amazon that come in a variety of colors. Each color corresponds to either protein, grain/starch, vegetables/fruits, and fats. All you have to do is mix and match a variety of foods to fill each container!

This Power Eating Grocery List is a great tool to help you figure out what’s what in terms of macros. If the food fits in the container, and is from the right macro on the list, you’re golden!

This system is flexible enough to ensure that you never get bored.

Plate Portion Control

Healthy eating is all about balance. You can use your plate to help you focus on eating protein, carbs and fats in the right portions.

The ideal portion controlled plate works out like this:

• Fill 1/2 of your plate with vegetables and/or salad.
• Fill 1/4 of your plate with lean protein.
• The final 1/4 of your plate can be devoted to complex carbs.
• Add on a small serving, ~ 1 tablespoon, of healthy fats.

Of course, flexibility matters. Not every meal will support this kind of break down. What you want to aim for is an overall balance of macros and nutrients.

Find out what the BEST macronutrient WEIGHT LOSS plan is for you <<

Try Healthy Food Swaps

If you’re not interested in counting calories but you’d really like to keep your meals in check, swapping lower calorie or higher quality ingredients can give you a leg up. You’ll also end up eating more vitamins and minerals along the way.

Try these:

• Replace pasta with zucchini noodles or sweet potato noodles.
• Swap cauliflower rice for grain alternatives.
• Make mashed cauliflower in lieu of mashed potatoes.
• Eat sliced vegetables with dip instead of chips or crackers.
• Use plain Greek yogurt instead of mayonnaise or sour cream.
• Bake cauliflower crust instead of regular pizza dough.
• Swap in whole fruit for fruit juice or dried fruit.
• Choose whipped cream cheese instead of regular.
• Order a broth based soup instead of cream based.
• Eat a side salad instead of french fries.
• Swap in fresh fruit and a piece of dark chocolate for ice cream or cookies.
• Instead of queso, ask for salsa.

Making simple swaps like those listed above gives you the option to enjoy healthier versions of your favorite meals.

Choose Whole, Unprocessed Foods

Whole foods are packed with nutrients. Real protein, real fat, real fiber. Those nutrients fill you up and keep you feeling full longer so you’re unlikely to overeat in a sitting or graze mindlessly because of a growling stomach.

If you opt out of counting calories, you’ll definitely want to switch over to a primarily-whole-foods based diet. Whole foods nourish your body. They give your body the nutritional tools to live and thrive. And as long as you pair this approach with a balanced plate approach, it will be pretty hard to overeat.

At the end of the day, a calorie is not just a calorie.

You could eat 200 calories worth of broccoli (that’s a lot, by the way) or you could eat 200 calories worth of a Snickers bar. Broccoli is packed with vitamin C, vitamin K, antioxidants, fiber and numerous other vitamins and minerals. A Snickers bar is packed with sugar, saturated fat, palm oil and artificial flavorings. The calories match, but the reaction your body has to those ingredients is not the same.

*p.s. even if you do count calories, swapping processed foods for real, whole, unprocessed foods will do your body a world of good!