Glossary

Your A-Z guide to understanding the key terms and concepts in the world of weight loss and healthy living.

A

Adipose Tissue: The medical term for body fat. It’s a connective tissue that stores energy in the form of lipids (fat).
Aerobic Exercise: Also known as cardio, it’s any form of physical activity that uses oxygen to meet energy demands. It’s characterized by sustained, rhythmic movement of large muscle groups.
Anaerobic Exercise: Short, intense bursts of physical activity where the body’s demand for oxygen exceeds the oxygen supply available. Examples include sprinting and heavy weightlifting.
Antioxidants: Substances that can prevent or slow damage to cells caused by free radicals. They are found in many foods, especially fruits, vegetables, and other plant-based whole foods.
Appetite: The desire to eat food, which is distinct from hunger (the body’s physical need for food). Appetite can be influenced by psychological and environmental factors.

B

Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR): The number of calories your body needs to accomplish its most basic, life-sustaining functions, such as breathing, circulation, and cell production, while at rest.
Binge Eating: An eating disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of eating large quantities of food, often very quickly and to the point of discomfort.
Body Composition: The proportion of fat and fat-free mass in the body. Healthy body composition includes a lower percentage of body fat and a higher percentage of non-fat mass.
Body Mass Index (BMI): A measure of body fat based on height and weight that applies to adult men and women. It’s used as a general indicator of whether you’re a healthy weight for your height.

C

Calisthenics: A form of strength training consisting of a variety of movements that exercise large muscle groups, such as running, standing, grasping, pushing, etc. These exercises are often performed rhythmically and with minimal equipment, as they use the body’s own weight for resistance.
Calorie Cycling: An eating strategy that involves alternating between higher-calorie and lower-calorie days. It’s used to prevent metabolic slowdown and overcome weight loss plateaus.
Calorie Deficit: The state of consuming fewer calories than your body expends. This is the fundamental principle behind weight loss.
Carbohydrates (Carbs): One of the three main macronutrients, and a primary source of energy for the body. They are found in foods like bread, pasta, fruits, and vegetables. Carbs can be simple (sugars) or complex (starches and fiber).
Cardiovascular Exercise (Cardio): Any type of rhythmic activity that raises your heart rate into your target heart rate zone. Examples include running, swimming, cycling, and brisk walking.
Cheat Meal: A single meal that deviates from one’s established dietary plan. It is often used as a psychological break from strict dieting and can sometimes help to boost metabolism.
Clean Eating: A dietary approach that emphasizes consuming whole, unprocessed foods and avoiding artificial ingredients, preservatives, and other additives.
Complex Carbohydrates: Carbohydrates made up of long chains of sugar molecules. They are digested more slowly, providing a more sustained release of energy. Found in whole grains, legumes, and starchy vegetables.
Cross-Training: The practice of engaging in two or more types of exercise in order to improve fitness in all areas and prevent injury. For example, a runner might cross-train by swimming and lifting weights.

D

DASH Diet: Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. It’s an eating plan rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy foods; it also includes meat, fish, poultry, nuts, and beans. It is low in saturated fat, total fat, and cholesterol, as well as salt (sodium).
Dehydration: A condition that occurs when the loss of body fluids, mostly water, exceeds the amount that is taken in. Proper hydration is crucial for metabolism and overall health.

E

Electrolytes: Minerals in your body that have an electric charge, such as sodium, potassium, and calcium. They are vital for balancing water levels, nerve impulses, and muscle function, and can be lost through sweat during exercise.
Emotional Eating: The practice of consuming food in response to feelings instead of hunger. Stress, boredom, and sadness are common triggers.
Empty Calories: Calories from solid fats and/or added sugars that provide little to no nutritional value. They are often found in processed foods, sugary drinks, and alcohol.
Endorphins: Chemicals produced by the body to relieve stress and pain. They are often released during exercise, leading to a feeling of well-being known as a “runner’s high.”
Essential Amino Acids: The nine amino acids that the body cannot produce on its own and must be obtained from food. They are the building blocks of protein.

F

Fad Diet: A weight-loss plan that promises dramatic results but is typically not healthy and not sustainable. These diets often restrict certain food groups and lack sound scientific evidence.
Fats (Lipids): A macronutrient essential for energy storage, hormone production, and absorbing fat-soluble vitamins. Includes saturated, unsaturated, and trans fats.
Fiber: A type of carbohydrate that the body can’t digest. It’s found in plant-based foods and helps promote feelings of fullness, aids digestion, and can help stabilize blood sugar levels.
Flexitarian Diet: A style of eating that encourages mostly plant-based foods but allows meat and other animal products in moderation. It’s more flexible than fully vegetarian or vegan diets.
Food Journal: A log of the food and beverages consumed each day. It’s a tool used to track calorie intake, monitor eating habits, and increase awareness of food choices.

