Diet & Nutrition

Calories and Calorie Counting: Tools, Diets, Tips, and More

Calories are king for understanding energy intake and losing weight, but there’s a lot more to them than just dieting. These articles and tools will help you understand what calories are and how to use them to maintain or attain a healthy weight.
Melinda Carstensen
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Diets come and go, but calories are forever. That’s because this unit of measurement is the simplest way to understand how to balance the energy you need and the energy you spend in a day. But how much should you really focus on calories when you’re trying to lose weight, and what are the best ways to count them?

Experts don’t always agree on the answer, because weight loss often involves more than simple “calories in, calories out” math.

But having a basic understanding of the importance of calories, how your body uses them, and whether you’re getting too few (or too many) is a good starting point.

The resources on this page will give you the lowdown on everything you need to know about calories and calorie counting — with expert insight, tips, and tools like calorie counters to do the work for you.

Ready to start counting?