It’s a term on food labels, commercials, and exercise videos. Fitness buffs hate it and burn it off with exercise, while junk food junkies eat it daily. What are calories? Does “200 calories” mean 200 calories or are food manufacturers conspiring to make us fat? Discover here.

1. What is Calorie? It is the amount of energy needed to raise one gram of water. One “kilocalorie,” or 1,000 real calories, is used to measure food energy. This is the energy needed to raise 1 kg of water at 1°C. Therefore, “16 calories” means 1,600 calories.
Although there are terms like “real calories” and “kilocalories,” there are no types of calories. A protein-rich food has the same calories as a carbohydrate-rich or fatty food. Different foods provide different amounts of energy.

2. What Do Calories Do? Our bodies “burn” calories for both voluntary and involuntary activities. Calories in a diet (food, not a weight-loss method) refer to how much energy it can provide the body. Food calories are kilocalories. Metabolism is the rate at which calories are converted to energy. A faster metabolism burns calories faster. Activity increases metabolism because the body needs more energy to function. Less physical activity slows metabolism and stores calories as fat.

3. Are Calories Harmful? Spice Girls’ “Too Much”? Too much of anything is bad; too much of nothing is worse. (Stop singing.) Too many calories are unhealthy, especially if you’re not active. If you don’t convert calories into energy, your body stores them as fat cells for later use. So, eat more and move less to gain weight. Getting enough calories gives you energy. Extremely low-calorie diets are unhealthy and dangerous for weight loss. Always combine food and exercise.

4. What do you require in a single day? BMR is the amount of energy your body needs to function at rest, including keeping the heart beating, the lungs breathing, the kidneys filtering blood, etc. The Harris-Benedict formula estimates BMR accurately.

Adult male: 66 + (6.3 x body weight in lbs.) + (12.9 x•
height in inches)-(6.8 x age in years)
Adult female: 655 + (4.3 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches)
(4.7 times your age in years).
Here’s a handy table:

5. Is There a Faster Way to Burn 5 Calories?

Exercise is one way to increase your metabolism and burn calories faster. Choose aerobic exercises for immediate results and weight training for long-term effects. The more muscles you have, the higher your BMR, which means you need more calories to survive. Every pound of muscle burns 35 calories a day, while every pound of fat burns only 2. Women shouldn’t fear “bulking up” because they lack the hormones to develop large muscles.

Portioning meals can help you burn calories faster. Small, frequent meals boost metabolism. Longer hours between meals slow metabolism because the body must compensate with fewer calories. Currently, yes. When you eat a large meal, your metabolism is still in “starving” mode and stores every calorie.

With this fingertip guide to calories, you can say goodbye to perplexing numbers on food labels.