Nutrition 101: Calories

A calorie is a measure of the energy in food. Your body uses energy all day: to keep you alive, to move and to digest. To gain weight you need to take in more than you use, and that difference is the surplus Surplus is named for.

Where the calories come from:

• Protein: 4 calories a gram
• Carbohydrates: 4 calories a gram
• Fat: 9 calories a gram

Fat has more than twice the calories of the other two, so foods with some fat in them, like nuts, nut butters, olive oil, cheese and whole milk, add calories without adding much bulk. That helps when big plates feel like too much.