Cover image via SAYS
If you've ever tried to gain or lose weight, you've most likely heard the phrase "calories in vs calories out"
A calorie is a unit that is used to measure the energy we burn and consume on a daily basis.
The concept is simple:
If you consume more calories than you burn, the excess calories will be stored in your body as fat.
However, if you consume less calories than you burn, your body will burn your fat for energy.
And if the amount of calories you consume is the same as you burn, the amount of fat you have will remain the same.
Image via Spark People
Nutrition labels on food products are generally based on a 2,000 calorie diet
2,000 calories is said to be the number of calories the average person should be consuming.
While this amount may not be suitable for *everyone*, it can be a starting point to gauge how much you should be eating.
However, if you've never tried to count your calories, it can be hard trying to think of food in numbers.
Image via Robert Kaplinsky
So here's a visualisation of what 2,000 calories of food looks like:
These caloric values were obtained from [MyFitnessPal](https://www.myfitnesspal.com/), [FatSecret](https://www.fatsecret.com/) and [Family.My](http://health.family.my/health-facts/calorie-guide-of-all-malaysian-food).
3 whole plates of nasi lemak
1 plate of nasi lemak = 644 calories.
Image via SAYS
10 bowls of cendol
1 bowl of cendol = 200 calories.
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3 plates of chicken rice
1 plate of chicken rice = 660 calories.
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5 bowls of asam laksa
1 bowl of asam laksa = 400 calories.
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Almost 8 servings of apam balik
1 apam balik = 260 calories.
2000 calories of apam balik is approximately 7.7 servings.
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Almost 6 pieces of roti canai
1 piece of roti canai = 350 calories.
2000 calories of roti canai is approximately 5.7 servings.
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Almost 17 pieces of thosai
1 piece of thosai = 120 calories.
2000 calories of thosai is approximately 16.7 servings.
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Slightly more than 2 mooncakes
1 mooncake = 900 calories.
2000 calories of mooncakes is approximately 2.2 servings.
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Slightly more than 4 servings of beef rendang
1 serving of beef rendang = 468 calories.
2000 calories of beef rendang is approximately 4.3 servings.
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Almost 6 plates of nasi kerabu
1 plate of nasi kerabu = 360 calories.
2000 calories of nasi kerabu is approximately 5.6 servings.
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Slightly more than 3 plates of hokkien mee
1 bowl of hokkien mee = 600 calories.
2000 calories of hokkien mee is approximately 3.3 servings.
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A little more than 6 bowls of bak kut teh
1 bowl of bak kut teh = 324 calories.
2000 calories of bak kut teh is approximately 6.2 servings.
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Almost 3 bowls of char kway teow
1 bowl of char kway teow = 740 calories.
2000 calories of char kway teow is approximately 2.7 servings.
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5 bowls of wantan mee
1 bowl of wantan mee = 409 calories.
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Almost 16 pieces of curry puff
1 piece of curry puff = 128 calories.
2000 calories of curry puffs is approximately 15.6 servings.
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17 pieces of pisang goreng
1 piece of pisang goreng = 117 calories.
Note that these values are just averages. Higher and lower calorie versions of these foods can be prepared.
Image via SAYS
However, it is also important to note that not everyone requires 2,000 calories to maintain their lifestyle
Since things like your age, height and weight affect the amount of calories you burn everyday, a 2,000 calorie diet will not be healthy for everyone.
To find out how many calories you need daily, you can use an online calculator like [this one](https://tdeecalculator.net/).
