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A common question that pops up when it comes to nutrition is this:

Do you need to count calories to lose weight or gain muscle?

I get where you’re coming from.

Counting calories sounds boring as hell.

It sounds hard.

It sounds like a lot of work.

It sounds OCD.

Why would you want to do all that?

I can’t blame you if you’re reluctant to get into it.

You were done with math after school and don’t even want to think about it a second longer. Especially when it comes to your food, which is delicious and a big part of your life.

So in this post, I’ll be answering that common question of whether or not you have to count calories and what that means for your physique goals.

Is it really necessary to count calories? Or can you find a way around it?

Why Calories Matter

There are a lot of factors when it comes to nutrition.

You’ve got calories, carbs, fat, supplements, food quality, protein, water, vitamins, minerals, and more.

It’s all very confusing, isn’t it?

Especially when you’ve got people out there arguing over them all and pushing products with the “secret” to muscle gain or fat loss.

But let’s cut to the chase:

Calories are the most important factor of nutrition for body composition. Share on X

Seriously.

Nothing else matters if you don’t have your calories in check.

Forget the hormones.

Forget the superfoods.

Forgot your genetics.

Forget your metabolism.

Forget the miracle supplements.

Fuck all that bullshit.

Those are just excuses and marketing hype trying to trick you.

It’s all about CALORIES.

You can lose weight on a diet of twinkies and you can gain weight on a diet of nothing but “pure” and “clean” foods.

Why?

It all has to do with energy balance.

Energy Balance

A calorie just a unit of energy.

Our bodies need energy to operate.

And according to the First Law of Thermodynamics, energy cannot be created nor destroyed.

• So when you burn more calories than you take in, you have to pull that energy from storage (i.e fat). This is how you lose weight and get leaner.
• When you take in more calories than you burn, you have to put that energy somewhere, so it gets stored (fat, muscle). This is how you gain weight.

That’s what energy balance is all about.

To figure out how many calories you burn, use a TDEE calculator like the one here.

Think of it like a bank account:

• When you don’t have enough cash to cover your costs, you need to hit the bank to withdraw more.
• When you have more money than you can spend, you put it in your bank account or invest it.

So calories are dietary currency.

And you spend them on macros (protein, carbs, and fats).

You get these from foods you choose in your diet.

Now trust me it’s not as simple as I make it sound, but that’s as complex as we’re going to get in this post.

For more on this analogy and how to fine tune your nutrition to reach your goals, check out my book, Architect of Aesthetics.

Do You Have to Count Calories?

Based on those facts, the take home message is this:

Calories count and the amount you consume is the #1 factor when it comes to your body composition goals.

Whether YOU count them or not is a different story.

But SHOULD you count calories?

The short answer is yes you should.

If you have no idea what your calorie intake is then you have no idea whether you’re on the right track for your goals.

• When your goal is to add muscle, you might not be eating enough and spinning your wheels. Or eating TOO much and adding nothing but fat once muscle growth tops out.
• When your goal is to get shredded, you might THINK you’re dieting but actually going nowhere. Or eating too little and losing muscle and your sanity.

Think back to your bank account.

Would you run around spending your hard earned cash without a budget or any idea of how much what you’re buying costs?

So having SOME way of knowing how many calories you’re consuming is VITAL if you want the best results.

Without it, there’s simply no way to be objective and scientific with regards to your goals. 100% of my clients count calories in one way or another.

But don’t worry, it doesn’t have to suck.

In part two of this article, I’ll go over how you can count calories without it being a bore or a chore to make it fit seamlessly within your lifestyle.

SUBSCRIBE BELOW and stay tuned.

And if you’ve got any questions, drop a comment.

Til next time,

-Joseph Murci