Why Eating Less Isn’t Helping You Feel Strong (and What to Do Instead)

The Year I Got Hooked on Calories

In 2014, I started tracking everything I ate.

I had just started CrossFit and stumbled into the world of fitness influencers and the hashtag #iifym—If It Fits Your Macros. The concept sounded empowering: if the numbers lined up, you could eat whatever you wanted. A donut or a salad—it was all math.

So I downloaded MyFitnessPal, calculated my ideal calorie and macro targets, and I started tracking like it was my full-time job.

And at first, I loved it.
It felt like control. Like success.
Until it became an obsession.

I remember one time hitting my exact macro goals by the end of the day—down to the gram—and instead of celebrating, I panicked. “What if I forgot something? What if I messed up?” The peace I thought I’d feel was replaced with anxiety.

That wasn’t health.
That wasn’t freedom.
That was a spiritual battle disguised as “discipline.” 

🔥 The Series We’re Starting

This is the first in a 3-part podcast series where I’m walking you through a better way to think about food and fitness as a Christian woman.

• Part 1 (this article): Why “calories in” is an incomplete picture
• Part 2: The truth about “calories out” (and what you’ve been told that’s not helping)
• Part 3: What actually works for Christian women who want strength, energy, and peace

As you listen, I want to challenge you:
Put on the helmet of salvation.
Ask the Lord to help you unlearn lies that aren’t serving you—and replace them with His truth.

What Is Calorie Counting, Really?

You’ve heard the phrase: “calories in, calories out.”
And while it sounds simple, here’s what it actually means:

Calorie counting is the practice of logging everything you eat—whether through an app like MyFitnessPal or just watching labels—to try to stay within a specific range for weight loss or muscle gain.

But this is where things start to fall apart…

Why “Calories In” Isn’t Accurate

According to Precision Nutrition, there are several reasons why calorie tracking doesn’t give us the full truth:

1. Nutrition labels are often inaccurate
   • They can legally be off by up to 20%.
   • That “150-calorie” bar might actually be 130—or 180.
2. We don’t absorb all the calories we consume
   • Especially whole foods like vegetables, beans, and grains.
   • Your gut, prep method, and chewing all impact digestion.
3. Cooking and food prep change calorie availability
   • Blending, roasting, or even how long something’s cooked affects how your body breaks it down.
4. Everyone absorbs calories differently
   • Your microbiome plays a major role.
   • Two women could eat the exact same thing and absorb totally different amounts.
5. We mismeasure portions more often than not
   • Research shows we’re off by 20–30% on average.
   • Even trained professionals get it wrong sometimes.

📌 Put it all together, and your “perfect” log could still be 25% off.

That’s not your failure.
That’s the method’s flaw. 

The Spiritual Toll of Obsessing Over Calories

This is where it gets personal—and spiritual.

When I was deep in tracking, I didn’t just see numbers. I saw success or failure.
A missed calorie target meant I wasn’t trying hard enough. A late-night snack meant I needed to “make up for it” the next day.

I believed lies like:

• “You’re not doing enough.”
• “You messed up. You have to fix it.”
• “Food is the enemy.”

But those thoughts didn’t come from a place of peace.
They were rooted in fear. And that’s not from God.

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and self-control.” — 2 Timothy 1:7

Food was never meant to control you.
Your worth isn’t measured by macros.
God isn’t glorified when you white-knuckle your way through dinner and call it discipline.

💡 Final Encouragement & What’s Coming Next

So what do we do instead?

We shift from obsession to obedience.
From fear-based eating to faith-filled nourishment.

We stop giving calorie apps the final word—and we start asking God to shape our habits in a way that reflects both wisdom and grace.

Next week, we’re talking about the other side of the equation—“calories out”—and why trying to burn it all off isn’t helping either.

But for now, I want you to take a deep breath and remember this:

You don’t need to eat perfectly.
You need to eat consistently.
You don’t need to earn your health through restriction.
You get to pursue it as an act of worship.

And that? That changes everything.