Now, the body does two things to that energy: it either metabolizes it via
anabolism, or it metabolizes it via catabolism. That is, it will either
convert the energy (calories) into cells/tissue, or it will use that energy
(calories) to break down cells.
Now the link between calories/energy, metabolism, and weight loss
becomes rather clear and direct.
When there is an excess of energy, and the body can’t use this energy to
deal with any needs at the time, it will be forced to create cells with
that extra energy. It has to.
It doesn’t necessarily want to, but after figuring out that the energy can’t
be used to do anything (such as help you exercise or digest some food), it
has to turn it into cells through anabolism.
And those extra cells? Yup, you guessed it: added weight!
In a nutshell (and nuts have lots of calories by the way, so watch out and
eat them in small portions…), the whole calorie/metabolism/weight gain
thing is really just about excess energy.
When there are too many calories in the body – that is, when there’s too
much energy from food – then the body transforms those calories into
stuff.
And that stuff, most of the time, is fat. Sometimes, of course, those extra
calories are transformed into muscle; and this is usually a good thing for
those watching their weight or trying to maintain an optimal body fat
ratio.