Weight Loss Goals – The Power of Food and Weight Tracking

If you’re trying to lose weight but feel like you’re just spinning your wheels, you’re not alone. A lot of people swear they’re “eating healthy” and “working out,” but the scale just won’t budge. And you know what? That’s kind of like saying you’re “saving money” while making daily Target runs.

Here’s the deal: tracking what you eat and how much you weigh isn’t just some tedious chore—it’s a game changer. And if you use the right tools, it can be like having a financial advisor for your calories.

Why Logging Your Food and Weight Works

Think about it this way: If you were trying to save up for a big purchase, like a dream vacation or a new car, you’d probably start budgeting, right? You’d track what’s coming in and what’s going out. You wouldn’t just wing it and hope for the best (unless you love financial anxiety). Weight loss works the same way.

Studies show that people who track what they eat tend to lose more weight than those who don’t. One study published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics found that people who kept food records consistently lost more weight over 12 months than those who didn’t. It’s not magic—it’s just self-awareness. (and it works!)

The Basics of Weight Management

When it comes to managing weight, the fundamental principle is energy balance—how many calories you consume versus how many your body burns. While factors like hormones, metabolism, and macronutrient composition play a role, the core equation remains:

Calories In − Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) = Change in Weight

Let’s break this down step by step.

Understanding “Calories In”

Everything you eat and drink contains energy in the form of calories. The foods you consume are made up of macronutrients that contribute to your total calorie intake:

• Carbohydrates – 4 kcal per gram
• Protein – 4 kcal per gram
• Fats – 9 kcal per gram
• Alcohol – 7 kcal per gram (not essential, but it still counts!)

If you consume more calories than your body needs, the excess is stored, often as fat. If you consume fewer calories than needed, your body turns to stored energy (fat or muscle) to make up the difference. Alcohol is viewed as a toxin to the body, and therefore your body will disable carbohydrate and fat metabolism (leading to fat storage), in order to remove alcohol from the body first.

What is TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) or “Calories Out”

Your body burns calories every day just to function. Your TDEE is the total number of calories your body uses in a day, which includes:

1. Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) – The calories your body burns at rest to sustain vital functions like breathing, circulation, and cell repair. Approximately 60-75% of TDEE.
2. Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT) – The calories burned from daily activities like walking, fidgeting, and doing household chores. 10-15% of TDEE and varies widely on lifestyle.
3. Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (EAT) – Calories burned from intentional exercise or physical activity. 5-10% of TDEE and is affected by frequency and intensity of exercise.
4. Thermic Effect of Food (TEF) – The energy required to digest and metabolize food, which typically accounts for about 10% of your daily calorie intake.

Together, these components determine how many calories you need to maintain your weight. Many believe they only “burn” calories at the gym, and feel they need to prioritize their efforts there, yet the “EAT” portion is the smallest contributor to daily calories burned.

Why does TDEE matter and how do we determine how many calories we burn?

TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) matters because it represents the total number of calories your body burns in a day, helping you understand how much energy you need to maintain, lose, or gain weight. By knowing your TDEE, you can adjust your calorie intake accordingly to achieve your health and fitness goals. To determine how many calories you burn daily, you start with your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), then add calories burned through Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT) (daily movement), Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (EAT) (intentional exercise), and the Thermic Effect of Food (TEF) (digestion and metabolism of food). Online calculators and wearable devices are often used to estimate TDEE based on factors like age, weight, height, gender, and activity level, but many times come with mixed results.

TDEE estimations from online calculators and wearable devices are often inaccurate. Many online calculators rely on population-based formulas that don’t account for individual differences in muscle mass, metabolic rate variations, or hormonal factors, leading to frequent miscalculations of the TDEE. Wearable fitness trackers, while useful for motivation, also have high error rates in calorie expenditure estimates, with studies showing they can be off by 27-93% depending on the device and activity measured. These inaccuracies can lead to frustration when weight loss or muscle gain doesn’t align with expected results, emphasizing the need for a more personalized approach that includes tracking progress, adjusting intake based on real-world outcomes, and focusing on overall health rather than just numbers on a screen.

The most accurate way to determine your TDEE is to accurately track your calories in, and weigh yourself regularly in order to calculate the TDEE. Remember, weight management is a mathematical equation:

Calories In − Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) = Change in Weight

This can be rewritten as an algebra equation: X – Y = Z. If we know X (calories in) and we know Z (change in weight), we can now determine Y (TDEE).

“But I Don’t Want to Track Forever!”

You don’t have to! The goal of tracking isn’t to be chained to an app for life. It’s to build awareness and habits. Once you get a good feel for portion sizes, calorie needs, and how your body responds, you can ease up.

Think of it like training wheels—you don’t need them forever, but they sure help when you’re getting started.

You Can Lose Weight Without Tracking… But It’s Harder

Yes, people lose weight without tracking, just like some people manage to save money without a budget. But the odds of success go way up when you track.

A study from the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found that people who kept daily food records lost twice as much weight as those who didn’t. That’s like doubling your savings just by checking your bank account more often.

