Understanding Calories For Better Weight Loss

In food and drinks, the energy offered is counted using calories. When you eat or drink calories that your body doesn’t use, it’s stored as fat. When you do this consistently, you gain weight.

The average woman needs just 2,000 calories daily, while the average man should consume 2,500. Ultimately, your calorie intake will depend on your sex, size, and physical activity levels. There are other factors to consider when understanding calories. For instance, you will want to decide whether your calorie intake is for weight maintenance or weight loss.

How To Start Understanding Calories

Energy Balance

Your body requires energy to live. Your organs need the energy to function. Energy is fuel and food is fuel. The foods that you eat, the drinks that you drink, that is the energy you are giving your body to use. Your body is using that energy for everything, from racing a high-speed train to simply breathing.

If you want to maintain your weight, then you need to consume the same energy that your body uses throughout the day. So, if you use 2,500 calories a day in energy, then you’ll want to consume 2,500 calories a day. This will maintain your current weight. If you want to lose weight, then you have to consume fewer calories than your body will use.

The key to a healthy diet is balance. You have to balance the energy you consume with the energy that you use. If you are incredibly active physically, then you will need more energy.

Calorie Checking

In order to consume the right number of calories, you will need to know the calories of what you consume. Now, for the products you buy off the shelf, you will find that information listed. Just look for the energy heading and check the kcal number. Usually, the kcal will be listed by serving as opposed to the entire package.

That’s important to remember. Calories can easily add up if you miscalculate them. For foods like fresh products, you can use an app like My Food Diary or simply search the internet to find the calorie count. Once you get used to it, you’ll have the more common ones memorized. An app or a diet journal will also help you count them and keep track. Many of them have foods pre-loaded, but there will be some you need to add for yourself.

Calorie Burning

You burn calories by being physical. The number of calories that you use will depend on your age and size. If you do vigorous activities, then you’ll use more calories. If you power walk, you will use more calories than you would do so walking slowly. If you find yourself gaining weight, then it could be down to consuming more calories than you use. You have to use more calories than you consume.

You can’t just count calories and expect to lose weight, even if you are consuming fewer than you use. It’s also important that you exercise regularly. These two combined will help you lose weight, maintain your shape, and stay healthy.

Women who want to lose weight should look to reduce their calorie intake to somewhere between 1,200 and 1,500 calories. It’s important to choose a calorie count that is maintainable and sustainable. If you choose 1,200 calories, it can be difficult to maintain.

You may lose plenty of weight to start with, but as you add calories in you will gain that weight back. You don’t need to lose weight rapidly. If you want to lose weight and keep it off, then you need to lose weight slowly. It’s time to stop temporarily dieting and start considering what changes you can make in your lifestyle.

The Easy Way To Counting and Understanding Calories

For more help understanding calories use an app like My Food Diary. It will help you to eat properly and be in control of your decisions, and by making healthy changes to your unhealthy habits you can lose all that weight and keep it off for a lifetime. Take the guesswork out of weight loss. Record your food and exercise, and My Food Diary will crunch the numbers for you.