Notes on nutrition and calories, honestly.
Practical, unglamorous writing on nutrition, weight and the habits that hold the whole thing together — the part most of the internet skips on its way to selling you something.
Nine short series, from first question to last
Calories, from the ground up
What your body burns, what a deficit is, how fast to lose and how to count without turning it into a second job. Seven articles in the order the questions come.
Start the series → Weight lossLosing weight that stays off
The part after the first month: stalls, the scale, the “starvation mode” story, and what maintenance actually asks of you once the novelty has worn off.
Start the series → Weight lossPopular diets, examined
Crash diets, fasting, low-carb against low-fat, meal timing and detoxes, each held up against the evidence rather than the marketing, and what to do instead.
Start the series → NutritionMacros: protein, carbs and fat
What the three macronutrients do, how much of each you actually need, and how to set targets for weight loss without a spreadsheet or a protein obsession.
Start the series → NutritionBeyond the macros
Fibre, vitamins and minerals, sugar, food quality and the label on the back of the packet: the things a calorie count does not show you, and why they matter.
Start the series → Everyday eatingEating well on an ordinary day
The plate, the foods that fill you up, portions, snacks, breakfast, restaurants and the food budget. No rules you could not keep on an ordinary Tuesday.
Start the series → Everyday eatingPlanning the week
Thirty minutes of planning, a list written from the plan, and one session of cooking ahead. Three articles, in the order you would actually do them.
Start the series → MindsetAppetite, mood and habit
Attention at the table, cravings, eating for reasons other than hunger, the evening, and staying consistent when motivation is gone. Gentler, on purpose.
Start the series → Movement and sleepMovement, sleep and water
What exercise really does for weight, the movement you never count, lifting against cardio, and the two habits that quietly decide the rest: sleep and water.
Start the series →
Are photo calorie apps accurate? What a photo cannot see
A photo identifies the dish well and guesses the amount less well. Here is where the error really comes from, why nobody can honestly give you one percentage, and the three corrections that remove most of it in ten seconds.
54 articles
How to choose a photo calorie counter (and what free means)
Six questions to ask any app that counts calories from a photo before the demo convinces you, and what Fotocal's free plan does and does not include.
Read → Calorie countingHow to Count Calories Accurately: A Beginner’s Guide
Learn how to count calories accurately without burning out. A practical, no-nonsense beginner guide to portions, labels, and building a habit that lasts.
Read → Calorie countingTDEE Explained: How Many Calories You Really Need
Your TDEE is the number of calories you burn in a day. Here’s how to estimate it, why it changes, and how to use it to lose, gain or maintain weight.
Read → Calorie countingCalorie Deficit: The One Rule Behind Every Fat-Loss Diet
Every diet that works, works because it creates a calorie deficit. Here’s what a deficit is, how big it should be, and how to sustain one without misery.
Read → Calorie counting7 Common Calorie Counting Mistakes That Stall Progress
Counting calories but not losing weight? These seven common tracking mistakes explain most stalled progress, and every one of them is easy to fix this week.
Read → NutritionDo Calories Really Matter, or Is It All About Food Quality?
“A calorie is a calorie” vs “focus on whole foods” — this guide settles the debate and shows why both quantity and quality matter for real results.
Read → Calorie countingHow to Track Calories Without Weighing Every Meal
No kitchen scale? You can still track calories well using hand portions, visual cues and photo logging. A practical guide to accurate estimation.
Read → NutritionHow to Read Nutrition Labels: A Practical Guide
Serving sizes, % daily value, added sugars and the marketing on the front: how to read a nutrition label in ten seconds and sidestep the usual traps.
Read → NutritionMacronutrients 101: Protein, Carbs and Fat Explained
A clear beginner’s guide to the three macronutrients — what each does, how many calories they provide, and how to balance them for your goals.
Read → NutritionHow Much Protein Do You Really Need Per Day?
The RDA is a floor, not a target. How much protein you actually need for muscle, fat loss and satiety, in grams per kilo by goal, with simple ways to hit it.
Read → NutritionCarbs Aren’t the Enemy: A Balanced Look at Carbohydrates
Carbs have been blamed for weight gain for decades. Here’s what carbohydrates actually do, which ones to favor, and why they don’t deserve the fear.
