Coach Chloe here 🥰 I am SO excited to launch the first part of our Nutrition series – designed to help you make smarter food choices and boost your performance in and out of the gym. Each week, you’ll receive quick, actionable tips, resources, recipes, and expert advice to support your fitness goals. The best part… It’s FREE. Let’s EAT 🍽️
WHAT THE HELLY ARE CALORIES?!
We hear it all the time, but what are they? To put it simply, calories are a unit of measurement. They tell us how much energy we get from food and drinks. Just like a car needs fuel to run, our bodies need calories to function. Every activity we do—whether it’s breathing, walking, thinking, or exercising—requires energy, and that energy comes from the calories in what we eat and drink.
The Importance of Calories
Calories are ✨essential✨ for survival. They power all of the body’s basic functions, such as keeping the heart beating, the lungs breathing, and the brain working. Without enough calories, your body doesn’t have the energy it needs to function properly, which can lead to fatigue, weakened immunity, and other health problems. However, consuming too many calories without burning them off can lead to weight gain and related health issues.
MAINTAIN YOUR CURRENT WEIGHT (Calorie Maintenance)
Calorie maintenance refers to the number of calories your body needs to consume in a day to maintain your current weight. This amount varies from person to person, depending on factors like age, gender, body size, and activity level. If you consume exactly as many calories as you burn, your weight will generally stay the same—this is called being in a state of calorie maintenance.
MUSCLE GAIN / “BULKING” (Calorie Surplus)
A calorie surplus happens when you consume more calories than your body needs for maintenance. The excess energy gets stored in the body, usually as fat, which can lead to weight gain over time. People intentionally eat in a calorie surplus when trying to gain weight or build muscle, often as part of a fitness or bodybuilding plan.
FAT LOSS / “CUTTING” (Calorie Deficit)
A calorie deficit occurs when you consume fewer calories than your body needs to maintain its current weight. To make up for the missing energy, the body begins to use stored fat for fuel, leading to weight loss over time. Creating a calorie deficit through a combination of eating less and moving more is a common strategy for losing weight in a healthy, controlled way.
To put it more simply – Calories determine your weight.
Okay, so… now what? Now, we figure out what your goal is. Ask yourself: Do I like my current weight? If yes, great! Calorie Maintenance is for you. If your answer is no, you’re not alone! Are you looking to gain weight? Calorie Surplus will do you just right! Are you looking to lose weight? Let’s start that Calorie Deficit! But wait… How? How do I know how much I should be consuming? Well, great question. I’ll tell you… with the help of my handy dandy calorie calculator!
https://www.calculator.net/tdee-calculator.html
This tool will help you figure out your maintenance calories and how much to consume if you were in a Calorie Deficit or Calorie Surplus.
And that’s a wrap! For now 😉
I hope you found this helpful, and I cannot wait to share more information and useful resources with you! Stay tuned for next week’s topic! We will dive even deeper into the world of Nutrition and discuss Macronutrients, specifically my favorite, PROTEIN 🥩
