Unscrambling Daily Caloric Needs

UNSCRAMBLING DAILY CALORIC NEEDS Determining your individual caloric needs sounds almost as confusing as the most difficult problem you can think of, like solving the U.S. debt or finding world peace! Many people don't understand how much food they need to eat to properly function -- it can be overwhelming and downright confusing. Going too low is dangerous and too high is bound to result in weight gain. It really is a balance of calories in versus calories out to properly maintain weight or fewer calories to lose weight. Here's a way to better understand daily caloric needs, so you can find the right amount of calories you need more easily. First, a few "basics" to understand how it all works. WHAT ARE CALORIES? Calories are a way to measure energy. WHAT IS METABOLISM? Energy is the food and drink you consume for fuel. The technical definition of a Metabolism essentially is the calorie is the amount of heat required to raise 1 kilogram of water 1 degree process in which your body converts what you eat and drink into energy. Even during rest, such as sleep, your body needs energy to Celsius. While metabolism is the number of calories the body burns. function. Activity level is everything you do to burn calories through your job, daily activities and of course, physical activity or exercise. Remember, caloric needs are personal and calculated using one's age, weight, height, sex and activity level. WHAT IS BASAL METABOLIC RATE (BMR)? The amount of calories your body burns to maintain vital bodily functions such as organs and cells. This is determined at rest and on an empty stomach. It is the number when you wake up in the morning and didn't move, this would be your BMR. It is impacted by one's lean body mass and their total body mass, meaning the greater the mass you have, the higher your BMR. It accounts for the majority (60 to 70 percent) of all WHAT DOES ACTIVITY the calories burned. LEVEL HAVE TO DO WITH CALORIC NEEDS? Activity level includes the amount of calories burned through your job, daily activities, physical activity 60-70% and exercise, as well as recreation and the level you need to maintain, lose or gain weight. WHAT ARE ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR CALORIC NEEDS? WHAT IS A MACRONUTRIENT? Protein, carbohydrates and fat. Each macronutrient provides a different amount of energy level There are a few other considerations one must ranging from 4 calories up to 9 calories per gram and is burned at different rates ranging from 5 take into account when it comes to determining caloric needs, such as: Non-Exercise Thermogenesis (NEAT) percent up to as much as 25 The amount of calories one burns percent (as noted above). subconsciously though bodily movements like fidgeting and changing positions when one is sitting or through changes of posture and etc. Thermic Effect of Food (TEF) The calories burned while one digests a meal and amounts to about 10 percent of caloric intake. Some foods require more calories to burn by simply eating them than others. Each macronutrient (meaning protein, carbohydrates, and fat) and alcohol calories havea different thermic HOW DO I FIGURE OUT MY DAILY CALORIC NEEDS? effect: With the above information you are now 'in the know' about what goes 9 into determining your daily caloric needs and have a basic understanding about it. Now, the easy part, you can go to mayoclinic.com and go to the calorie calculator -- enter your CAL/G 7 CAL/G 4 CAL/G CAL/G information: FAT CARBS PROTEIN ALCOHOL Fat ACTIVITY LEVEL AGE SEX WEIGHT/ Contains 9 grams per gram and is simple to digest because the body keeps breaking down fat into HEIGHT 5% This will show you what level you need to maintain your weight. If weight loss is desired, then you need to consume fewer calories in order to lose weight. smaller and smaller molecules. Fat consumed burns approximately 5 percent of the calories it contains. Carbohydrates Supplies 4 calories per gram and takes more effort to digest because of the complexity of glucose 10% molecules it contains. Carbohydrates ingested burn approximately 10 percent of the calories they supply. Seattle Sutton's НЕALTHY EATING Protein Contains 4 calories per gram and requires the most work of all micronutrients to digest because it's made up of amino acids, which are the building blocks of muscles. Protein ingested burns approximately 25 percent of the 25% Produced By: Seattle Sutton Healthy Eating seattlesutton.com calories it contains. Alcohol Consists of 7 calories per gram and 20% burns approximately 20 percent of the calories ingested. NEAT TEF CALORIES PER GRAM