Today, I did some research into what a calorie really is. Everybody has heard you should eat less calories when you lose weight, but why? How does this work?
I bet if I asked you what a calorie actually is, you wouldn't be able to tell me. So, I will define what a calorie is. A calorie is the type of energy found in food. All of the energy that is in fat and carbs comes from the calories within them. A single calorie represents the energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 liter of water by 1 degree Celsius. If you remember your junior high school science class, you'll know that energy can never be destroyed, only change in form. This is also true for calories, as your body either converts calories into another type of energy or stores it in cells. When you "burn" calories, it means your body is converting caloric energy into different types of energy. Calories are converted into thermal (heat) energy, electrical (nervous system) energy, sound energy, kinetic (movement) energy. Remember, if your body doesn't "burn" as many calories as you consume, the extra calories get stored in your fat and muscle cells. However, because your body is always producing heat, digesting food, sending nerve impulses, pumping blood around your body, and moving around, your body constantly burns calories. Everybody's daily calorie need is different, depending on your age, weight, height, and activity level. In general, the average adult needs about 2,000 calories a day to maintain a steady body weight and normal body functions. There are a few basic "rules" for calorie consumption. If your goal is to lose weight, then you should consume less calories than you would normally burn. If your goal is go gain weight and put on muscle or fat, you should consume more calories than you would normally burn. If you just want to maintain a steady weight, you should consume roughly the same amount of calories as you burn. It's also important to know how many calories are stored in fat. Usually 3,500 calories are stored in every pound of fat you have. This is VERY important to know. If your daily calorie goal is 2,000 and you consume 2,500 everyday for a week, you will gain 1 pound of fat. This is because your body will use 2,000 of those calories and store the other 500 (500cal x 7 days = 3,500 per week, equating to 1 pound of fat). It's important to know how many calories you need daily in order to lose weight. The internet has hundreds of online calorie calculators you could use to find your number. Don't think that you can only eat some crazy low number of calories per day, because I bet you need more than you think you do. Once you find the number of calories you need daily, you must then pay attention to the number of calories in the food you eat. In future posts, I will unlock the secrets of good food without all the extra calories. All information from: http://www.shapesense.com/nutrition/articles/
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |