No talk of fitness is complete without a mention of the ‘C’ word. Your nutritionist is talking about it, your fitness instructor mentions it and it weighs you down every time you think about it. The dreaded word is calories. Exactly what are calories, how many should you get in a day and how do you measure them?
"Calories constitute the energy, the fuel, your body requires to function everyday. You need energy even when you rest since bodily functions are active. Energy is an important part of the entire gamut of nutrients we require. So it’s important to know how many calories we need and how many to expend in order to stay healthy. This varies from person to person depending on factors including age, gender, level of physical activity, BMR (basal metabolic rate), BMI (body mass index) and to an extent lean muscle mass," says Sheela Krishnaswamy, Director (Wellness), Chihealth and founder, NICHE, Bengaluru.
For a moderately active person, a general reference point would be: weight in pounds x 10 = calorie need for BMR. To this add 50 per cent of the number you derived at to know your calorie requirement per day. For example, weight 100 pounds x 10 = 1,000 + 500 (50%) = 1,500 (the calorie requirement/day).
"However, you cannot be termed fit or fat solely depending on your calorie indicator. A person with more muscle mass (a physically very active person like a sportsperson) will require a tremendously high amount of calories compared to an average person. But if you’re weight-watching, you have to cut down calories. So lifestyle plays an important role in evaluating calorie intake," explains Sheela.
Just how do you measure calories? Says Sheela, "Calories are basically evaluated for raw foods and that is done scientifically in a laboratory. The National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad, together with the Indian Council of Medical Research, publishes a book with analyses of macro and micro nutrients of all raw items. When foods are cooked, nutritionists and dieticians do a bit of Math to calculate the calories of raw foods that go into a dish and arrive at a ballpark figure."
Now digest this — you need to expend 3,500 calories to lose one pound (or half a kilo) of weight. That means, you have to cut 500 calories a day for seven days before you lose half a kilo of weight! Experts warn against going into overdrive here. "Do not attempt to cut down more than 1,000 calories a day or lose more than one kilo weight a week. Your body sustains you during exercise by burning calories, so people on a diet plan are less likely to lose calories fast," explains chief consultant dietician Sreemathy Venkatraman, of Manipal Speciality Hospital.
"Indians as a race are prone to higher fat deposits compared to westerners and in the last few years, lifestyle changes have pushed body fats over the edge. It’s a blessing to have such a vast range of cuisines that India has, but each region has its share of high fat foods. You must be on calorie alert if you’re prone to obesity, diabetes or heart diseases. Children too are at risk. Ideally they must consume calories and burn them off through exercise," advises Sheela.
