DOES CALORIE COUNTING WORK
DOES CALORIE COUNTING WORK
There have been two opinions from the beginning
of calorie counting. Some insist that counting calories are useful because
they believe losing weight purely depends upon the concept of calories in
versus calories out.
Others believe that calorie counting is
outdated, doesn't work and often leaves people heavier than when they started. (Calorie count)
A calorie is defined as the amount of heat the energy needed to raise the temperature of one gram of water by 1°C.
Calories are normally used to describe the amount of energy
your body gets from what you eat and drink. A calorie is defined as the amount
of heat energy needed to raise the temperature of one gram of water by 1°C.
HOW DOES YOUR BODY USE CALORIES?
Food is where your body gets the calories it
needs to function. During digestion, your body breaks down the foods you eat
into smaller units. These subunits can either be used to build your own tissues
or to provide your body with the energy it needs to meet its immediate needs.
The amount of energy your body gets from the
subunits depend on where they come from
- Carbs: 4
calories per gram
- Protein: 4
calories per gram
- Fat: 9
calories per gram
Your body uses the calories produced from
metabolizing these nutrients to power three main processes, which are listed
below
1. Basic metabolism
Your body will use most calories to perform
basic functions, such as providing energy to your
- brain
- kidneys
- lungs
- heart
- nervous
system
The amount of energy required to support
these functions is referred to as your basal metabolic rate (BMR). It makes up
the largest proportion of your total daily energy requirements.
2. Digestion
Your body will use part of the calories you
consume to help you digest and metabolize the foods you eat.
This is known as the thermic effect of food
(TEF) and varies based on the foods you eat. For instance, protein requires slightly more energy to be digested,
whereas fat requires the least. About 10–15% of the calories you get from a
meal will be used to support the TEF
3. Physical activity
The remaining calories you get from foods
fuel your physical activity. This includes both your everyday tasks and your
workouts. Therefore, the total number of calories needed to cover this category
can vary from day to day and person to person.
WHY CALORIE DEFICIT IS NEEDED FOR WEIGHT LOSS
Once your body's immediate energy needs are
met, any excess energy is stored for future use. Some of it is stored as
glycogen in your muscles, but most will be stored as fat. Therefore, if you eat
more calories than your body needs, you will gain weight, mostly from fat. On
the other hand, if the calories you get from your diet are insufficient to
cover your immediate needs, your body is forced to draw on its energy stores to
compensate. This is what causes you to lose weight, mostly from your body fat. (Calorie calculator)
WHY COUNTING CALORIES GENERALLY WORKS
(Calorie Count Software)
Counting calories is the best way to lose
weight. There are three reasons why calorie counting works:
- Tracking
your calories can help you identify which eating patterns you need to
modify to successfully lose weight
- Despite
its lack of precision, tracking what you eat can give you an approximate baseline to work from and compare to when you're trying to reduce the total number of calories you eat per day.
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