Hello and welcome back to Ask Dr. Hazel, our mini episodes where I answer your burning questions.

So let's hear from this week's listener.

Hi, Dr. Hazel. I have a question. My husband says that in order to lose weight, you must count calories.

When I told him that there are many doctors out there and nutritionists and dietitians who say that you don't have to count calories in order to lose weight,

he laughed and said that you will find anyone who will suit the narrative that you want to hear.

Can you please clarify as to what roots are available to you when you want the goal of weight

loss and is calorie counting the only way to lose weight?

Thank you.

Thank you for your question.

And I hope my answer isn't going to cause any marital disputes because I have to disagree with your husband.

And here's why.

In order to lose weight, you must be in a calorie deficit.

That is just basic science.

So you must consume less calories than

you expend. This is true. However, how someone chooses to do that doesn't really matter. So

calorie counting is one method, as your husband quite rightly said. And it's probably the easiest way

to track, but there are many other ways

to be in a calorie deficit. This can include various other types of dieting, like fasting, reducing

portion sizes, reducing different types of energy dense foods, etc. Although all of these methods

do not guarantee that you will be in a calorie deficit, nor do they guarantee that you

will lose weight. Nor does calorie counting in itself, because it's not always accurate. Now, I really

don't want to go into the ins and outs of creating a calorie deficit because it's not completely

...