In order to be able to lose weight effectively it is vital to understand the importance of calories and how to calculate the amount of calories required for your body to lose weight. In weight loss, your diet plays 80% responsible for achieving the desired results.

想要有效减肥，那么了解卡路里的重要性以及如何计算出减肥时身体所需要的卡路里量是十分重要的。在减肥过程中，要想取得所期望的效果，那么饮食起到80%的作用。

Most people are engaged in different weight loss programs with the hope of losing weight.

很多人都参加了不同的减肥项目，希望能成功减肥。

But, have you ever stopped to ask yourself what is it that helps people to lose weight? The simple answer is, 'calories you take in versus¹ the calories you expend²'. For you to be able to calculate and effectively burn the calories to lose weight, you need to understand what calories are.

但你有没有停下来问问自己：到底是什么帮助人们减肥了呢？答案很简单"你摄入的卡路里量对比你消耗的卡路里量"。减肥时，为使自己能够计算出并高效燃烧卡路里，你需要明白什么是卡路里。

What are calories?

什么是卡路里？

In nutrition, calories are defined as the unit of energy that is obtained from foods and drinks. Your body cells need the calories to function normally and that is why you need to ensure that you meet your daily calorie intake³. What you need to understand is that any food item that contains calories has the potential to increase your energy intake. Now, people who don't understand the importance of calories in the body, end up gaining or losing too much weight.

营养学对卡路里的定义是：从食物和饮料中获得的能量单位。你的身体细胞需要卡路里才能正常运转，这也就是为什么你需要确保每日卡路里摄入量都达到了标准。你需要理解的是：任何含有卡路里的食物都具备增加你能量摄入的潜能。现在，人们并不理解体内卡路里的重要性，其结果要不就是增重太多，要不就是变得太瘦。

To be able to understand the dynamics⁴ of weight loss and weight gain, you need to understand what the calories are and what their role is in their body.

为了能了解体重减少与体重增加的动态，你需要了解卡路里是什么，以及它们在体内所扮演的角色。

Calories as mentioned above are units of energy. They are the ones that provide the body with energy for its normal functions. However, the calorie intake is directly linked to the energy expenditure⁵.

如上所述，卡路里是能量单位。它们可供给身体能量，使身体正常运转。然而，摄入的卡路里量是与消耗的能量直接关联的。

This means that for you to be able to lose weight, the energy expenditure needs to be higher than the calorie intake. To gain weight, you need to maintain a higher energy intake than the energy expenditure, i.e. a caloric surplus. The opposite is true if you want to lose weight wherein you must burn more than you take in.

这就意味着如果你想成功减肥，那么能量的消耗要高于卡路里的摄入。想要增重的话，你的能量摄入就要高于能量消耗，也就是说，要有剩余的卡路里。反过来也是成立的，即：如果你想要减肥，那么燃烧的卡路里量必须要高于摄入的卡路里量。