There is a bit of a social stigma about counting calories. It's associated with obsessive behavior and eating disorders. People who aren't overweight are told that they "don't need" to count calories. Because of this, the act of counting calories is associated with being overweight.
I am twenty-something years old, and at any given time, I weigh between 118-122 pounds. According to calculations on several websites (which all vary a little, but not too much), the healthy weight range for my height, age, and gender is between 107-141 pounds. I guess my point is that I am well within the healthy weight range for these factors. I regularly log my meals and calorie intake, not for weight loss, but for monitoring and maintenance. I eat a lot of good tasting, low calorie foods; mostly because I like to eat a lot, and if what I'm eating is low-calorie, I can eat it in higher quantities. I weigh myself regularly, and if I'm getting a little too heavy, I cut back on my calories and in a day or two I'm back in my happy weight range. I eat plenty of junk food, and give myself permission to eat crazy sometimes. Overall, I stay within a weight range which allows me to be as physically active as I like, and to maintain a good self-image. All of this is possible because I count calories.
So my question is, why can't we trash this notion that counting calories is only for the obese, and make counting calories a form of disease prevention? Disease prevention is an accurate label for counting calories. After all, being overweight leads to premature death, and almost every form of debilitating disease which can be found in our country today can be linked to unhealthy eating habits. These habits can lead to obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart and lung problems, joint pain and erosion, and this list goes on and on.
How is it logical that we should teach our children to be cautious around strangers, but we aren't teaching them to monitor what they eat? After all, aren't we teaching our kids about "stranger danger" in order to keep them safe? Don't we tell them to look both ways before crossing the road so that they don't get hurt? So why shouldn't we teach children how to monitor their own eating and body weight at an early age so that they will avoid things which will hurt them in the future?
I'm not saying that we should make them paranoid or terrified of food. I'm also not saying that we should strip them of their childhood, take away the joy from their lives by pumping them full of military-like discipline.
If done correctly, I believe that educating kids about healthy calorie intake levels for their height, age, and gender as they grow would arm them with an invaluable tool which so many kids in our population today are lacking. Childhood obesity is a serious problem! If children damage their body at a very young age, how can they expect their body to function for them when they are adults or even worse, once they are elderly. Children who are overweight are developing problems which used to be limited to the elderly.
The values and habits that adults have are often the ones which they have been given or taught as children. This is why it is so important for children to be taught that food must have limits. Eating constantly and without considering how much is too much is a terrible habit, but many children are never taught otherwise. If counting calories can be consistently presented in a positive and beneficial way to children as they grow, this habit will be a lifelong trend. This sort of upbringing would not only lead to a healthy body weight, but a higher self-esteem, and it would lower the risk for depression and anxiety disorders.
In conclusion, counting calories is not obsessive or unhealthy. Instead, it is an essential facet of maintaining a healthy body weight and a positive self-image.
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