Kcal Vs. Cal

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kreat
kreat Posts: 136
edited November 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
Can anyone tell me the difference between Kilacalorie and a regular calorie burned?

Replies

  • MissSpuggz
    MissSpuggz Posts: 155 Member
    Referring to food I'm pretty sure they're the same thing.
  • onequirkygirl
    onequirkygirl Posts: 303 Member
    There is no difference. Anything containing energy contains calories, or kilocalories--even gasoline.
    A Kilocalorie is the amount of heat it takes to raise a kilogram of water up one degree Celsius. Joules, however, are the little things that make up a food calorie.
  • HLeAnn
    HLeAnn Posts: 261 Member
    My understanding is that Kcal is "large calorie" or food calorie. It's the Calories contained in food that we see on food labels as "Calories." Basically "calories" as we know them in the nutrition and fitness world that we deal with everyday are Kcals. Literally, 1 Kcal is the amount of energy needed to increase 1 kg of water by 1 degree C. It's equal to 1000 (small) calories. A small, or gram calorie (with a small "c") is the amount of energy needed to increase the temp of 1 gram of water by 1 degree c.

    I had this same question when I bought my HRM and readout was in Kcals. I was slightly confused lol.
  • Nicola0000
    Nicola0000 Posts: 531 Member
    My understanding is that Kcal is "large calorie" or food calorie. It's the Calories contained in food that we see on food labels as "Calories." Basically "calories" as we know them in the nutrition and fitness world that we deal with everyday are Kcals. Literally, 1 Kcal is the amount of energy needed to increase 1 kg of water by 1 degree C. It's equal to 1000 (small) calories. A small, or gram calorie (with a small "c") is the amount of energy needed to increase the temp of 1 gram of water by 1 degree c.

    I had this same question when I bought my HRM and readout was in Kcals. I was slightly confused lol.

    ^This^
    A kcal is 1000 cals, so when we log things on here, using the word cals isnt technically right, we should say Kcal. But everyone seems to use cals, so just ignore where you see kcal.
  • kreat
    kreat Posts: 136
    I guess really is on HR Monitors, some say they track Kcalories expended, and others say they track Calories expended. I didn't know what the difference was...... Are they basically the same?
  • onequirkygirl
    onequirkygirl Posts: 303 Member
    I guess really is on HR Monitors, some say they track Kcalories expended, and others say they track Calories expended. I didn't know what the difference was...... Are they basically the same?

    Think of the Calorie as the "nutritionist's calorie"

    Calorie = kilocalorie = exercise science, nutrition and food

    Actual calorie = 1/1000 of one Calorie above.

    Anything a heartrate monitor would track would thus be the same as the ones in a food label
  • lickmybaconcakes
    lickmybaconcakes Posts: 1,063 Member
    Kilo is a term used to define 10^3 of the original unit e.g 1kg =1000g for example 1 calories =4.184 joules of energy and 1Kilo calorie =4184 joules of energy , stick to calories they are easier to use.
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