The Truth About Calories and Weight Loss

Written by Branda Polk

The facts are simple: eat more calories than you burn and you will gain weight. Eat fewer calories than you burn and lose weight. Sounds simple enough, but it’s not always that easy. Or is it?

Our technology-based society has increased the amount we use our minds to accomplish work and decreased the amount we have to physically move to get much accomplished. Since we don’t have to move much, our tendency toward weight loss focuses on the “eating” part of this formula and less on the “burning” part. But physical activity and exercise are both vital components to attaining and maintaining a healthy body weight.

Living burns calories. Everything you do from sleeping to driving to digesting your food uses calories for energy. God designed the human body to be a calorie-burning machine. Calories are the fuel your body needs to function. Since everything you do uses calories, focus on using more calories than you do now by moving more. Don’t think of this as grueling exercise (even though exercise burns a lot of calories in a short amount of time). Think of it as using the fuel you take in. Include more activity in your daily routine.

The amount of calories you use doing different activities depends on several factors. Heavier people use more calories doing the same activity as someone that is lighter. Those with more muscle mass use more calories than those with more body fat. Below is a list of snack choices that you might eat and the corresponding amount of activity you would need to do to burn off those calories. These calculations are based on a 5’5” 145 pound woman. If you are a different size and weight, this information will vary.

Food	Activity/Time
1 Pecan Shortbread Cookie (80 calories)	Walk 2mph for 20 minutes
1 Rice Krispies Treat (90 calories)	Bicycle 6 mph for 23 minutes
40 cashew pieces (170 calories)	Bowling for 40 minutes (no sitting)
1 orange (65 calories)	Moderate Dancing for 15 minutes

Begin to think of your treats and your entire food intake in terms of how you plan to use the energy (calories). This will give you a new perspective on both food intake and activity.

Branda Polk, B.S. Exercise Science, is a certified personal trainer, wellness coach, conference speaker and health writer in Lebanon, Tennessee. Sign up for Branda's newsletter, Wellness Connection, to receive encouragement and coaching in the areas of nutrition, exercise, and stress relief. Follow Branda on Twitter.

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