The question is being asked in one of the science and evidence-based lifting forums I’m a member of. The clientele are mostly well-educated trainers and highly focused athletes. Every answer before mine was “yes,”
[insert eye roll here]
And the right answer (which happens to mine) is “No, absolutely not.”
While a calorie deficit, taking in less energy than we expend, is required to lose weight or body fat, the client does not need to know how many calories they’re eating, have eaten, or “should eat” in order to create the deficit.
Moreover, counting calories and macros teaches you how to count calories and macros, NOT how to create eating habits that are sustainable in all the wide variety of experiences in which we find ourselves.
What fat loss clients need is to find those places where they are eating either more calorie-dense foods or more food volume that they are willing and able to change to lower calorie density and/or reduced food volume.
Counting calories and macros gives the client a target to reach for but doesn’t teach them how to reach it consistently over time.
Consider instead what the conversation looks like if you ask your client how often they eat outside of mealtimes, when are those values and goals-aligned situations and when are they not? Do they eat foods or drink alcohol or other calorie dense beverages out of boredom, frustration, or to soothe themselves after a hard day? Are they willing and able to reduce how often they make these choices? If the answer is yes, then (assuming they don’t make up for it later) you’ve reduced their calories without ever counting a thing.
But what about food quality, Marjorie? They need to eat sufficient protein to reach their goals, you say! Give them a list of protein sources and help them figure out which ones they currently enjoy and are willing to enjoy more often. Are they willing and able to try new ones? Help them figure out how to fit these into their meals more regularly. None of us needs to get our protein targets down to the last gram. Not even professional bodybuilder and smart guy Dr. Eric Helms worries about that. Programs like Precision Nutrition teach a “hand model” for portion sizes. A portion of lean protein is about the size of the palm of your hand. Conveniently, your client always has their hands with them, while they may not have a macro calculator.
The same process can be used to improve nutritional density. Is your client getting about half a plate of fruits and veggies at most meals? Who cares what the exact macros are, they’re benefiting from the improved health and relatively lower calorie density of produce. Eat more of that without eating past their comfort level, and they are naturally eating less of more calorie dense foods.
Which brings up another tool that sadly none of the coaches who responded before me mentioned–our own hunger and satiety cues.
Our bodies are brilliant and send us information about when we need more food and when we’ve had enough. This system works when we listen to it. Calorie and macro targets tend to be static, but our hunger and satiety will vary depending on our needs for that day. Teach a client to wait to eat until they’re hungry. Teach them to stop when they’re physically satisfied. There’s nuance to this, like for folks like me with set mealtimes at work, but in general, with practice we can backwards engineer to these circumstances and get it close enough most of the time.
This practice teaches someone to notice when they’re mindlessly snacking, when they’re ignoring their body’s needs and then overeating later, and when they’re habitually eating rather than because they actually need it. All of these situations can be addressed and create the desired reduction in energy consumption without ever counting a thing.
Can someone benefit from macro counting, at least for a short time, to educate themselves about their habits? Sure, maybe. But do they NEED to? Is it a requirement to reaching their goals? Absolutely not. And the methods I’ve outlined above can help someone have a healthier relationship with their body and with food, a result that rarely comes from learning to rely on macro counting.
Progressive Strength 