what is kcal?

ga_sk8er

i have 1 of those digital scales that tells your weight, body fat percentage, bmi, & other stuff. 1 of the things it tells is it says i have 4476 kcal. ive never heard of kcal all my life. i know "cal" is a way to abbreviate calories.

yarwell

The "calories" everyone talks about is actually the kcal or kg-calorie or Calorie ie the energy required to heat 1 kg of water from 14.5 to 15.5 C (or similar 1 C increase at a different temperature).

I don't know what your scale means by that, whether it's an estimate of your daily energy expenditure or what we would get sticking you in a furnace. Best RTFM.