Are calories as simple as energy in, energy out? if you're trying to drop a few pounds — or just want to maintain your weight as it is — you may think calorie counting is all you have to do. In reality, it's a little more complicated than that.
NBC's medical correspondent Dr. Natalie Azar busts three common calorie myths.
1. You can achieve a healthy weight with the calories you eat and with the calories you burn.
It’s not only how much you eat, but what you eat. Try to balance your daily consumption between carbohydrates (45-65 percent of daily calories) with fat (20-35 percent) and protein (10-35 percent).
2. Excess calories are all that drive the obesity epidemic .
Wrong. For some of us, genetics, sleep patterns, activity and hormones play a role in our weight.
3. Some foods burn more calories than they contain.
Not true! Watch the video to learn how many calories are burned through digestion each day.