Does Counting Calories Help You Lose Weight?

Do you track your calories? Americans get at least a third of their calories while eating out, when portions can be large. They may count them, but does it help?

Americans now see calorie counts on menus and signage in chain restaurants and retail food outlets, including movie theaters and drive-throughs. We’re reminded that 2,000 calories a day is a general rule of thumb.

Obesity among American adults is up from about 30 percent in 1999-2000 to 42 percent in 2017-2020, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Calorie counts do not necessarily affect our choices enough to fight obesity. One study compared orders when patrons saw a menu with calorie counts to orders when they saw the same menu without them. Patrons who saw the calorie counts ordered on average 45 fewer calories — a reduction of only about 3 percent. The cuts came in appetizers and entrees, rather than drinks or dessert.    

Calorie count notices at fast food restaurants began in New York City in 2008 and Philadelphia in 2010, but researchers haven’t found much impact.

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The problem of overeating

Most people know that the world is in the midst of an overweight and obesity epidemic. If you add in the number of adults who are overweight to the obesity figure, more than two-thirds of Americans should be eating less or watching their consumption. Nearly 20 percent of U.S. children and teens are obese.

Chain restaurants became a target for intervention because Americans consume more than a third of their total food and drink calories outside the home. Restaurants are notorious for serving portions large enough for two, sometimes three, people. These meals also tend to be higher in fat and other less-desirable ingredients (like salt and sugar) than home-cooked meals.

Congress wrote into the 2010 Affordable Care Act a requirement for calories to be displayed so that Americans knew what they were buying. In response, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) created new rules that went into effect in 2018. The FDA, however, gave businesses “flexibility” during the COVID-19 pandemic.

How did we get here?

You might wonder how we got to a place where we need government intervention to protect us from ourselves. Several issues come into play. It’s not just a lack of self-control.

One problem is what we eat. Americans are eating more fast food — accounting for about 11 percent of the average American diet — and more meat, fat, and sugars in soda and energy drinks. We also move less than we used to, with more people employed at sit-all-day jobs and driving to work.

To handle this situation, we’d need to be fully aware of the consequences. But most people don’t know how many calories are appropriate for them. Some people simply don’t connect what they eat to their extra pounds. Some don’t care.

Americans also underestimate how heavy they are and typically aren’t making weight loss a priority. In one survey of more than 3,000 obese Americans, nearly half considered themselves “overweight.”

Even among those whose doctors had spoken to them about their weight during the past six months, only 26 percent said they had committed to a weight-loss plan. About one in three doctors treating obese patients say they wait for the patient to bring up the subject.

Home cooked meals are getting bigger

Although it’s easy to point the finger at restaurants, we’re also guilty of overserving ourselves.

“There’s ample evidence that home cooked meals are considerably larger than what they used to be,” said Edward Abramson, PhD, author of “Emotional Eating: What You Need to Know Before Starting Your Next Diet,” and professor emeritus of psychology at California State University, Chico.

A study of the trend toward larger portions found that even cookbooks showed fewer servings for identical recipes in more recent volumes, meaning portions are intended to be larger.

“We seem to think we need more food, and why that is I don’t know,” Abramson said. “Our environment is kind of pushing us toward gaining weight.”

Messages influencing us to consume are ubiquitous. Fast-food restaurants and coffee shops are on every corner, and practically every other ad on TV or the radio is screaming about the next big thing at some restaurant chain.

“I tell people if you don’t pay attention, if you just go about your business, you’re going to get fat,” Abramson said. “It’s part of the environment and if you make your way through the world then you’re going to be confronted with it. You have to learn how to deal with it.”

What you can do

Strategies can help us disregard the constant noise telling us to eat more. Awareness of how many calories we need and how many we are really consuming may help. If you travel or sometimes can’t avoid eating out take steps to minimize calories.

• Split an entrée with your companion and add a small salad.
• Order from the low-calorie portion of the menu, if available.
• Order protein that’s grilled or baked rather than deep fried.
• Substitute a salad or extra serving of vegetables for potatoes or pasta.
• Avoid dishes with creamy or heavy sauces.
• Order your salad dressing on the side.

But the best way to avoid unhealthy food and have more control over how much you eat is to cook for yourself. 

Accepting that being healthy and having an appropriate weight comes from a lifelong commitment to good eating habits, not a quick-fix diet or a miracle solution, is also important, Abramson said. Focusing on eating for health instead of depriving yourself to lose weight may help you make this mental shift.

“Obesity has been associated with not just diabetes and hypertension, but even things like some forms of cancer. Surgeries are more difficult; pregnancies are more difficult with obesity. So, the health benefits of a normal weight are really considerable,” Abramson said.

If you need more motivation, do it for your kids. It’s really important for parents to model appropriate eating behavior. Obese children are horribly stigmatized, as early as kindergarten, Abramson said.  

”So, there’s a real social price to be paid, and an economic price as well. Job discrimination, discrimination in applying to colleges when someone is overweight. The motivation is clear,” he added.

Keep your goals reasonable

If you need to lose weight, it’s important to set reasonable, achievable goals. Many people set the bar too high and give up when they fail. Keep in mind, you didn’t gain the weight overnight so you’re not going to lose it overnight, Abramson said.

“It would be nice to look like an 18-year-old model, but that probably is not going to happen. What we want to do is improve our health risk, and even a modest weight loss of 5 to 10 percent of body weight significantly improves health risks,” he said. “You can still be somewhat over your ideal weight but significantly improve your health risks.”

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