What Is a Calorie?
No doubt you have heard of calories. Calories are as much a part of the food we eat as vitamins and minerals. Quite simply, a calorie is a unit of energy. But what does that mean? You can’t touch a calorie, taste one, or see them but you know they are there. Calories come from our old friend, glucose. So, as food is broken down, glucose molecules are pulled out of the food and sent throughout the body to give us energy. For simplicity let’s use a car analogy. Glucose is like the fuel you put into the tank. Without it, your car won’t go anywhere. Calories are like the distance or speed you could go when your car had a full tank. For example, with a full tank, your car could go hundreds of miles on the interstate at a sustained 75 mph. Eventually, though, your car runs out of gas and needs to be refueled. This is just like the human body. We need food to give us fuel (glucose) and the food will give us the calories to go on a run, do some pushups, or go to the grocery but eventually, we will need to refuel.
Where Do We Get Our Calories?
Since calories are associated with glucose, they are in everything we eat. Carbohydrates contain approximately 4 calories per gram of carbohydrate, protein is the same at about 4 calories per gram of protein, and fats contain around 9 calories per gram of fat. For those not used to the metric system, about 30 grams is equal to 1 ounce. These are the basic facts for calories. There are, however, some myths that need to be clarified.
Myth 1: Not All Calories Are Equal
You might think that 50 calories from an apple would somehow be different than 50 calories from a candy bar. In fact, there’s no difference. Remember, a calorie is just a unit of energy and so 50 calories from a banana is the same as 50 calories from a candy bar. The difference between the banana and candy bar is the quality and types of nutrients within each. A banana’s calories will come from complex carbs, with no fat, under a gram of protein, including vitamins, minerals, and fiber. A candy bar, however, will contain simple carbs, fats, a little protein with no vitamins, minerals, or fiber. A banana will give you more sustained energy while a candy bar will give you a quick burst of energy but then a steep drop off.
Myth 2: Exercise Is The Best Way to Burn Calories
Sort of, we’ll explain. The body burns the bulk of its calories during the day while your body is at rest including sleeping, sitting down, or lounging on the sofa. This is because the body needs a tremendous number of calories just to keep up with its basic functions. This resting calorie burning has a technical name: The Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR). Each person has a different RMR based on their age, genetics, weight, and height. Now to exercise. Exercise has many benefits and one benefit is that if done consistently, exercise will actually increase your RMR so that when you are lounging around you will burn more calories than if you were not exercising.
Myth 3: There Is Such A Thing as a “Negative” Calorie
So what is a negative calorie? A negative calorie is a concept that the body uses more energy (calories) to eat and digest certain foods than those foods contain. One example that always comes to mind is celery. The idea is that when you eat celery, the number of calories it contains is far less than the amount your body is using to eat and digest. This might be true for celery and other fruits and vegetables, but cumulatively there is no scientific evidence that these foods lead to a net loss of calories. Remember, too, that your body needs a certain amount of proteins and fats in addition to complex carbs from fruits and vegetables.
Myth 4: 3500 Calories = 1lb of Fat
If we’re looking at this myth from a weight-loss perspective, know that losing weight is so much more than eliminating a certain number of calories to lose a certain amount of body weight. Losing weight depends on numerous factors including a person’s gender, age, activity level, lifestyle choices, metabolism, and body composition. And there is no way to specifically target fat cells. In fact, when we first lose weight it is from eating a balanced diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables and increasing or improving our physical activity before fat stores are utilized. Both will contribute to increasing our resting metabolic rate much faster than focusing on calories and fat.
Myth 5: Counting Calories = Healthy Weight Loss
It’s true, counting calories can lead to weight loss, but is that weight loss healthy? Remember a calorie is just a unit of energy. The quality of energy is far more important than the number of calories. Back to the car analogy: If you fill-up your tank with the best fuel, perhaps you can drive an extra 200 miles without refueling. But, if you use the wrong fuel, your engine might start smoking and your car might eventually break down. Some days, you will need more calories, and some days, fewer. There is no set optimal daily amount you should get each day, so counting calories might leave you feeling depleted on days you could really use extra. Keep in mind, too, that healthy weight loss keeps the joy in eating good food whereas counting calories might take that joy away
Confused about the best way to move forward on your health goals? Schedule an appointment with one of our nutritionists to get personalized recommendations to support your goals. They are experts in nutrition and behavior change and here to help you on your journey! We offer 100% of our appointments via Telehealth to keep you safe, healthy, and at home.
– Written by Metabolic Reset Program intern, Andy Mathias