I Thought We All Agreed to Stop Counting Calories
To some, Cal AI is a useful tool that only improves upon existing calorie-tracking tech. And to be clear, we’re not saying that calorie counters can’t be helpful or educational for some people. But those who have felt personally victimized by similar (albeit less user-friendly) apps may recall how slippery this slope can be. Seeing that Cal AI has already been downloaded over a million times only heightens this concern.
“We are the fastest growing health and fitness app on the app store,” 18-year-old co-founder Zach Yadegari told Forbes. He, along with co-founders Henry Langmack and Blake Anderson, were inspired to create the app after Yadegari started working out to gain weight and “impress girls,” TechCrunch reports. While this is an admirable endeavor, do we really need to know every little thing about the food we eat? Didn’t we already learn our lesson after all those previous calorie counters?
“I didn’t even use the app anymore, I just calculated in my head constantly.”
“When you get a calorie-calculating app [the] first mistake is they allow you to say how many pounds you’d like to lose in a week, not giving you the true context behind it,” nutrition coach Toni Fine says in a 2023 TikTok discussing the complexity of calorie deficits, metabolic rate, and weight loss. Oftentimes, “we have really lofty goals that are actually not sustainable, not healthy, and unrealistic as hell,” Fine adds. Calorie trackers only exacerbate this issue.
While apps like these can provide valuable information, in order for it to be used responsibly, you need some basic knowledge about nutrition. In another 2023 TikTok about calorie counters, one user says tracking calories “turned into me just starving myself and not giving myself proper nutrition whatsoever.” Commenters in a separate video added that calorie counting ultimately “turns into an obsessive game,” and the damage persists even if you delete the apps. “It got to a point where I didn’t even use the app anymore, I just calculated in my head constantly,” one commenter wrote.
If calorie counting is something that genuinely helps you stay on track and reach your fitness goals, that can be a great thing. But the truth is that nutrition is highly nuanced, and trackers rarely tell the full story. If you’re seeking more reliable information about diet, speak with a nutritionist or healthcare professional who can provide more individualized advice. And in the meantime, let’s finally agree not to repeat our former calorie counting mistakes.
Chandler Plante (she/her) is an assistant health and fitness editor for PS. She has over four years of professional journalism experience, previously working as an editorial assistant for People magazine and contributing to Ladygunn, Millie, and Bustle Digital Group.
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