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Posted 3 years ago

Calorie Conscious

Count calories, watch calories, eat, sleep and breath calories. That is the message on repeat in popular media. Yet most lack basic understanding of calories, their function, and where they come from. 

With heaps of misinformation out there, this article will set the record straight and provide all there is to know on calories.

What is a Calorie?

A calorie is a measurement of energy. This energy is measured through heat, and determined by the amount of heat used to increase a kilogram of water by one degree Celsius. How does that translate to food and nutrition?

Well, this measurement of heat can actually tell us how much energy certain foods provide the body. Why is that important? Because people use energy every second of every day by simply being alive and performing normal bodily functions like breathing, moving, having a beating heart, and maintaining the body’s core temperature. These processes use energy in the form of calories. As is illustrated throughout this article, the words energy and calories are often used interchangeably. 

Energy spent, or burned (think heat), in the form of calories, must be replaced with more calories from food in order to maintain an energy balance. If not enough energy is taken in to replace the energy used, the individual is in an energy, or calorie, deficit. However, if more energy is taken in than burned, the person is in a calorie surplus. More on this in a bit. 

What About Carbs, Protein, and Fat?  

To build on our understanding, let us turn to the three major nutrient groups, known as macronutrients. Macronutrients are composed of three nutrient groups: Carbohydrates, protein, and fat. 

  • 1 gram of carbohydrate = 4 calories
  • 1 gram of protein = 4 calories
  • 1 gram of fat = 9 calories 

Confusion can arise for some because they think calories are a food category or nutrient group. A common question is: Are calories good for losing weight? This question cannot be answered because they are neither good nor bad for losing weight, as they are not a type of food. Calories are energy provided by foods. They do, however, play a role in weight management. Let us dive deeper into this.

Weight Management 

If someone is in a calorie deficit, where more energy is burned than eaten, the body will resort to using stored energy in the form of fat and muscle to meet energy needs. This results in weight loss.   

On the contrary, if an individual takes in more energy than they burn, they are in a calorie surplus, and will likely gain weight. If energy burned is the same, or equal to, energy eaten, then the person has balanced their energy intake and expenditure, and will maintain their weight. The number of calories needed to maintain weight is referred to as, maintenance calories. 

1 pound = 3,500 calories 

In order to lose one pound, the individual should be in a deficit for several days until it reaches 3,500 calories. For example, maintaining a deficit of 500 calories a day for one week (7 days) will result in a 3,500 calorie deficit, and the individual should lose one pound that week. 

How Do I Achieve a Calorie Deficit to Lose Weight?

A deficit can be achieved by 3 methods: 

  1. Eat fewer calories than the body requires for energy
  2. Burn more calories through movement and exercise than consumed
  3. A combination of both reducing calorie intake through food, and increasing exercise

For healthy weight loss, Option 3, or a combination of exercise and healthy eating, is most often recommended. 

How Many Calories Should I Eat?

It is recommended that a moderately active middle-aged man consume approximately 2,500 calories each day, while a moderately active middle-aged woman consume about 2,000 calories per day. These numbers might be more or less than an individual needs based on their specific statistics. 

There are a variety of methods that are tailored to the individual to determine how much energy they should take in. Let us begin to detail the various methods. 

BMR Calculator 

A BMR, or basal metabolic rate, is the rate in which the body burns calories while at rest. That is, by simply maintaining life through basic bodily functions. The BMR calculator will ask the user basic questions including weight, height, age, and sex. The individual will then receive an estimated number of required calories each day. A BMR calculator does not take into account a person’s activity level. 

Calorie Calculator

A calorie calculator is a tool used to determine how many calories a person requires in a day to maintain their weight, or achieve energy balance while taking into account daily activity. The questions include weight, height, age, sex, and current activity level. Once answered, a daily recommended calorie intake will be provided.

If someone wants to lose weight, they could take the daily recommended intake provided by the calculator and subtract calories (usually between 200 and 600) to provide an amount that would achieve a deficit. It is important to note that most professionals do not recommend going under 1,200 calories each day.

Weight Loss Calculator

Also called a calorie deficit calculator, a weight loss calculator determines how many daily calories should be eaten to maintain a certain weight by a goal date. Again, questions asked are weight, height, age, sex, current activity level, and will also include a goal weight and and a date for which the goal weight should be acheived. The calculator will then provide a daily calorie amount that the individual should consume in order to meet their goal.

Calories Burned Calculator

A calories burned calculator determines how much energy an individual burns during a specific duration. Questions include weight, height, age, sex, and duration of activity. The calculator will then produce the number of calories the person would burn doing a variety of activities given the specific information provided. 

This can help someone determine how much energy they should take in to maintain weight, lose weight, or gain weight. They would determine their BMR first and then ADD the number of calories burned through exercise to determine their total number energy burned in a day. 