G

Glucose: A simple sugar that is an important energy source in living organisms. It’s the main type of sugar found in the blood and is the body’s primary fuel source.
Gluten: A family of proteins found in grains like wheat, barley, and rye. Some people have an intolerance or allergy to gluten (celiac disease), while others may experience sensitivity.
Glycemic Index (GI): A rating system for foods containing carbohydrates. It shows how quickly each food affects your blood sugar (glucose) level when that food is eaten on its own.
Glycogen: The stored form of glucose in the body, primarily found in the liver and muscle cells. It serves as the body’s main short-term energy reserve.
Gut Health: Refers to the balance of microorganisms that live in the digestive tract. A healthy gut microbiome is linked to better digestion, immune function, and even weight management.

H

Habit Stacking: A strategy for building new habits by linking them to existing ones. For example, “After I drink my morning coffee, I will do 10 minutes of stretching.”
High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT): A form of exercise that involves short bursts of intense anaerobic exercise with less-intense recovery periods. HIIT is known for being time-efficient and effective at burning calories.
Homeostasis: The body’s ability to maintain a stable internal environment despite changes in external conditions. This relates to weight management as the body often resists changes to its weight (see Set Point Theory).
Hormones (Leptin & Ghrelin): Key chemical messengers that regulate hunger and satiety. Ghrelin is the “hunger hormone” that stimulates appetite, while Leptin is the “satiety hormone” that signals fullness.
Hydration: The process of providing an adequate amount of water to body tissues. Proper hydration is essential for numerous bodily functions, including metabolism, temperature regulation, and nutrient transport.

I

Inflammation: The body’s natural response to protect itself against harm. Chronic inflammation, often linked to poor diet and excess body fat, can contribute to various diseases.
Insulin: A hormone made by the pancreas that allows your body to use sugar (glucose) from carbohydrates in the food that you eat for energy or to store glucose for future use. It helps keeps your blood sugar level from getting too high.
Insulin Resistance: A condition where cells in your muscles, fat, and liver don’t respond well to insulin and can’t easily take up glucose from your blood. This can lead to higher blood sugar levels and is often associated with excess weight.
Intermittent Fasting: An eating pattern that cycles between periods of eating and voluntary fasting. Common methods include the 16/8 method and the 5:2 diet.
Isometric Exercise: A type of strength training in which the joint angle and muscle length do not change during contraction (e.g., holding a plank or a wall sit).

J

Junk Food: A term for food containing high levels of calories from sugar and/or fat with little dietary fiber, protein, vitamins, or minerals. Also known as providing “empty calories.”

K

Ketogenic (Keto) Diet: A very low-carb, high-fat diet. It involves drastically reducing carbohydrate intake and replacing it with fat, which puts your body into a metabolic state called ketosis, where it burns fat for fuel.
Ketosis: A metabolic state where the body uses fat for fuel instead of glucose. This occurs when carbohydrate intake is very low, causing the liver to produce ketones from fat.

L

Lactose Intolerance: The inability to fully digest the sugar (lactose) in dairy products. It can cause digestive symptoms, such as bloating, gas, and diarrhea, after consuming dairy.
Lean Body Mass: The total weight of your body minus all the weight due to your fat mass. This includes the weight of your organs, skin, bones, and body water.
Low-Carb Diet: An eating plan that restricts carbohydrates, such as those found in sugary foods, pasta, and bread. It is high in protein, fat, and healthy vegetables.

M

Macronutrients (Macros): The three main nutrients that provide calories and energy: carbohydrates, protein, and fat. Balancing these is a common strategy for achieving specific health and fitness goals.
Meal Prep: The process of planning and preparing meals ahead of time. It’s a popular strategy for saving time, controlling portions, and sticking to a healthy eating plan.
Mediterranean Diet: An eating plan based on the traditional foods of countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea. It emphasizes plant-based foods, healthy fats like olive oil, fish, and poultry, and limits red meat and sweets.
Metabolic Adaptation: The process by which the body adjusts its energy expenditure in response to changes in calorie intake. During weight loss, the metabolism may slow down to conserve energy, which can lead to a plateau.
Metabolism: The complex chemical processes that convert food and drink into energy. A “faster” metabolism burns more calories at rest and during activity.
Micronutrients: Essential vitamins and minerals that the body needs in small amounts for proper physiological function. Unlike macronutrients, they do not provide calories.
Mindful Eating: The practice of paying full attention to the experience of eating and drinking, both inside and outside the body. It involves observing the colors, smells, textures, and tastes of food, as well as the body’s hunger and fullness cues.

