·6 min read
Why I Finally Stopped Counting Calories After 40 (and What I Do Instead)
Calorie counting works in your 30s. By your 40s, it tends to backfire. Here's the simpler framework that actually moved the scale for me.
I tracked every bite for fifteen years. By 43, the spreadsheet had become a low-grade prison and the results had stopped showing up.
The protein-and-plate method
Half the plate vegetables. A palm-sized portion of protein. A thumb-sized portion of fat. Carbs only after a workout. No measuring, no apps, no guilt.
Why this works better at 40+
It naturally lands you in the right calorie range, it eliminates the obsessive tracking that raises cortisol, and it builds a habit your future self can sustain forever.