What are calories?

Calories: units used to measure energy 

Actually, there's a more scientific explanation but you can google that yourself. Typically, when we research weight loss, calories come into play. Our energy source derives from glucose which is broken down from foods that we eat everyday; mainly carbohydrates (as the preferred source of energy) and fats. Our calories in everyday activities such as walking, thinking, digesting food, as well as breathing. The glucose is then transformed into a unit of energy in which we refer to as calories.

Here's the concept:

The more we eat, the more glucose we will generate, and the more calories we will gain. If we don't use all the calories that we've gained, it's stored in the liver as glycogen and as fat, as well as in our muscles until it is needed for activities. 

Calories - Physical Activity = Weight (gain/loss)

So technically, if I ate less and exercised more, I would be able to shed the weight in no time! Yes but, the harsh reality is, this is how many stories of anorexia begins. I have tried this method once for a period of 6 months and it has worked fantastically, but what i didn't realize was my body was starving and becoming increasingly malnourished. Once I realized that, I quit what I was doing and slowly began to return to eating the foods that I've enjoyed before dieting. And slowly, but surely, the weight came back with it. The thing is, our body values fat more than our muscles so when we're running low on calories, our body will break down the energy stored in our muscles before the fat and we result in a phase of muscle wasting.

The moral of the story is, don't bother starving yourself, it's not worth it if you can avoid it. The proper path to a healthy body is having a nutrient dense diet filled with vegetables and fruits, and daily physical activity. Make sure to check out my blog on Diet Modifications for guidelines to a healthier diet:
http://plushduckbody.blogspot.ca/2014/11/current-diet-modifications.html



Check out Calorie King to see what your minimum daily calorie requirements are:
http://www.calorieking.com/interactive-tools/how-many-calories-should-you-eat/?ref=nav 

Get App Nutrition Facts to see how much calories and nutrients are in your food:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=yuku.usdanut.lite&hl=en