Jump to: Do you need to count calories to lose weight? | Bored of counting calories? | Take home message
Jump to: Do you need to count calories to lose weight? | Bored of counting calories? | Take home message
Start with Wegovy or Mounjaro, transition to habit-based health with our support
A calorie deficit of 10% would be enough to support sustainable weight loss in the long term as it’s less likely to trigger a starvation response from the brain.
A calorie deficit of 30% (or more) would result in more rapid weight loss. Still, it would likely lead to a more dramatic starvation response, leaving you hungry and lethargic, and may impact your mental health.
Your daily calorie intake to lose weight will depend on your total energy expenditure and current weight, the total sum of all the energy you burn each day.
When we have an estimate of this, we can calculate the number of calories you need to eat to help you lose weight.
So, we now understand what contributes to our energy expenditure, but how can you calculate yours?
Without access to a sports science lab to get more accurate assessments, there are equations we can use to calculate this. Fortunately, there are now online tools we can use to do these calculations for us to give us an estimate.
It’s important to highlight these are just estimates. These calculations make many assumptions, such as your total fat mass and muscle mass, and won’t be 100% accurate – but if you’re looking for a ballpark figure, they can be helpful.
The short answer is no. It’s true that we need to be in a calorie deficit to lose weight, so all of the information above is valid from that perspective, but this doesn’t mean we need to count calories to achieve this.
While it can be a helpful tool for some people, calorie counting to eat a low-calorie diet has many flaws, which we cover in full detail in our guide on why you don’t need to count calories to lose weight.
Still, here’s a quick summary of why you don’t need to count calories to lose weight:
Research has suggested that while more severe calorie deficits lead to more rapid weight loss in the short term, there’s a bigger chance of weight regain compared to more gradual weight loss with a smaller calorie deficit.
In 2022, the NHS published research in the British Medical Journal from the National Weight Management and Diabetes Prevention programme, where five providers delivered weight loss services in the UK.
The results showed that after 12 months, Second Nature was more than twice as effective as the four other providers.
Despite our recommendations to not count calories, our members are likely able to eat fewer calories as they enjoy the food they’re eating while losing weight and are less likely to gain weight again in the long term.
We approach nutrition and healthy eating differently. We don’t give you a calorie goal, count carbs, track macronutrients, weigh food, or assign strict targets on your intake.
We provide you with evidence-based guidance on a balanced diet and teach you to understand what your physical and emotional drivers for eating are to reach your weight loss goals, increase your physical activity, and naturally lower the amount of calories you eat.
We also provide tools to help manage your portion sizes, such as our hunger scale and mindful eating techniques, that help you tune into your physical hunger cues and manage your food choices.
Alongside this, we help you build healthy habits that you can enjoy for a lifetime to help you maintain a healthy weight.
Our feedback inbox is filled with people like Jo, who lost over eight stone to achieve a healthy body weight on Second Nature after following our nutrition guidelines and receiving the support of our app and health coaches.
The difference is that members of Second Nature learn to love healthy foods again by eating a healthy diet that’s also indulgent. They’re no longer restricted. They’re liberated.
If you’d like to join over 150,000 others who’ve joined Second Nature, lost weight and kept it off with the support of our registered dietitians and nutritionists, then click here to take our health quiz.
Alternatively, click here to join over 2,000 monthly visitors to our NHS-trusted meal plan and try the Second Nature weight loss plan for free.
Start with Wegovy or Mounjaro, transition to habit-based health with our support
It includes expert advice from our team of registered dietitians to make losing weight feel easier. Subscribe to our newsletter to get access today.
As seen on
As seen on