What exactly is a calorie?

A calorie is a unit of measurement — but it doesn't measure weight or length. A calorie is a unit of energy. When you hear something contains 100 calories, it's a way of describing how much energy your body could get from eating or drinking it.

Specifically, a calorie is the amount of energy, or heat, it takes to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1 degree Celsius (1.8 degrees Fahrenheit). One calorie is equal to 4.184 joules, a common unit of energy used in the physical sciences.

Your body uses calories from the food you eat for energy. Calories are a measure of energy and are commonly used to describe the energy content of foods. Your body is able to break down food molecules and use the stored energy for many different functions, including movement, thought and growth.

You gain weight when you eat more calories than you burn — or burn fewer calories than you eat. While it is true that some people seem to be able to lose weight more quickly and more easily than others, everyone loses weight when they burn up more calories than they eat.

How many calories do I burn without exercise? The average person burns around 1800 calories a day doing absolutely nothing. According to the Healthy Eating Guide, sitting burns an estimated 75 calories per hour.

As a general guideline, women typically burn about 2,000 calories per day and men burn about 2,500 calories per day. These numbers are often used to determine an approximate food intake for weight maintenance.

Considered the perfect pre- or post-workout snack, bananas are healthier than most energy bars, which often contain lots of sugar and chemicals. Although the average banana contains 27 grams of carbs, the fruit can help stop weight gain because it has only 105 calories and three grams of filling fiber.

Bananas are a healthful addition to a balanced diet, as they provide a range of vital nutrients and are a good source of fiber. Although eating bananas cannot directly lead to weight loss, some of the properties of these fruits may help a person reduce bloating, control their appetite, and replace processed sugars.

Eat smaller, more frequent meals. Instead of three large meals a day, aim for five “mini-meals” of breakfast, lunch and dinner, plus two healthy snacks. These meals won't expand your stomach excessively, but will help you stay full and satisfied. Slow down.

An ideal daily intake of calories varies depending on age, metabolism and levels of physical activity, among other things. Generally, the recommended daily calorie intake is 2,000 calories a day for women and 2,500 for men.

Cutting calories appears to promote weight loss more effectively than does increasing exercise. The key to weight loss is to consume fewer calories than you burn. For most people, it's possible to lower calorie intake to a greater degree than it is to burn more calories through increased exercise.

Science suggests that water can help with weight loss in a variety of ways. It may suppress your appetite, boost your metabolism, and make exercise easier and more efficient, all of which could contribute to results on the scale.

Several activities can help you burn 500 calories or more in an hour including dancing, outdoor work, swimming, sports, bike riding, going to the gym, high-intensity interval training and working out using a punching bag. Shedding those pesky pounds is a daunting challenge for most of us.

According to MyFitnessPal, jumping jacks can burn about eight calories per minute for a person weighing 120 pounds and up to 16 calories per minute for someone weighing 250 pounds.

Running

Running is the winner for most calories burned per hour. Stationary bicycling, jogging, and swimming are excellent options as well. HIIT exercises are also great for burning calories. After a HIIT workout, your body will continue to burn calories for up to 24 hours.

Running at even a slow pace burns a lot of calories for 30 minutes. On average, running burns between 10.8 to 16 calories per minute and putting it at the top of the list of workouts that burn the most calories. To up the calorie burn, increase the intensity or add in sprint intervals.