What is a Calorie?

Did you know that a calorie is just a measurement of energy? The energy our bodies need daily is provided by the food and drinks we consume, which contain calories. Some foods provide more energy, or calories, than others. If you consume more energy than your body needs, your body stores the energy for later use. If you continue to eat more energy than your body needs, your body never uses up all the energy that has been stored, which causes weight gain. So how much energy, or calories, does your body need daily? That depends on a few different factors:

–Age: As we age, our bodies need fewer calories

–Height: The taller you are, the more calories your body typically needs

–Weight: The more you weigh, the more calories you need to maintain that weight

–Sex: Males generally need more calories than females

–Body Composition: The more muscle mass you have, the more calories you need to maintain muscle

–Activity level: The more active you are, the more calories you need

Calories come from carbohydrates, protein, fat, and alcohol. All the foods and drinks you consume contain one or more of these forms of calories. Carbohydrates and protein provide 4 calories per gram. Alcohol provides 7 calories per gram. Fat provides 9 calories per gram. As you can see, alcohol has almost as many calories as fat! Something to drink think about!

Because we are most active earlier in the day, we want to make sure we eat most of our calories when we are most active, so our body has a chance to use them and burn them off. If you eat most of your calories at nighttime, you will most likely store them because you are not using them! Make sure to distribute your calories throughout the day when your body needs them most.

If you are interested in finding out how many calories your body needs, a website that provides a good estimate is:

http://www.calculator.net/calorie-calculator.html. This site will estimate how many calories your body needs to maintain weight, gain weight, and lose weight.

If your goal is to lose weight, it may seem like the best thing to do is to eat as few calories as possible. WRONG! Your body NEEDS nutrients, and it only gets them from what you eat and drink. Most vitamins and minerals are not stored in the body, which means you need to consume them daily to keep your body functioning at an optimal level. It is currently recommended not to eat below 1500 calories a day to ensure your body is getting all the nutrients it needs. Unless you have a meal plan specifically tailored to your individual needs by a registered dietitian or a doctor, it is extremely difficult to meet your daily nutritional requirements below that calorie level.

Curious about how many calories you eat a day? One of my favorite apps is MyFitnessPal.com. This app lets you create a profile and track your food throughout the day using your smartphone or computer. When you create your profile, the program offers daily nutrition goals for calories, protein, carbs, and fat. I have noticed that the link I provided above (http://www.calculator.net/calorie-calculator.html) gives a more accurate estimation of calories than MyFitnessPal. The great thing is that you can change your nutrition goals on MyFitnessPal to reflect the goals you would like to meet. You can change them by going to “My Home” à “Goals” à “Change Goals” (towards the bottom of the page). On the next page, click “custom,” and then input your desired numbers.

Another app that is very helpful is calorieking.com, which is accessible on your phone or computer. This is a quick resource to look up the amount of calories in various foods.

 Now you no longer have to guess how much damage you are doing to your body!

1. Find out how many calories your body needs: http://www.calculator.net/calorie-calculator.html

2. Track your eating pattern. Track your food for a week to see how many calories you normally consume: http://www.myfitnesspal.com

3. Make changes as you see fit! When are you eating more of your calories? Are you getting enough calories from a variety of foods? Are you eating enough fruits and vegetables? Use your food diary to pinpoint patterns in your eating habits and see where changes need to be made.

After you track your food, I would love to hear your feedback. What did you notice about your eating patterns? Were you surprised at how many calories you need vs. how many you eat? Any of the patterns that you notice? Feel free to comment below!

Happy eating!

Joy Diggs, MS, CPT, RD, LD

Certified Personal Trainer

Registered and Licensed Dietitian