Nutrition 102 -- Definition of a Calorie, and Some Other Tidbits

(Note to reader -- There are many variables that influence your body's ability to burn fat/build muscle.  For the simplicity of this article, only the role of calories is emphasized.)

Most of us are familiar with calories, but if you're looking for a very basic refresher on the topic, here you go:

Calorie (definition) -- the amount of energy required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water 1 degree celsius at 1 atmospheric pressure. 

Simply stated, a calorie is a unit of energy, nothing more, nothing less.  It's a measure of the energy that we generate with every task we do (blinking, breathing, sleeping, exercising, thinking, digesting food -- anything coinciding with us just being) as well as a measure of the energy delivered by the food we eat.

The nutrients we consume deliver caloric energy in the following ratios: 

• 1 gram of protein = 4 calories                    1 gram of carbohydrate = 4 calories

• 1 gram of fat = 9 calories                          1 gram of alcohol = 7 calories

With all the conversation time that calories get in a gym, one might think that there's more to it than this.  Not so.  Calories should be on a client's mind when considering two concepts:

1)  Survival.  If you don't get enough of them to adequately fuel your body, you're going to have a hell of a time generating the energy to get through your day, let alone your workout.  How do you estimate your caloric needs?  You use a calculator, of course!

2)  "Calories in" and "Calories out" as related to weight loss/gain.  As common sense would tell you, weight gain occurs when you eat more calories than you burn off (positive calorie balance).  Conversely, weight loss occurs when you consume fewer calories than you naturally burn off within a day's activities (negative calorie balance).

How your body composition changes in response to a positive/negative calorie balance is directly related to your strength training.  Eat excessive calories without training, and you'll be more likely to add fat to your body instead of muscle.  Eat less without training, and your weight loss will likely be the result of losing muscle and not fat.   

Over the years, I've sensed that clients describe calories "good" or "bad" depending on their training perspective, with the negative connotation usually coming from those trying to burn fat.  And the fact is, calories are neither good or bad.  How can they be?  All they are is a measure of energy.  In actuality, what's usually "bad" is the client's lack of portion control relative to their physical activity as well as the quality of the food consumed. 

Pay attention to portion size -- because you can't get around its effect weight loss/gain.  But make more of an effort to increase your physical activity and improve the quality of the food you eat.  Doing this will have as much impact, if not more, on your body's ability to transform into the one you want.