For example, if an individual’s BMR is 1,500 calories each day and they determined they burned 250 calories that day taking an aerobics class, then the total calories burned that day is 1,750. That is: 

1,500 BMR + 250 burned through exercise = 1,750 total burned during the day

This also means that the individual should eat approximately 1,750 calories in the day to maintain weight in order to keep an energy balance. Now, let us imagine that the individual wants to lose weight at a healthy rate of one pound per week. They should maintain a 500 calorie per day deficit to meet the one pound or 3,500 calorie, per week deficit goal. Therefore, they must eat 500 calories less than they burn. 

If the person burns 1,750 per day, they must subtract 500 from 1,750 to determine their daily calorie allowance. 

1,750 burned - 500 deficit = 1,250 daily calorie allowance

The individual should eat 1,250 calories in the day to lose one pound a week, considering activity level remains consistent. 

Running Calorie Calculator

A running calculator determines the number of calories burned specific to running. Along with the usual questions of weight, height, age, and sex, the running calculator will also ask about running speed and duration of the run. Once answered, the calculator will provide the user with energy burned specific to the information provided.

How Do Biological Factors Like Gender and Sex Affect How Many Calories I Need

A common feature of all of the above mentioned calculators is their initial question list. They ask for weight, height, age, and sex. These are important because they affect how the body will utilize energy. Let us look into this more. 

  • The more someone weighs, the more energy they need to eat to maintain their larger body mass, and vice versa. 
  • Along the same lines a s weight, a taller individual is a larger individual and will thus need more energy to maintain weight for a taller frame. The opposite is true for a shorter individual. 
  • Younger people have a faster metabolism naturally. As people age, their metabolism slows and they require less calories than they did in years prior. 
  • This one is a bit more complicated, but in general, men will require a higher energy intake than women. Much of this is due to their larger stature and therefore increased weight and height. Due to differing hormone levels, men can more easily maintain larger amounts of muscle mass than women. Muscles require more energy utilization, and therefore need more calories to simply maintain their current status.

 

Counting Calories as a Means for Weight Loss

Once it is known how many calories are needed to maintain or lose weight based on basal metabolic rate and daily activity, energy intake can be modified to better suit the goal. 

The best way to modify a person’s current intake is to keep track of calories eaten throughout the day and reduce accordingly. This is best achieved through the use of either: 

  • a food journal, or
  • a calorie tracker

A food journal is a method of keeping track of what is eaten throughout the day with the use of a food diary. Foods and their corresponding calories are notated and then tallied at the end of the day. Old school? Yes. However, for those that enjoy keeping a physical journal, it is very effective. The additional benefit of a food journal is that there are no limits to notes added along with each food entry. Mood, hunger level, digestive symptoms, and more can be tracked to find eventual patterns in behavior and symptoms. 

But wait. Where is the information about each food’s calorie content coming from? A quick internet search will lead to many reputable websites available that will quickly provide the calorie amount for specific foods. There are also physical books available with listings of almost any food imaginable and its corresponding calorie content. 

If a food journal sounds too archaic, there are loads of calorie tracker smartphone apps available that do much of the work for you. Most have very large food databases that make searching for foods simple. The user can simply search for a food, choose the serving size and add it to their daily food log. At the end of the day, calories and nutrient totals are provided. 

These options offer a simple way to keep track of energy consumed throughout the days and weeks to aid in weight loss. The downside to tracking foods is that it can be a tedious endeavor. It is easy to forget to track meals on busy days or those outside of the usual routine. Most people eat the same 10-20 foods and meals on rotation, so once calories for favorite meals are determined a few times, they can be estimated thereafter. This is especially helpful for those that do not appreciate food logging. 

Now, let us get into the nitty gritty on a low calorie diet, including low calorie meals and low calorie snacks. 

All About Food

A good place to jump off is by becoming more familiar with foods and their energy content. Here are some common foods and the number of calories in each:

 

Popular Foods

Number of Calories

Medium banana

105

Large egg

78

Medium apple

95

½ medium avocado

130

4 oz cooked chicken breast

184

4 oz sirloin steak

228

1 cup strawberry halves

50

1 cup chopped carrots

45

Medium white potato

163

Small sweet Potato

112

1 cup broccoli

31

1 cup grapes

62

1 cup chopped mushrooms

16

1 cup diced cucumber

16

1 cup chopped tomatoes

32

1 cup cooked white rice

206

1 tablespoon olive oil

119

1 tablespoon butter

102

 

Take notice of portion sizes listed. Nutrition content of food is dependent on the amount of each food eaten. 

Are there assumptions to be made after reviewing this list? Certainly. For example, notice vegetables will almost always be the lowest in calories. This tidbit and others make up important

rules of thumb when assembling low calorie meals.

