23/03/2024
Calories: the word EVERYONE in the fitness industry uses incorrectly.
Calories are a unit of heat. It's conventionally used to approximate the mass of food that people are eating. Similarly, people say that you gain weight from eating too many calories, but since the body doesn't convert mass into energy or energy into mass, the statement is literally incorrect.
The body converts mass into other mass. As such, people should be talking about the law of conservation of mass, not the law of conservation of energy. If the pilot light in your water heater goes out, your water heater will lose a lot of calories, but the mass remains the same.
Anyone who talks about a calorie deficit or surplus is just plain wrong.
The better way to track food intake is to track your macronutrients. Eat the same foods at the same time of day, see how your body responds, and adjust portions accordingly.