Calorie Counting
Read more about calories and calorie counting below or go straight to the calorie counters for calories in alcohol, calories in food and calories in fast food.
What are calories? 
Calories are the units of energy in the food and drink you consume. Calories are burned to produce energy or stored as fat if excess calories are consumed.
Calories and Kilocalories (kcal)
What is the difference between calories and kilocalories? Kilocalories is the correct termination for values actually given for the number of kilocalories in a food. However kilocalories are normally referred to as just calories. On food labelling, calories = kilocalories and these terms are used interchangeably. Sometimes food energy is measured as kilojoules and gives kilojoule (kJ) values.
And the science bit?
1 kilocalorie equals 1 kcal. This amount of energy is the energy it takes to raise the temperature of 1kg of water by 1°C. Also 1 kilocalorie = 4.2 kilojoules.
Counting Calories
Most dieticians and medical professionals conclude that by consuming less calories than are expended is the best way and the most successful method to lose weight. This is why calorie counting is a tried and tested way of weight loss. However most people find counting calories difficult to do correctly and to incorporate into a diet plan in practice.
How Many Calories Do You Need?
A person’s daily calorie requirements vary depending on how active they are, age, current weight and height. Use our calorie calculator to get and indication of your calorie intake requirements.
How Can I Burn More Calories?
There are several ways you can get your body to burn more calories
1. By increasing your metabolic rate
Metabolic rate is the rate at which your body will burn the calories you consume. You can do various things to speed up metabolism such as eating spicy foods, eat protein rich foods and eat little and often.
2. Build Muscle
Increase the amount of muscle in your body to help make your body a fat burning machine. For every pound of muscle, your body uses approximately 50 extra calories each day. Regular weight training sessions can boost metabolic rate by about 15%.
3. Be More Active
The average person uses about 30% of calories through activity. For a more sedentary person this can be as little as around 15%. Taking the opportunity to move about more can make a difference to the amount of calories burned. It doesn’t have to mean a drastic exercise regime simply use some of these quick tips to burn off energy:
- Wriggle and fidget
- Walk up and down
- Use the stairs
- Stand up when on the phone
- Tap your feet
- Stand up and stretch
- Change position often
4. Eat Spicy Food
Spices, particularly chillis, can raise the metabolic rate by around 50% for up to 3 hours after eating!
Caffeine drinks and green tea also stimulate metabolism.
5. Aerobic Exercise
Sustained, high impact exercise makes you burn more calories for several hours after the exercise session. Try fast walking, aerobics, jogging, swimming or cycling 3 or 4 times a week.
6. Eat Little Often
Eating small, frequent meals speeds metabolism more than eating larger, less frequent meals. This is because the body more frequently needs to expend energy for digestion. Having little and often also helps control hunger.
Calorie Counters and charts
By counting calories consumed and expended you can calculate how many calories you need to consume each day to lose weight and keep track of your calorie count.
Use the food calorie counter to find out the calorific values of popular foods
Try the alcohol calorie counter to find the calorific content of alcoholic drinks
The fast food counter will help you assess calories in fast food and takeaways
The calories burned counters for various activities will give you an idea of how many calories you burn each day
References
Photo credits
What Diet: Calorie counting