Read → NutritionDietary Fat: How Much You Need and Which Kinds to Choose
Fat isn’t fattening by default — it’s essential. Learn how much dietary fat you need, the difference between fat types, and how to choose wisely.
Read → NutritionHow to Set Your Macros for Weight Loss (Step by Step)
A simple, no-nonsense method to calculate your calories and macros for fat loss: protein first, then fats and carbs, with a worked example you can copy today.
Read → NutritionFiber: The Underrated Nutrient for Weight Control
Fiber keeps you full, steadies blood sugar and supports gut health — yet most people fall short. Here’s how much you need and how to get it.
Read → NutritionMicronutrients: Why Vitamins and Minerals Still Matter
You can hit your calorie and macro targets and still eat poorly. Why vitamins and minerals matter, what running low feels like, and how to cover them calmly.
Read → NutritionAdded Sugar vs Natural Sugar: What Actually Matters
Is the sugar in fruit as bad as the sugar in soda? Learn the real difference between added and natural sugars and how much sugar is too much.
Read → Weight lossHow to Lose Weight Sustainably (Without Crash Dieting)
Crash diets fail because they’re unlivable. Here’s a sustainable, evidence-based approach to weight loss you can actually maintain for life.
Read → Weight lossWhy the Scale Isn’t the Whole Story
The number on the scale swings for dozens of reasons that have nothing to do with fat. Here’s how to measure progress without losing your mind.
Read → Weight lossWeight Loss Plateaus: Why They Happen and How to Break Them
Progress stalled? Plateaus are normal and fixable. The real reasons weight loss stalls, how to tell a plateau from water noise, and how to get moving again.
Read → Calorie countingHow Fast Should You Lose Weight?
Faster is not better. The rate of weight loss that protects your muscle, avoids the rebound and keeps the weight off for good, with the numbers to aim at.
Read → Weight lossThe Truth About “Starvation Mode”
Does eating too little stop weight loss? The real science of metabolic adaptation, debunked myths, and what actually happens when you undereat.
Read → Weight lossMaintaining Weight Loss: The Part Nobody Talks About
Losing weight is half the job. How to keep it off: the few habits, the mindset and the small systems that make maintenance stick once the novelty is gone.
Read → MindsetEmotional Eating: How to Recognize and Manage It
Eating to soothe stress, boredom or sadness is human — but it can derail your goals. Here’s how to spot emotional eating and respond with kindness.
Read → Movement and sleepHow Sleep Affects Your Weight (More Than You Think)
Short sleep makes weight loss harder: more hunger, stronger cravings, less movement. What the evidence shows, and simple ways to sleep better.
Read → Everyday eatingWhat Does a Balanced Plate Actually Look Like?
Forget complicated meal plans. The balanced-plate method is a simple visual system for building satisfying, goal-friendly meals without counting.
Read → Everyday eatingHigh-Protein Breakfast Ideas to Keep You Full Till Lunch
A high-protein breakfast keeps you fuller through the morning and banks protein early. Simple, satisfying ideas, from five-minute options to make-ahead ones.
Read → Everyday eatingHealthy Snacks That Actually Satisfy
Snacking is fine when the snack does its job. Filling ideas built on protein and fibre that keep hunger away between meals, and the ones that backfire.
Read → Everyday eatingHow to Eat Healthy on a Budget
Healthy eating doesn’t have to be expensive. Here are practical strategies to hit your protein and nutrition goals without blowing your grocery budget.
Read → Everyday eatingEating Out Without Losing Track
Restaurants can fit your goals. Simple habits for ordering, portions and the bread basket that let you enjoy eating out and stay roughly on track.
Read → Everyday eatingHow to Build a Healthy Grocery List
Healthy eating starts in the shopping cart. How to build a grocery list that stocks your kitchen for success and leaves the impulse buys on the shelf.
Read → Everyday eatingMeal Prep for Beginners: A Simple System
Meal prep saves time, money and last-minute decisions. A beginner-friendly system, plus how to cook in batches, that won’t eat your whole Sunday in the kitchen.
Read → Everyday eatingPortion Control: Simple Tricks That Actually Work
Portion sizes have quietly ballooned. Here are practical, no-weighing portion-control tricks to eat the right amount without feeling deprived.
