What is a calorie?

kevinellis

Well what do you think a calorie is? How do you define it and what is it really good for? So many people talk about calories as if they are bad things but are they really? What is their purpose? Can we do without them?

Every person I have asked what a calories was, with the exception of one, had no idea. One person told me that whatever it is, it is bad for us. One person told me that it was something we had to burn. Another person told me that is was something we had to stay away from. Still another told me that she was on a less the 1000 calorie diet at one point (which really did not answer the question at all). Most just looked at me as though I spoke a different language and then said that they did not know. But the best answer I had received was something evil that Satan sent to torment us and kill our bodies.

The media has so brainwashed us in to believing that the dreaded calorie is bad and we need to stay away from them. Here is news for you. We need calories and every day and more than 1000 a day contrary to popular belief.

Well, let me go ahead and tell you what a calorie is. It is a unit of heat. But for years now it has not been used and was replaced by the SI unit of energy or AKA "the joule" which actually is a measurement that measures much smaller units such as the amount of heat it would take to split a single atom. We have adopted it as a measure of energy needed for the body I think back in the 1800's. The proper term however is kilocalorie which measures the energy or fuel we need for our bodies to function. Did you know that without calories we would not be able to absorb some of the vitamins we consume every day? Vitamins such as our B’s would pass right thru us.

Calories are a good thing and they are our best friend when it comes to fueling the body. How many times have you tried to do something, active wise, and suddenly find yourself getting sluggish and even faint. Well that is probably because you did not eat enough to sustain you thru the activity you were partaking in. The problem is not the calorie but our laziness and our over abundance of them. We eat practically nothing in the morning and then when it comes to lunch, if there is time during the day we will maybe get a small bite to eat but if not we wait until we get home and then we devour everything in sight. Even the dog gets scared. Then after we are done consuming everything in sight we then sit down and watch television until we fall asleep and then we go to bed only to start the same thing over the next day.

What’s wrong with that picture? Well you know it’s obvious and I won’t bore you with the details, I have touch upon many times in the past. I will say though that common sense should tell a person that if you eat late end then do nothing the food has no place to go but to some extremity on your body. With that said we need to know that in the end for us to have control over our fitness, we must control our portions and we must increase our activity. Here is a formula that you can use every day that in the end will gain you much success in your fitness journey.

H= Healthy, S=Sleep, A=Activity, F=Food, H=Hours, D=Days, P=Portions, I=Intensity, R=Rest
H=(A(I)+R)+((F/P)x (H/D))+(S+H) divide all of that by age.

Now this is a formula I have used for years that I made up. Now you know my biggest secret. Now use it. I am curious to find out what you health number is.

MacMadame

common sense should tell a person that if you eat late end then do nothing the food has no place to go but to some extremity on your body.

Which is exactly why we shouldn't make decisions based on "common sense". Studies have shown that it doesn't matter when we eat the calories. What matters is that we don't eat more than we burn (if maintaining) or we eat less than we burn (if trying to lose). If you eat less than you burn, whether you eat them all through the day or a large part at night or a large part in the morning, you will still lose.

I think there are still good reasons to eat breakfast and to spread your calories out.. But the whole "if you eat past a certain time of night, you'll gain" idea is a myth.

I do think it's interesting that everyone you talked to hated or was afraid of calories. You might want to consider broadening your circle. Hang out with athletes and you'll get a completely different answer to the question of what a calorie is. :laugh: