Should you count calories?

Calorie tracking apps can be useful for some people—especially if they’re trying to learn about nutrition or manage specific health conditions—but they can also become a slippery slope.

If someone finds themselves:

• Constantly checking the app before deciding what to eat
• Feeling guilty or anxious if they go “over”
• Skipping social meals because they can’t log them “accurately”
• Letting the numbers matter more than how their body actually feels

…then the app stops being a tool and starts being a trap.

A healthier approach might be focusing on:

• Eating with awareness (noticing hunger and fullness cues)
• Choosing foods that make you feel energized and satisfied
• Allowing flexibility and joy in meals
• Remembering that health is about patterns over time, not a single day’s tally

What’s your relationship with the app?