What You Never Learned About Calories
A lot of us have been taught a lot of things about calories -- usually just not the things that are actually useful 😆
Having a basic understanding helps us avoid falling prey to rampant misinformation, so let's dive in.
What is a calorie?
A calorie is a unit of energy, specifically the amount of energy required to raise the temperature of one kilogram of water by 1 degree Celsius.
Fun fact: The amount of energy in food is measured by combusting it in a device called a bomb calorimeter, which monitors the change in water temperature outside the device as the food burns.
Other fun fact: That's not how our bodies work, so the amount of calories listed on the label might not be the amount we're actually absorbing.
Why do calories matter?
Honestly, because we're a society obsessed with food and weight loss 🤷♀️
If we all still worked mostly outside, ate the local food we could access/afford, and didn't think much about our bodies outside of how they worked, we probably wouldn't be concerned with calories.
Calories are key for energy balance. As I described in a recent email, energy balance means the energy coming in is equal to the energy being expended.
When there is a surplus of energy coming in (aka calories being consumed), that energy can be used for bodily processes like rebuilding muscle tissue and generating heat, or it can be stored as fat.
When there is an energy deficit, the body uses those fat stores to fuel activity and body functions, but if this happens too often, the body adjusts to the lower energy intake. (This is why we shouldn't restrict calories too much for too long!)
How does this apply to what we eat?
Different foods have different amounts of energy, because different macronutrients have different amounts of energy.
Carbohydrates and protein each have 4 calories per gram.
Fats are more energy dense, with 9 calories per gram.
Alcohol contains 7 calories per gram (and no nutritive value).
We need carbohydrates, protein, and fat as part of a balanced, nutritious diet.
Something being higher in fat means it will be higher in calories, but that doesn't automatically make it unhealthy! Things like salmon, nuts, and avocado are all packed with nutrients and healthy fats, so they're higher in calories but also higher in nutrients.
And something that's marketed as "low-calorie" is not necessarily healthy. Reduced calorie chips or cookies are just...chips or cookies with fewer calories. They can be helpful if you have fat loss goals but they're not "better" for you than others; they just contain less energy.
How many calories do I need?
Read this blog post 😉
Short answer: Enough for your body to exist AND do whatever activity you want. The more active you are, the more you will need to consume, even if you have fat loss goals.
Do I have to count calories to reach my goals?
Not necessarily. There are different schools of thought when it comes to health, nutrition, and counting calories. Some people believe it's the only way to know how much you're eating, and others think it can promote unhealthy habits and mindsets around food. If you've been with me for awhile, you might be able to guess what I'm going to say next... It depends!
What are the pros and cons of tracking or counting calories?
For people new to nutrition, tracking calories CAN be a helpful way to get an understanding of the energy density of different foods (aka how many calories they have). It can show patterns you weren't aware of and give you a general idea of your typical intake and how it might be impacting your goals and health.
For people who are very active or who have performance or aesthetic goals, calorie counting might be important to ensure they're eating enough overall and getting enough of each nutrient to keep performing at a high level.
On the flip side, calorie counting can foster unhealthy and disordered behaviors around food and eating. It's also at odds with the principles of mindful or intuitive eating, because you're eating to hit certain numbers vs. tuning in to your body and its needs.
Calorie counting is also incredibly imprecise. Measuring by weight, using a food scale, is more accurate than using measuring cups and spoons. The amount of calories you need, as calculated by an online calculator, can be off by 20-30%. The amount of calories on a nutrition label can legally be off by up to 20%. And after all that, our bodies don't absorb or use all the calories we consume. All those factors can make calorie counting incredibly frustrating when you're trying to use it for fat loss.
[Infographic: The surprising problem with calorie counting pt. 1]
How am I supposed to know how much to eat without counting calories?
You can start by using hand portions as a guide:
Adjust up or down from there based on how you feel and whether you're seeing the progress you want.
Eating mindfully, by listening to your body's hunger and fullness cues, is another way to eat the right amount for your body and your activity levels, and it's one of my top nutrition tips!
For those who've spent years dieting, restricting, and absorbing the message of a diet-centric society, it can be incredibly difficult to tune in to those cues again and even harder to trust that your body knows what it needs. Start small, by being present at your current meals and checking in with yourself before, during, and after you eat.
