What is a calorie?

American Diabetes Association

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.

Discovery Health

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.

Continue Learning about Calorie Restriction and Weight Loss

Discovery Health

You want to lose weight and keep it off And you want to live longer.Severely restricting your calori...

SecondsCount.org

Restricting calories alone is not the best way to reach your weight loss goals. Research has shown c...

Jeff Croswell , NASM Elite Trainer

What you have to remember if you want to consume high calories foods you still need to burn more tha...

want to lose weight ? keep track of what you eat

Important: This content reflects information from various individuals and organizations and may offer alternative or opposing points of view. It should not be used for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. As always, you should consult with your healthcare provider about your specific health needs.

Calorie Restriction and Weight Loss

It's important to recognize the role calories play in your ability to lose weight. Varying your caloric intake on a daily basis forces the body to use more energy, thus jump-starting weight loss. Calorie needs also vary from person to person, so it's hard to pinpoint a specific number of calories to cut while on a diet. The key is not to kick your body into starvation mode by making a drastic cut to calories. Be mindful of nutrition and make small changes instead, like choosing light beer, thin crust on your pizza and fruit over candy on top of frozen yogurt. It's all about healthy eating, not starvation.

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