How to Make Tracking Work for You

1. Be Honest – Logging that “one little cookie” you grabbed from the office break room won’t kill you, but pretending it didn’t happen might.
2. Use a Good App – MacroFactor and Carbon both use mathematical formulas to determine and adjust your TDEE dynamically as long as you are accurately logging your food intake and weight regularly. Apps like MyFitnessPal are able to log your calories in and weight, but require you to determine your TDEE on your own. Additionally, apps like MyFitnessPal rely on a user-generated database that can be wildly inaccurate.
3. Don’t Obsess – The goal isn’t perfection; it’s consistency. If you track both your weight and calories in regularly and accurately, you’re doing great.
4. Track Your Weight Too – Weight fluctuates daily, but watching long-term trends can tell you if you’re headed in the right direction. It is important to recognize that your hormone cycle, digestive activity, fluid retention, sleep quality and eating time can all affect the minor fluctuations of the scale.

The Takeaway with food tracking

Tracking your food and weight is one of the most effective ways to lose weight and keep it off. It’s like budgeting for your body. Sure, you could try to “eat intuitively” and hope for the best, but that’s kind of like putting your finances on autopilot and hoping there’s money left at the end of the month.

So if you’re serious about making progress, try tracking. It doesn’t have to be forever, but even a short period of logging can teach you a ton about your habits. And hey, if nothing else, you’ll finally know exactly how much peanut butter is actually in “just one spoonful.”

Beyond Calories: How Hormones, Metabolism, and Macronutrients Affect Your TDEE

When it comes to weight management, the basic formula—Calories In – TDEE = Change in Weight – is a fundamental truth. However, real-life weight regulation isn’t as simple as just eating less or moving more. Factors like hormones, metabolism, and macronutrient composition influence how many calories your body burns daily, which means your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) is more dynamic than it seems. You are not a robot. Your TDEE is dynamic and will change based on a variety of factors.

Hormones: The Body’s Energy Regulators

Hormones play a crucial role in how efficiently your body burns calories and whether it stores or releases fat. Several key hormones influence TDEE:

• Thyroid Hormones (T3 & T4) – These regulate metabolic rate. If thyroid function is low (hypothyroidism), TDEE decreases, making weight loss more difficult. Conversely, an overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism) can increase TDEE and lead to weight loss.
• Insulin – This hormone helps regulate blood sugar. Chronic high insulin levels (insulin resistance) can lead to more fat storage and a lower TDEE, while improved insulin sensitivity supports fat loss.
• Leptin & Ghrelin – Leptin signals fullness, while ghrelin signals hunger. When losing weight, leptin levels drop, increasing hunger and decreasing TDEE as the body tries to conserve energy.
• Cortisol – Chronic stress elevates cortisol, which can lead to fat retention, especially around the abdomen, and decreased TDEE due to metabolic adaptations.

Metabolism: More Than Just “Fast” or “Slow”

Metabolism isn’t a fixed number—it adapts based on various conditions. Two key metabolic adaptations affect TDEE:

• Adaptive Thermogenesis – When you restrict calories for extended periods, your body slows its metabolism to conserve energy. This means TDEE decreases over time, making it harder to sustain weight loss.
• Muscle Mass & Metabolic Rate – Muscle burns more calories than fat, even at rest. People with higher muscle mass tend to have a higher TDEE, while those with less muscle may struggle with weight loss because their bodies burn fewer calories throughout the day.

Takeaway: Instead of extreme calorie restriction, building muscle through strength training and eating enough protein can help preserve TDEE and prevent metabolic slowdown.

Macronutrients: Not All Calories Are Equal

While total calorie intake matters, the type of calories you consume affects your TDEE in different ways:

• Protein Increases TDEE – Protein has the highest Thermic Effect of Food (TEF), meaning your body burns more calories digesting and processing it (~20-30% of protein calories are used for digestion). Eating adequate protein also helps maintain muscle mass, which supports a higher TDEE.
• Carbohydrates and Insulin Response – Processed carbs can cause rapid blood sugar spikes and insulin surges, leading to fat storage and energy crashes. Whole, fiber-rich carbs, on the other hand, promote satiety and stable energy levels.
• Fats and Hormonal Balance – Healthy fats support hormone production, but excess dietary fat is easily stored as body fat if consumed in a calorie surplus.

Takeaway: A diet balanced in protein, healthy fats, and fiber-rich carbs can help optimize metabolism and prevent energy imbalances that lower TDEE.

The Bigger Picture: Energy Balance is Complex

While the Calories In vs. Calories Out equation remains true, TDEE is influenced by hormones, metabolism, and macronutrient intake in ways that affect how easily you gain or lose weight.

If you’ve ever struggled with weight loss despite eating less and exercising more, these factors could be at play. Instead of focusing solely on cutting calories, consider:

• Supporting your metabolism with adequate protein and strength training
• Managing stress to reduce cortisol’s impact on fat storage
• Prioritizing hormonal balance through sleep, nutrition, and lifestyle changes
• Avoiding extreme calorie restriction, which can decrease TDEE over time

By taking a holistic approach to weight management, you can work with your body – not against it – to achieve sustainable results.