Energy Balance: A Weighty Concept

Energy Balance: A Weighty Concept

Losing weight, gaining weight or maintaining your weight depends on the amount of calories you take in and use up during the day, otherwise referred to as energy balance. Learning how to balance energy intake (calories in food) with energy output (calories expended through physical activity) will help you achieve your desired weight.
Although the underlying causes and the treatments of obesity are complex, the concept of energy balance is relatively simple. If you eat more calories than your body needs to perform your day’s activities, the extra calories are stored as fat. If you do not take in enough calories to meet your body’s energy needs, your body will go to the stored fat to make up the difference (Exercise helps ensure that stored fat, rather than muscle tissue, is used to meet your energy needs.) If you eat just about the same amount of calories to meet your body’s energy needs, your weight will stay the same.
On the average, a person consumes between 800,000 and 900,000 calories each year! An
active person needs more calories than a sedentary person, as physically active people require energy above and beyond the day’s basic needs. All too often, people who want to lose weight concentrate on counting calorie intake while neglecting calorie output. The most powerful formula is the combination of dietary modification with exercise. By increasing your daily physical activity and decreasing your caloric input you can lose excess weight in the most efficient and healthful way.