Read → Movement and sleepHydration and Weight: How Much Water Do You Really Need?
Water is quietly important for appetite, energy and performance. Learn how much you really need and how hydration supports your weight goals.
Read → Everyday eatingHow to Plan a Week of Meals in 30 Minutes
Meal planning doesn’t need to be complicated. This simple 30-minute weekly routine takes the daily “what’s for dinner?” stress off your plate.
Read → MindsetMindful Eating: A Beginner’s Guide
Mindful eating can help you enjoy food more and overeat less. What it is, what the research does and does not show, and simple ways to practise it today.
Read → MindsetHow to Stop Overeating at Night
Nighttime eating derails many good days. Why evening overeating happens, what it says about the rest of the day, and practical ways to keep your nights calm.
Read → MindsetIntuitive Eating vs Calorie Counting: Can You Do Both?
Intuitive eating and calorie counting are often framed as enemies. How they actually complement each other, in which order, and how to blend them calmly.
Read → MindsetHow to Handle Cravings Without Guilt
Cravings are normal, not a moral failing. Why they happen, what restriction does to them, and how to satisfy them in a way that fits your goals, without guilt.
Read → Movement and sleepDo You Need to Exercise to Lose Weight?
Can you lose weight without the gym? The honest answer on diet versus exercise for fat loss, what movement still does for you, and why you should not skip it.
Read → Movement and sleepCardio vs Strength Training for Fat Loss
Should you do cardio or lift weights to lose fat? What each one does, why the honest answer is “both”, and how to combine them so the deficit does the work.
Read → Movement and sleepHow Many Calories Does Exercise Actually Burn?
Fitness trackers and cardio machines often overestimate calorie burn. A realistic look at exercise calories and why “eating them back” backfires.
Read → Movement and sleepBuilding Muscle While Losing Fat: Is It Possible?
Body recomposition — losing fat and gaining muscle at once — is real but nuanced. Here’s who can do it, how, and what to realistically expect.
Read → Movement and sleepNEAT: The Hidden Calorie Burn You’re Ignoring
NEAT, the calories you burn through everyday movement, can dwarf your workouts. What it is, why it drops when you diet, and how to use it for easier fat loss.
Read → MindsetHow to Stay Consistent With Healthy Habits
Consistency beats intensity every time. Practical strategies, drawn from how habits actually form, to make healthy eating and exercise habits stick.
Read → NutritionProtein Timing: Does It Actually Matter?
Is the “anabolic window” real? Learn what the science says about protein timing, the 30-minute post-workout myth, and what actually matters.
Read → Weight lossIntermittent Fasting: What the Evidence Says
Is intermittent fasting magic or just calorie control in disguise? Here’s an evidence-based look at IF, its real benefits, and who it suits.
Read → Weight lossLow-Carb vs Low-Fat: Which Is Better for You?
The low-carb vs low-fat debate has raged for years. Here’s what the research actually shows and how to choose the approach that fits your life.
Read → Weight lossThe Truth About “Detox” Diets and Cleanses
Juice cleanses and detox teas promise to flush toxins and melt fat. Here’s what actually happens — and why your liver already does the job for free.
Read → Weight lossWhy Crash Diets Fail (and What to Do Instead)
Crash diets promise fast results and deliver rebound weight gain. Here’s the science of why they fail and a sustainable alternative that works.
Read → NutritionHigh-Protein Diet: Benefits and How to Start
A higher-protein diet supports fat loss, muscle and satiety. Here are the real benefits, how much to aim for, and easy ways to eat more protein.
Read → Calorie countingUnderstanding Your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)
Your BMR is the energy your body burns just to stay alive. Learn what affects it, how to estimate it, and how it fits into your calorie needs.
Read → Everyday eatingFoods That Fill You Up for Fewer Calories
No food is magic, but some keep you full for far fewer calories. Here are the high-satiety foods that make a calorie deficit feel almost easy.
Read → Weight lossDoes Meal Timing Matter for Weight Loss?
Is late eating fattening? Do you need breakfast? What the evidence says about meal timing and frequency, where timing helps a little, and what actually matters.
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