Calories 101: What are calories, how do I track them, and how many should I eat?

Many of us have goals around our body weight. Whether that’s gain weight, lose weight, build muscle, or somewhere in between. It is important to know what you are actually putting in your body. Even if you’re not actively trying to change your weight, knowing what you eat can help you make healthier, more intentional choices.

⚡️What are calories?

Let’s talk calories, most people cringe when they hear the word calorie. Calories are always given a bad light. Well, the truth is… they are just a unit of energy. And we need them to live! We use (or burn) calories when we watch Netflix, brainstorm, workout, and everything else you may do today. You burn calories in everyday life, and you burn even more when you exercise. When you eat, you put calories back into your system to fuel more activities. The only problem comes when you eat more calories than you burn. So instead of fearing calories, think of them as energy currency. Spend them wisely, and they’ll pay you back in energy, focus, and performance.

➕➖How do you track calories?

Tracking calories has never been easier. What used to require lots of note taking and math is now made easy by technology.

Apps I have personally used:

• MyFitnessPal

• Cronometer

Apps that have good reviews and do similar things:

• MacroFactor

• LoseIt!

• Calorie Counter by MyNetDiary

These apps are game changers. You can search for your food (or scan the barcode), and boom! All the nutrition facts are there, plus you have the option to add the food to your “nutrition diary.” If you track everything you eat, you can see a recap of your calories for the day. While this can seem monotonous, it can be very beneficial to do when you’re just starting out. Think of it as training wheels. It can give you a good idea of what you eat. Currently I may only track my calories once every couple weeks. While I eat intuitively the rest of the time, but this is a skill that came from tracking first.

🍔🍓How do I know how many calories to eat?

This one’s tricky. There’s no universal answer. Your calorie needs depend on your age, activity level, muscle mass, and genetics.

Online calculators can give you a starting point, but remember: they’re estimates, not exact science. Use them as a guide, not a rulebook.

👉 Click here to use an app we use in school to estimate your calorie requirements.

🧠Things to know.

• Calories are energy! We need calories to survive and thrive.

• All calories are not created equally. 500 calories of donuts will have you feeling and looking way different than 500 calories of lean protein, potatoes, and vegetables.

• 3,500 calories ≈ 1 pound of fat. That means if you eat 500 calories less than you burn in a day, you should lose one pound of fat per week.

• Read nutrition labels! Serving sizes can be quite shocking at first glance. Don’t just pay attention to what you’re eating, watch how much too.

• More muscle = more calories. Muscles burn calories even when you’re doing nothing. Everyone wants a “higher metabolism” building muscle is the easiest way to do that!

🍳Mini challenge for you.

This week, track your food for 4 days. No judgment, no changes.

At the end, ask yourself:

• What surprised me?

• Where could I add more protein or fiber?

• Am I actually eating more or less than I thought I was?

Awareness is power. Once you know what’s going on, you can make smarter tweaks.

No crash diets, no guilt, no drama.

Miss last weeks post? Check it out here.

These Four Things are Killing Your Progress 

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