Calorie Tracking 101: How to Track The Right Way

What is calorie tracking? Why is it so popular? Am I doing it the right way? This article will provide you with accurate information that will help you get started in the right direction, should you choose to use this method.

Definition of Calories

Calorie (kcal) is a unit of measurement of the amount of energy provided by the food and drinks we consume. This energy provides us with the ‘fuel’ we need to breathe, think and to perform daily activities such as walking and eating [1, 4]. Although it may seem as though more food = more energy to perform activities, this is not the case. Consumption of calories that is much higher than what your body needs promotes weight gain [2]. Therefore, counting the amount of calories is a common method to either maintain or lose weight [1-3].

Energy equilibrium (weight maintenance) = energy intake = energy burnt

Energy deficit (weight loss) = energy intake < energy burnt

Energy surplus (weight gain) = energy intake > energy burnt

Calculating Total Energy Requirement

Before you can start counting your calories, you will need to know how much energy your body needs on a daily basis. You can calculate this through the equation [4]:

Total energy expenditure (TEE in kcal) = Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) + Physical Activity Energy Expenditure (PA EE) + Thermic Effect of Food (TEF).

Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)

The first step to calculating your TEE would be finding out your BMR. BMR stands for basal metabolic rate and this is the minimum amount of energy your body requires to function. Body weight (kg), height (cm), age (years) and sex all contribute to the individual differences in BMR. Therefore, equations that allow the estimation of ones BMR have taken into account all the aforementioned factors [4]:

Women: BMR (kcal/day) = 655 + (9.6 * body weight in kg) + (1.85 * height in cm) – (4.7 * age in years)

Men: BMR (kcal/day) = 66.0 + (13.7 * body weight in kg) + (5.0 * height in cm) – (6.8 * age in years)

BMR can be changed by regular physical activity. Frequent strength and cardio training increases the body’s BMR. This means that there are more cells working together to maintain normal bodily functions at rest [4].

Physical Activity Energy Expenditure (PA EE)

PAEE stands for physical activity energy expenditure and this is the amount of energy your body needs when performing a physical activity. The easiest way to calculate this would be to use ‘metabolic equivalent of Task’ (MET) values. MET values estimate the amount of energy used for a particular activity and are therefore, dependent on the intensity and/or duration of each activity [4-5]. MET values for multiple activities can be found here.

1 MET = 1 kcal

Thermic Effect of Food (TEF)

TEF stands for thermic effect of food and it represents the amount energy required to metabolise, absorb and digest the food we consume. TEF differs depending on the type of food you eat. A meal consisting of alcohol or protein results in a higher TEF as compared to a meal with only carbs or fat. The general formula to calculate this would be:

TEF = 10% * calories (kcal) from ingested food

The Quality of Your Food Also Matters

The common misconception that many have about calorie counting is that the type of food does not matter because all you are counting are the calories and not nutrients (i.e. 100 kcal of pizza = 100 kcal of broccoli) – now THIS IS VERY WRONG.

One should focus on consuming foods which have high contents of vitamins and minerals. Both vitamins and minerals are essential in maintaining normal bodily processes and improving the functioning of our bone and muscles [3,4]. In contrast, unhealthy foods such as pizzas tend not to fill you up (i.e. low satiety) and have low content of vitamins and minerals thus, causing one to overeat [4].

Recommended Guidelines For Weight Loss

recommended rate to lose weight would be around 0.5-1.0 kg/week. This is equivalent to going on an energy deficit of 500-100 kcal/day. The best way to go about this would be to have a diet that is low in fat (15-25% of TEE) and has a sufficient amount of carbohydrates. To prevent overeating, one should be consuming foods which are high in fibre as they keep you feeling full for a longer period of time.

Thank you for reading this article. If you have any questions, clarification or help with counting your calories, please do not hesitate to contact me at my email: fitwithmaia@gmail.com

#calorietracking #fitness #nutrition #sportsscience #healthandfitness

References

1. Müller M, Enderle J, Bosy-Westphal A. Changes in Energy Expenditure with Weight Gain and Weight Loss in Humans. Current Obesity Reports. 2016;5(4):413-423.

2. Burke L, Deakin V. Clinical sports nutrition. 5th ed. 2015.

3. Fock K, Khoo J. Diet and exercise in management of obesity and overweight. Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology. 2013;28:59-63.

4. McArdle W, Katch F, Katch V. Exercise physiology. Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2015.

5. AINSWORTH B, HASKELL W, HERRMANN S, MECKES N, BASSETT D, TUDOR-LOCKE C et al. 2011 Compendium of Physical Activities. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 2011;43(8):1575-1581.