What is a calorie?

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  A Alberto Gamboa , NASM Elite Trainer , Fitness, answered

  What are calories? Calories are made up of three macronutrients: carbs, proteins, and fats which yield energy for the body. Carbs yield 4 calories per gram and is mostly used to help your bodily functions and movements. Fats yield 9 calories per gram meaning you get more energy per gram. That’s why it’s important to eat a moderate amount of fats in your foods. Proteins yield 4 calories per gram and are mainly used in rebuilding your body’s daily breakdown from stress applied on it.

  Go to www.weight-loss-plans-4-you.com/what-are-calories.html to find more on how calories affect the following:

  • What is resting metabolic rate?
  • Going on a very low calorie diet.
  • Does different macronutrient (carbs, proteins, and fats) diets work?

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  A Piedmont Heart Institute answered

  You have probably heard the term "calorie" used a lot. When talking about food, a calorie is a unit of energy that the food supplies to your body. But when talking about physical activity, a calorie is a measure of the energy that your body uses in performing the activity.

  Calorie balance is like a scale. To remain in balance and maintain your body weight, the calories you get from foods must be balanced by the calories you use in normal body functions and physical activity. If you eat more calories than you use, you gain weight. If you "burn up" more calories than you eat, you lose weight.

  This answer is based on source information from  the National Women's Health Information Center.

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  A American Diabetes Association answered

  A calorie is a unit that represents the amount of energy provided by food. Carbohydrate, protein, and fat are the primary sources of calories in the diet, but alcohol also contains calories. If all calories consumed aren’t used as energy, they may be stored as fat.

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  A Discovery Health answered

  Calories provide a measure of the potential energy in the food that we eat. They measure this energy in the form of carbohydrates, fats and proteins.
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