We’ve put together some of the most asked questions about calories all into one easy to use website!
So first off what are calories?
A calorie is a unit of energy. Historically, scientists have defined "calorie" to mean a unit of energy or heat that could come from a variety of sources, such as coal or gas. In a nutritional sense, all types of food, whether they are fats, proteins, carbohydrates or sugars, are important sources of calories, which people need to live and function.
The amount of calories burnt in a day relies on many factors. These being your age, weight and activity level. The average person burns about 1800 a day doing no extra physical activity. The amount of calories burnt at rest depends on a person’s basal metabolic rate2 (BMR). If a person weighs 150 pounds and a person weighs 180 pounds who is going to burn more calories? The person who weighs more. This is simply because it takes more effort to move a larger body meaning more calories are being burned in the process of mobility.
What is a calorie deficit? A calorie deficit is where you are eating less calories than your body needs to burn in a day. A calorie deficit may also be achieved by burning more calories than your daily intake. The calories you burn or expend each day, also known as calorie expenditure, include the following three components; Resting energy expenditure . REE refers to the calories your body uses at rest for functions that keep you alive, such as breathing and blood circulation. Thermic effect of food. This involves the calories your body expends digesting, absorbing, and metabolizing food. Activity energy expenditure. This refers to the calories you expend during sports like exercise and non-exercise related activities, including fidgeting and performing household chores. Being in a consistent calorie deficit will result in loss of weight and being in a calorie deficit whether it’s achieved through exercise or food will result in weight loss. For most people only a deficit of about 500 calories per day is sufficient for weight loss and won’t significantly affect your hunger and energy expenditure.
What is a calorie surplus? A calorie surplus is the exact opposite of a deficit. In a calorie surplus your body is consuming more calories than you burn in a day. This is achieved when eating larger portions of food, foods that are dense in calories or eating more times a day. A calorie surplus is used to gain weight and often people that want to build muscle go into a form of a calorie surplus referred to as a “bulk”
What is a calorie deficit
What is a calorie surplus
What happens if you’re not receiving the right amount of calories
When your calorie intake is too low, you may not get all the nutrients your body needs. Additionally, your body's natural response to a decrease in food can lead to your body's metabolism slowing so that your body can conserve energy. In the long run, this slowing metabolism can lead to weight gain. Eating too little calories can make your body fatigued and this means you can’t be performing basic functions. Without certain basic nutrients your body doesn’t have the energy and base it needs to function properly. On the other hand consuming too many calories means your body is going to use the excess energy and turn it into stored fat. This increases a person's risk of becoming obese and then developing many health problems such as chronic illnesses and heart disease.
Are all calories created equal
So while an individual calorie measures the same in a cookie or a salad, the value of a calorie goes beyond this very narrow definition. A diet of organic, whole foods with limited sugar and carbohydrates will lead to decreased appetites, lower calorie consumption, and better overall health.
Some foods, especially those that are high in protein, keep you fuller for longer amounts of time. Studies have shown that people who eat in higher protein diets lose more weight than those who eat diets higher in fats and carbs. Eating foods that are low in calories but also don’t fill you up is worse than eating foods that are higher in protein and higher in calories that are going to keep you fuller longer.
Certain foods increase cravings
Foods that may contain a lot of sugary content make you want more. You may not feel like eating sugary foods and then as soon as you consume some it’s all you’ll begin to crave for a period of time. Sugary foods are often high in calories and low in protein and other nutrients. If you’re in a calorie deficit and are constantly consuming huge amounts of sugary foods, you’re going to have less calories left for filling and nutritious food while also craving more and either having to break your calorie deficit or go hungry.
It’s harder to overeat some calories
Eating 100 calories of a high calorie food such as chips compared to 100 calories of lettuce. A cup of lettuce is 5 calories so 20 cups of lettuce which is pretty unrealistic to eat compared to a single serving from a bag of chips which is 150-200 calories. So you can easily overeat when consuming foods like chips compared to when you’re eating foods such as lettuce or other green vegetables.
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