N

Non-Scale Victories (NSV): Positive changes resulting from a healthy lifestyle that are not reflected on the scale. Examples include clothes fitting better, having more energy, improved mood, and better sleep.
Nutrient-Dense: Foods that are high in nutrients (like vitamins and minerals) but relatively low in calories. Examples include fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins.

O

Obesity: A complex disease involving an excessive amount of body fat. It’s a medical problem that increases the risk of other diseases and health problems, such as heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure.
Organic: Refers to food grown or produced without the use of synthetic pesticides, fertilizers, genetically modified organisms (GMOs), or irradiation.

P

Paleo Diet: A dietary plan based on foods similar to what might have been eaten during the Paleolithic era. It typically includes lean meats, fish, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds, while avoiding processed foods, dairy, legumes, and grains.
Plateau: A point in a weight loss journey where progress stalls, and weight remains stable for a period despite continuing diet and exercise efforts.
Plyometrics: Also known as jump training, these are exercises in which muscles exert maximum force in short intervals of time, with the goal of increasing power (speed-strength). Examples include box jumps and burpees.
Portion Control: The practice of managing the quantity of food you eat to control calorie intake. It’s a key strategy for weight management without necessarily restricting food types.
Processed Food: Any food that has been altered from its natural state. This can range from minimally processed (pre-cut vegetables) to highly processed (frozen pizzas and microwave dinners), which often contain high levels of added sugar, sodium, and unhealthy fats.
Protein: A macronutrient essential for building and repairing tissues, including muscle. It is also highly satiating, which can help with appetite control.

Q

Quinoa: A highly nutritious, gluten-free seed that is often used as a whole-grain substitute. It’s a complete protein, meaning it contains all nine essential amino acids, and is high in fiber.

R

Refined Grains: Grains that have been milled, a process that removes the bran and germ. This is done to give grains a finer texture and improve their shelf life, but it also removes dietary fiber, iron, and many B vitamins. Examples include white flour and white rice.
Resistance Training: Another term for strength or weight training. Any exercise that causes the muscles to contract against an external resistance with the expectation of increases in strength, tone, mass, and/or endurance.
Rest Day: A day taken off from regular exercise to allow the body to recover and repair itself. Rest is crucial for muscle growth and injury prevention.

S

Satiety: The feeling of fullness and satisfaction after eating, which helps to suppress the desire to eat more.
Set Point Theory: A theory that the body has a preferred weight range that it tries to maintain. The body may adjust its metabolism and hunger signals to resist moving too far from this set point.
Simple Carbohydrates: Sugars that are quickly digested and absorbed, leading to a rapid spike in blood sugar. Found in foods like table sugar, candy, and sugary drinks.
Sodium: A mineral and electrolyte that’s essential for many body functions. However, excessive intake, common in processed foods, can lead to high blood pressure and water retention.
Strength Training: A type of physical exercise specializing in the use of resistance to induce muscular contraction, which builds the strength, anaerobic endurance, and size of skeletal muscles.
Supplement: A product intended to supplement the diet, such as a vitamin, mineral, herb, or protein powder. They are not intended to replace a healthy diet.
Sustainable Weight Loss: A method of losing weight that is achievable and maintainable over the long term, focusing on gradual lifestyle changes rather than extreme, temporary measures.

T

Thermic Effect of Food (TEF): The calories your body burns to digest, absorb, and metabolize the food you eat. Protein has the highest thermic effect of all the macronutrients.
Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE): The total number of calories you burn in a 24-hour period, including all activities. To lose weight, your calorie intake should be less than your TDEE.

U

Unsaturated Fats: Considered “healthy” fats, they can help reduce bad cholesterol levels in your blood. Found in foods like avocados, nuts, seeds, and olive oil.

V

Vegan: A diet and lifestyle that excludes all animal products, including meat, dairy, eggs, and honey.
Vegetarian: A diet that excludes meat, poultry, and fish, but may include animal products like dairy and eggs (lacto-ovo vegetarian).
Visceral Fat: Fat that is stored within the abdominal cavity, surrounding important internal organs such as the liver, pancreas, and intestines. High levels are associated with increased health risks.

W

Water Weight: Extra water that’s hanging around in the tissues and cells. It’s often lost quickly at the beginning of a diet, particularly a low-carb one.
Whole Foods: Foods that are in their natural state or have been minimally processed. They are typically free from artificial additives. Examples include fruits, vegetables, unprocessed meats, and whole grains.

Y

Yo-Yo Dieting: The cyclical loss and gain of weight, resembling the up-and-down motion of a yo-yo. This pattern of dieting is often unsustainable and can have negative metabolic effects.