Ever wondered what a calorie is? The definition of a calorie is "the amount of energy, or heat it takes to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water to1 degree Celsius".

A calorie is a unit of energy that is associated with food and drink and is a measure of the energy, or heat, that food produces as your body uses it as fuel.

The first step in counting calories for your personal weight loss is to calculate how many calories you burn in a day (your total daily energy expenditure), this is the total number of calories that your body expends in 24 hours, including all activities.

This is known as your maintenance level and will be the reference point (number of calories) from which to start your dieting.

The average calorie maintenance level for women in the United States is approx 2000 per day and the average for men is approx 2500 per day. These are only basic averages and are usually much higher for athletes or active individuals.

A quick and easy method to find out how many calories you require per day for weight loss and maintenance is to calculate a calorie value with a multiplier as set out below.

Fat loss = multiply your bodyweight in pounds with 12 calories (12 x lb).

Maintenance = multiply your bodyweight in pounds with 15 calories (15 x lb).

This is a very easy method to estimate your daily caloric requirements, but it has its drawbacks as it do

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