If you’re trying to lose weight or maintain your weight then understanding calories is extremely important. The most basic way to lose weight is to be more active while you consume fewer calories. After all, weight gain is caused by our calorie intake being higher than the calories we burn.
What Are Calories?
Calories are how we measure the amount of energy that is provided in food. Everything we eat and drink has a certain amount of calories. Some foods, such as fast food or sweets, have more calories than others. Calories are the “fuel” of life. You need calories to give you the energy to do daily activities – even sleep!
How Many Calories Should You Intake Daily?
Calorie allotments for adults vary greatly depending on age, height, weight, sex and activity levels. For men, the typical calorie intake should be around 2,500. Women should average around 2,000 calories to maintain a healthy weight.
Weight problems typically occur when you intake more calories (energy) than you are using for day-to-day life. In turn, the excess calories turn into fat and are stored for later. To combat this problem you have to scale back your calorie intake to a healthy range and increase your activity levels to burn the stored energy.
Our knowledgeable staff will work with you to determine a calorie range to help you achieve your nutritional goals.
Counting Calories
Checking the amount of calories in food can be a very helpful tool in a weight loss plan. You can find the calorie count on the nutrition label of most food packaging. It tells you how many calories are in a serving of a product. Some restaurants now also provide the same nutrition information for their menu items. This allows you to keep track of the energy going into your body, so that you know how much energy you need to use to create that very important balance and lose weight.
We recommend using a food diary to help you keep track of your daily calorie intake. We’ll be happy to provide you with a paper version at our office, or there are many apps for your phone that you can use!
How We Can Help
Get on track and stay on track with MediPlan Diet. We can help you learn more about calories and how they affect your body while we also create a highly personalized diet and fitness plan just for you. With us, you can reach your fitness goals and obtain the healthy lifestyle you’ve always wanted.