What is a Calorie?

If someone were to ask you to define the word calorie do you think you could?

I asked my wife one day, “Do you know what a calorie is?”

She said, “The only thing I know about calories is that they’re not my friends.”

I find that most people think they know what a calorie is, but when you ask them to define it, they can’t. Calorie is a word that is so often used that people think they know what it is even though no one has ever defined it for them. They only know they count calories when dieting.

I’ll give you the dictionary definition, then I’ll explain it so you can understand it.

A calorie is the amount of energy needed to increase the temperature of 1 kg of water by 1 degree Celsius.

Huh? What does that have to do with dieting?

Simply put, a calorie is a unit of measurement for energy. Just like we can talk about gallons of water, we can talk about calories of energy. Food does not actually contain calories. The calories on the food labels are the approximate amount of energy your body will get from that food when your body digests it.

If you know you need 2,000 calories a day, and what you are eating will give you 200 calories, you know that it provides 1/10th of the energy you need for the day.
I’ve known people who keep cutting back on calories and wonder why they are so tired. They believe that to lose weight they must cut back on calories.

But cutting back on calories means cutting back on energy. Calories are the fuel for your body. It’s like planning a trip in your car, but not putting enough gas in it to get to your destination.

The fact is, cutting back on calories may even cause you to gain weight. In my next post, I’ll explain why that happens.

Understanding Your Health

Have you ever wondered how it is you can eat less and still gain weight? Or have you ever wondered how stress can affect you health in so many ways? How can some people get up every morning and workout, while others (maybe even you) can't get the motivation to do so? Where does that motivation come from?

It is my intention to answer those questions here as best I can. I believe that most of the health problems in our world today stem from misinformation and false beliefs about proper diet and exercise. I’ve seen people virtually starving themselves to death and wondering why they can’t lose weight. I’ve seen people avoid carbohydrates because some doctor said we should and then can’t understand why they are tired all the time. I’ve seen people buy the latest weight loss product or piece of fitness equipment only to see them later, not taking the product or the machine sits in the corner collecting dust.

I have studied fitness and nutrition most of my adult life (I am now 46) and I wish to write, in simple terms, what I’ve learned about fitness, nutrition and good health. I will cover such topics as:

• Healthy eating
• Stress and stress management
• Weight loss (what it actually takes)
• Supplements (what they will and will not do)
• Exercise

It is my wish that you will find the information here helpful to you and your understanding of your health. Please feel free to ask questions about general health issues. Send questions to me at: jwashburnceo@yahoo.com. I am not a doctor, so please do not take my advice as medical advice. If you have a specific condition you want to know more about, please ask your physician.

Sincerely,
Joe Washburn