understanding calories

Calorie Balance
Whether you want to lose weight or prevent further weight gain, you need to understand the concept of calorie (or energy) balance.

To maintain weight, you must balance the calories you eat with the energy you use. Therefore, to lose weight, you must use more energy than you take in. In other words, you create a negative energy balance by eating less and moving more. Because you will need more calories than you are taking in, your body will get those needed calories by burning those stored in your body in the form of fat. This is how weight loss will occur.

Calorie Intake
Foods and beverages with fat, alcohol, carbohydrates, and protein contain calories. All food contains calories. To successfully manage your weight; you need to consider the calories you eat in relation to your resting metabolism and your physical activity level.

If you would like to lose weight, a good goal is to decrease your calorie intake by 500 calories per day. This will lead to an average weight loss of one pound per week. A safe rate of weight loss should not exceed 1% of your current body weight per week, roughly one to three pounds a week.

A reasonable calorie goal for weight loss for most women is to take in 1,200 calories per day. Men should take in 1,600 calories per day. Going below these recommendations is not considered safe without medical supervision.

Calories Burned
The major way your body uses energy is through resting metabolism. Resting metabolism is the amount of energy your body uses to function while at rest. It is based on your body mass, so resting metabolism decreases as you lose weight which means you need fewer calories to function at a lower weight. Metabolism also decreases with age.

Unfortunately, you can't change your metabolism. Instead, you need to be physically active to burn more calories. All physical activity burns calories. And, physical activity helps to maintain your muscle mass, which also helps your body use calories.