When counting calories what is the relationship between the kcal, calories and the recommended daily allowance?
You have probably met the calorie in science. The Calorie on food is usually a kilocalorie in science. The rda is a very rough estimate of the calorie requirement of someone of average size and activity to remain at a stable body weight. So if you are larger your daily allowance might be higher, it might also be higher if you are very physically active. Many top class rowers for example eat over 3000 Cals per day while maintaining body weight – they are big, they are active and they have a lot of muscle which needs more calories per unit mass anyway. If you cut down calories too much your body may go into ‘starvation mode’ where it hangs on to every calorie you give it by reducing non-essential activities and influencing your behaviour to save energy expenditure. Most people lose weight sustainably by a modest reduction in calories while eating a healthy diet and slightly increasing their exercise levels to keep their metabolic rate up.
