What Is A Calorie?

A calorie is defined as, “a unit of energy equivalent to the heat energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1°C”.

There is a lot of science in that but let's break it down. Essentially a calorie is a measurement of energy that is used to express the energy that you can absorb from food/drink intake.

Thanks to a few laws of science such as the law of thermodynamics, we know for 100% that the equation for weight change can be found out simply by calories in vs calories out. That does not, however, mean that it is as simple as reading the back of a package and eating less or more calories. Your body needs certain things to live and survive. If it does not get these things then it will lower/raise metabolism to keep itself alive which can hinder a person's goals.

So how do you use the math and science behind calories to obtain your weight loss goals?

What Are The 3 Macronutrients

Calories can largely be broken down into 3 main subgroups called macronutrients. These include carbs, proteins, and fats. Each one is worth different amounts of calories and depending on what form of said macronutrient they are, it can affect your body in different ways. Calculating some of this can be hard. That is why I recommend sites such as My Fitness Pal and Cronometer. They allow you to input body information and goals which will give you how much you should be eating. These apps also allow you to track what you are eating and drinking by inputting your meal manually or scanning the bar code and using their thousands of pre-entered foods.

Carbs

Carbs are often thought of as your sugars and forms of energy. Like everything there are “good” and “bad” carbs. The sugar that you get from say a fruit is often going to be very different and act with your body differently than say the sugar from a Hershey bar. Fibers are also carbs however most of the time these are not digestible and end up burning more calories trying to break them down than you get from them.

Depending on what your goals are the amount of carbs that is recommended varies. A good baseline for maintaining however is between 45% and 65% of your total caloric intake. So take your caloric intake, find what percentage you want then divide that number by 4 to find how many carbs you are aiming for.

If your goal is cutting you will be lower than this or if you are bulking you could be significantly more than this number. It all depends on your goals and body.

1 gram of carbs = 4 calories

Proteins

Proteins are different from the other two macronutrients in the way that unless it is a dire need they are not used as energy. Protein is what is used to build things such as muscle.

A high protein diet can help to start weight loss for a few reasons. The first is that it is extremely filling so you are more likely to eat less. The second is that as you build more muscle your metabolism will increase which if you continue eating the same amount will equal you going into a caloric deficit causing weight loss.

Remember: Not all proteins are the same.

Get your protein from good sources such as high-quality meats, dairy, eggs, etc. Protein breaks down further into amino acids and depending on how much of each amino you have in a food can determine how complete and quality said protein is.

Professionals recommend between 0.8 to 1.2 grams of protein per pound of body weight. Now there is a stipulation, if someone is 300lbs of mostly fat they do not need 300lbs of protein. They would be fine with simply 200 grams. A good rule of thumb is to go with whatever your healthy body weight would be.

1 gram of protein = 4 calories

Fats

Fats get a bad rep due to people wanting to lose fat but one does not necessarily cause the other. Unused carbs could turn into fat and the same goes for fat turning to energy. Fat loss occurs when you do not eat enough calories to sustain your body so your body uses the fat it has stored to get enough energy.

Along with energy fat is also used for hormonal functions. So it is important to get enough fat every day to keep your hormones in check. 20-35% of your calories for the day should be fat and depending on how low your calories are you should not go down below 60 grams of fats per day to stay healthy.

Just like the other two make sure to get quality sources of fat. Eggs, fish, avocados, olive oil, and dairy products are all good options.

1 gram of fat = 9 calories

Metabolism

Your metabolism is the amount of calories that you use in a day without physical activity such as working out. This does include calories burned doing your job and just walking around throughout the day.

Many variables can influence this number such as: How physically demanding your job is, where you live, muscle and fat mass, height, age, and medical conditions.

No matter your metabolism though, if you eat under that amount you will lose weight and if you eat over that amount you will gain weight.

The tricky part is that as you lose or gain weight, this number will change. So it is important to update factors on a weekly or monthly basis to stay accurate.

How To Accomplish Weight Goals

Depending on how fast you want to achieve your weight goals, what those goals are, and how your body reacts to weight change, the path you take to achieve them can be different. A good rule of thumb however is to try and get between 300 to 500 calories above or below the amount of calories you spend in a day to move in either direction. This number will need to be adjusted from week to week to keep up with your changing metabolism.

Remember at the end of the day, if you are unsure of what you are doing seek professional help. The last thing you want to do is cause harm to yourself or your body because of your diet.

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