 

General Rules for Creating Low Calorie Meals

 Follow these guidelines to choose lower calorie meals and snacks: 

  • Think fiber. Fiber, found in fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and seeds is indigestible plant protein that allows the feeling of fullness and satiety without loads of calories. 
  • Eat meat sparingly. As evidenced by the popular food list above, in general, meat-based foods are going to be much higher in cenergy. Enjoy these foods less frequently and in smaller quantities. 
  • Go plant-based when possible. To piggy-back on the last tip, choosing fresh fruits, vegetables, and legumes when possible increases the amount of water-rich, natural health foods into the diet that are naturally low in calories. 
  • Be vigilant of portion sizes. Some very healthy foods can be high in calories. Examples are nuts and nut butters, seeds, and olive oil. It is a great idea to include them in the diet, but also important to stick to recommended serving suggestions. 
  • Load up on veggies. Veggies, by far, provide the biggest bang for the buck. Rich in vitamins, minerals, water, and fiber, vegetables are a great base for any low calorie meal.

 

Real Life Examples 

Now that the guidelines are in place, take a look at some healthy meal examples and their corresponding calorie content. 

Breakfast 

  • 1 egg, slice of whole grain toast with ¼ mashed avocado and tomato slice, and 1 medium orange = 270 calories 
  • 1 cup cooked oatmeal, ½ banana, 1 tablespoon almond butter = 309 calories

Lunch

  • Large salad with 3 cups lettuce, 1 cup tomatoes, 1 cup cucumbers, ½ cup chickpeas, ½ cup cooked quinoa, 2 tablespoons olive oil and vinegar mixture = 428 calories 
  • Turkey sandwich on whole wheat, including 2 slices whole grain bread, 2 oz turkey cold cuts, lettuce, 2 slices tomato, 1 tablespoon mustard with 1 cup of grapes = 302 calories 

Dinner 

  • 3 oz grilled chicken breast, 1 cup sauteed spinach with 2 tablespoons sliced almonds, ½ cup brown rice = 365 calories 
  • Mixed vegetable pasta with 1 cup cooked whole wheat spaghetti, tossed with 1 cup zucchini, ½ cup onion, 1 cup mushrooms, sauteed in 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 garlic clove served with 3 oz roasted salmon = 456 calories 

Snacks Under 200 Calories 

  • ¼ cup hummus with carrots and bell peppers 
  • Apple with 1 tablespoon peanut butter 
  • ¼ cup of nuts or fruit and nut mix 
  • 1 hard boiled egg and celery 
  • 4 oz deli turkey breast wrapped cucumber 
  • ¾ cup lowfat Greek yogurt with 1 cup strawberries and a teaspoon of honey

 

Quality over Quantity 

It is easy to get bogged down with focusing solely on calories when choosing food. However, by doing that, healthy energy dense foods might be passed up in exchange for low-calorie, nutritionally empty foods. It is important to look at the big picture. 

At the end of the day, most of us want to be as healthy as reasonably possible. Avoid skipping the higher calorie hummus in exchange for a low fat ranch dressing. In this exchange, you are trading healthy fats, protein, and fiber for chemicals and artificial everything (read ingredient lists!). Instead, limit the portion size of the hummus to a few tablespoons. 

Remember, someone who maintains their weight with 1,800 calories of junk food each day is going to be much less healthy than a person who maintains their weight with 1,800 calories of nutrient dense, healthy food options. 

 

Energy Burned Through Exercise

Finally, let us look at the opposite end of the coin. Rather than focusing on energy consumed, below is a list of energy burned or expended during physical activity.

As discussed, each person will burn a certain number of calories performing different activities based on their specific make up. However, let us take a look at some examples of an average 155 lb person’s energy burn doing a variety of activities for 30 minutes. 

 

Exercise

Calories Burned

Briskly walking

167

Jogging

223

Bicycling, moderate intensity

260

Weight lifting

90

Low impact aerobics

205

Swimming

223

Disco or ballroom dancing

205

Kayaking

186

Gardening

167

Cooking

93

It may be surprising to learn that it takes quite a bit of effort to burn off even a snack’s calorie equivalent. It can be easy to out-eat even the best workout. For that reason, it is thought that diet is 80-90% of weight control, while exercise, although still important, is 10-20% of weight control.  

In Short

Calories are a measurement of energy used within the body, as well as energy consumed in the form of food. An individual’s weight relies heavily on this energy balance. Weight can be manipulated by increasing or decreasing the number of calories consumed, or increasing or decreasing the number of calories burned in the form of physical activity. 

There are many calculators available to assist in determining energy needs as well as expenditure. Each individual will require a unique number of calories based on their height, weight, age, sex, and activity level. 

Calories in food vary but are usually lowest in water rich vegetables. By keeping a close eye on portion sizes, choosing plant-based high fiber foods whenever possible, and limiting energy dense foods, a healthy balance can be achieved. Be thoughtful in choosing food, and enjoy every bite.

 

 

Sources:

Calorie. (n.d.). Retrieved February 09, 2021, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/calorie#:~:text=1%20%3A%20a%20unit%20for%20measuring,cal%C2%B7%E2%80%8Bo%C2%B7%E2%80%8Brie

FoodData central. (n.d.). Retrieved February 9, 2021, from https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/

Publishing, H. (n.d.). Calories burned in 30 minutes for people of three different weights. Retrieved February 9, 2021, from https://www.health.harvard.edu/diet-and-weight-loss/calories-burned-in-30-minutes-of-leisure-and-routine-activities

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