Calories are a unit of measurement that let us know how much energy different foods supply to us. Eating too many calories can result in weight gain and cutting back on calories leads to weight loss. How many calories you should consume depends on your gender, weight, level of exercise and if you're trying to maintain your weight or lose or gain weight.
Calorie Counter
You can easily find out how many calories you should be eating according to some basic information on the American Cancer Society's website. Just plug in your information and it will spit out a number that you should consume per day.
Calories in Foods
Once you know how many calories you should be consuming each day, you need to know tell how many calories you're consuming at each meal. It's easier to keep track of your calorie intake if you get a small notebook or journal to carry with you and record the foods you eat. Some foods that you eat will have the nutrition along with the amount of calories per serving listed on the packaging. To be precise, you have to make sure that you're eating the actual serving size. Some foods like fruits and vegetables don't have the calories listed on their packaging when you take them home from the grocery store, but you can look them up on the U.S. Department of Agriculture's website.
Weight Loss
If you're trying to lose weight, then you need to consume fewer calories than you burn off. You need to consume 3,500 fewer calories per week to lose one pound per week. It's easier to split up the calories between eating and exercise. Eat 250 fewer calories and burn off 250 more calories each day. You can cut that many calories by skipping dessert, passing on happy hour or trading your bowl of pasta for grilled chicken with vegetables. To burn 250 calories, you could do 35 minutes of yoga, jump rope for 20 minutes or take a one mile walk before and after work.
Weight Gain
It's basically the opposite for weight gain. You need to consume an extra 3,500 calories per week to gain one pound per week. If you're trying to gain muscle and not fat, you need to make healthy eating choices and lift weights. Make sure that you don't lift weights on an empty stomach, or you'll end up losing muscle mass instead of gaining it.
