If you’ve ever set foot in a gym, chances are you’ve heard the term “calories” thrown around. But what exactly are calories and how do they work? Many people know that calories are related to weight loss and fat loss, but few understand the science behind it. In this blog post, we’ll break down the basics of calories, and how understanding them can help you reach your fitness goals.
What Is A Calorie?
A calorie is a unit of energy. Specifically, it is the amount of energy needed to raise one gram of water by one degree Celsius. Calories are used to measure the energy content of food or drinks. Energy comes from three main sources—fats, proteins and carbohydrates—and each source has a different number of calories per gram (9 for fats, 4 for proteins and carbohydrates).
Calories In vs Calories Out
The concept behind fat loss is simple: consume fewer calories than your body requires in order to lose weight. This means that if your body requires 2,000 calories a day to maintain its current weight and you consume 1,500 instead then you will lose 500 calories worth of energy per day (which will equate to roughly half a pound lost per week). But bear in mind that simply reducing your calorie intake alone won’t necessarily result in fat loss; your body also needs exercise in order to burn off excess fat stores while maintaining muscle. Otherwise that weight your losing could very well be muscle if you aren’t consuming enough protein and overall calories to support your goals.
In other words, it’s not just about counting calories—it’s also about burning them! That means that if you want to shed those extra pounds then you need to make sure that you’re striking the right balance between eating fewer calories than your body needs and engaging in regular physical activity. For example, if your body needs 2,000 calories a day but you only eat 1,500 then exercising for an additional hour each day will ensure that all those extra 500 calories get burned off before they have time to be stored as fat on your body. Understanding these principles can help you get on track with losing weight without feeling deprived or overwhelmed by counting every single calorie!
At its core, losing weight is all about understanding where our bodies get their energy from and how much energy we need to burn off in order to achieve our desired results. When it comes down to it, fat loss isn’t about deprivation; it’s about finding balance between eating fewer calories than what our bodies require and engaging in regular physical activity so that we burn off any excess before it gets stored as fat on our bodies, and ensuring that our muscle mass stays as high as possible. With this knowledge at hand combined with dedication and hard work there’s no doubt that anyone can achieve their fitness goals! All it takes is consistency and understanding the power of proper nutrition – so let’s get started!