Dr. Travis Stork Answers: What Is a Calorie?

When it comes to the way we consume and use calories, you can think of your body like a balance scale, Dr. Travis Stork tell us.

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This is one of those topics where the academics of it are repeated so much that people think it is an effective way to lose weight by eating more because of that 10% energy expenditure processing calorie absorption or that it is effective to raise exercise amount, which is only 20-30% depending on your activity level. Unless you're over 300 lbs, exercise doesn't make a big difference in weight loss. Strategy should focus on self monitoring of calorie intake such that it is less than sedentary calorie needs. Creating a deficit from active people needs is way too high to see weight loss happen. You just end up having less energy to workout and then start getting body fat percentage increases due to the loss of muscle from lower intensity and duration workouts.