A calorie is the unit of heat energy that measures how much energy the body gets from food. One calorie is the energy needed to heat one litre of water by one degree. We generally use calories as a measure of the nutritional content of different foods. Each food contains a certain amount of calories. For every 3500 calories consumed, the body gains half a kilogram.

 

Most nutritionists recommend an average of 2000 calories per day per person, but the amount varies individually depending on weight, height, age and gender.

 

The human body consumes calories every day to maintain the vital processes of the organs. This means that the organism consumes energy regardless of movement, even during sleep. However, physical exercise such as cycling, swimming and endurance running consumes much more energy than quiet activities. A day without physical activity nevertheless consists of many calorie-consuming activities such as walking, standing, talking and sleeping.

A person who sleeps eight hours a day consumes about 380 calories during sleep. The remaining 16 hours are spent in the above-mentioned energy-consuming activities, so that each person burns an average of 2000 calories per day without exercising. However, one must take into account that each person's metabolism functions differently and thus the number of calories needed varies.

 

If a person burns an average of 2000 calories a day without exercise and takes in about the same amount of calories, weight is maintained. A person who consumes 4000 calories a day but only burns 2000 calories of it will gain about 2 kg per week. Similarly, a person who takes in less than 2000 calories a day but burns 3000 calories through exercise will lose about 1 kg of weight per week. Each person can calculate the amount of energy needed for themselves by observing the duration, frequency and intensity of daily activities and weight gain or loss, in relation to the calories consumed.