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The Differences in Energy Balance & Weight Control

Energy balance is a highly individualized delicate ratio of the calories you consume versus those expended. When one part of the equation is higher than the other and out of balance, you gain or lose weight. Understanding components of your own energy balance is necessary to influence your body shape the way you want.

  1. Calorie Intake

    • How many calories you consume is your caloric intake. To determine this, you must use methods like weighing food to determine portion sizes and total calories, counting calories or keeping a daily food journal to track calories. The more precise your method, the better handle you have on exact calories consumed. If you make estimations, you're less likely to control your weight.

    Calorie Expenditure

    • How many calories you use in a day is your calorie expenditure. Activities throughout the day require energy or they do not occur. Everyone has a basal metabolic rate which accounts for basic activities like breathing and keeping the heart beating which also require energy. Daily activities like brushing your teeth or washing take energy. If you take a walk or do some gardening, you use energy above and beyond that. The more activities you do, the more energy is needed.

    Activity Level

    • If you are sedentary, sit at a desk or do limited activity, you burn minimal calories and have lower energy requirements. A very active person has increased need for calories to keep up with the activities, especially if he engages in regular physical activity like running or swimming. The American College of Sports Medicine suggests you do 30 minutes of moderate activity five days per week to control weight.

    Calories In Versus Calories Out

    • To stay at the exact same weight, your calories consumed must exactly meet the energy you expend. To lose weight, you must take in fewer calories than you expend; to gain weight, take in more calories than you need for the activities you complete. A pound is 3,500 calories. To lose one pound a week, you must take in 500 fewer calories per day for the whole week.

    Monitoring Energy Balance

    • You need to know if your energy balance is right on to have effective weight control. Kathleen M. Zelman of WedMD suggests weighing yourself on a reliable scale weekly to keep track of how you are doing. If you took in more calories than your body needs for activities, you will likely gain weight.

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