If you want to know how to lose weight, there is no need to go searching the internet for diets fads and trendy weight loss programs. The truth is that all successful weight loss plans use essentially the same method. Of course, each diet guru and celebrity trainer put a creative spin on it – which is why you see so many books and programs on the market. But the bottom line is that weight loss is determined by energy balance. And if you can change your energy balance you can lose weight. If you understand how the body will burn your body fat, you will slim down.
How to Lose Weight with Energy Balance
Experts in the medical field, registered dietitians and health coaches agree that there is one way to lose weight. Don’t waste any more time than you need to. Master the principle of energy balance to slim down once and for all.
Most people don’t think of their weight loss journey as a math problem. But in many ways, it is. There is a simple equation behind every successful diet, every successful weight loss program and every get-slim-quick plan. It’s called your energy balance. And if you can get your numbers to tilt in the right direction, you’ll lose weight and get the body you want.
What is Energy Balance?
Energy balance is simply the relationship between your energy input and your energy output.
The equation looks like this:
Energy Balance = Energy input – energy output
Sounds reasonable, right? To figure out your energy balance you need to gather a few numbers.
How Do I Input Energy?
We input energy in the form of kilocalories, or “calories.” Calories are simply a unit of energy or heat. The food we eat and the drinks we consume provide different levels of energy, or calories. Protein and carbohydrate each provide 4 calories per gram, and fat provides 9 calories per gram.
One of the best ways to start a weight loss program is to determine your current level of energy input or caloric intake so that you can make adjustments to your energy balance. A typical woman may consume anywhere from 1200 to 2500 calories per day depending on her size, activity level and lifestyle factors.
What is My Energy Output?
Energy output happens when your body uses energy. We often refer to this as “burning” calories. Even when you’re sleeping, your body uses energy to perform basic functions like breathing and circulating blood.
You also expend energy during activities of daily living, like washing dishes or shopping, and of course, through physical exercise. These activities make up about 15-30% of your total calorie burn each day. The last 5-10% of calories are burned through the thermic effect of food, when you eat and digest meals and snacks.
There are different ways to calculate the number of calories you burn each day. Many people use one or two methods to determine the most accurate number.
Tip the Scales to Lose Weight
If your energy input and your energy output are perfectly balanced, you won’t lose weight. A perfect energy balance creates a stable weight. To change your weight you need to tip the scales so that they are no longer balanced.
A positive energy balance occurs when your energy input is greater than your energy output. That is, you eat more calories than your body needs. Your body stores excess energy or calories as fat. This results in weight gain.
Weight gain = energy input > energy output
Weight loss occurs when you create a negative energy balance. That is, you burn more calories than you consume. When this imbalance occurs, your body burns stored energy in order to function and you lose weight.
Weight loss = energy input < energy output
When you evaluate your own energy balance, it’s best to get the numbers as accurate as possible. Small differences in energy input and energy output can make a big difference in your weight.
Calculate Your Own Energy Balance
Are you ready to calculate your own energy balance? Here are two sample equations to use as a guide.
Dieter #1: Megan
Calories consumed each day: 2000
Calories burned each day: 1750
2000 (energy input) – 1750 (energy output) = 250 calories
Megan has a positive energy balance of 250 calories per day. That doesn’t sound like much. But over the course of a week, her estimated balance would be 1750 calories or enough to gain a half pound of weight.
Dieter #2: Carol
Calories consumed each day: 1800
Calories burned each day: 2050
1800 (energy input) – 2050 (energy output) = -250 calories
Carol has a negative energy balance of 250 calories. Over the course of a week, her body will need to burn 1750 calories of stored fat to meet its needs and she will lose roughly one half pound of weight.
If the Math is Simple, Why is Weight Loss So Hard?
So if weight loss is just a simple equation, then why is it so difficult to lose weight? Because there are many factors that affect both your energy input and your energy output. Things like your medical status, your age and your mood affect your energy balance equation every day. Weight loss is a simple equation, but finding the right balance requires a little bit more work.
If you are at the beginning of your weight loss journey, or if you are questioning your current diet and exercise plan, the energy balance equation is a perfect place to start. You don’t need to buy fancy tools or invest in an expensive weight loss program. Try to make some changes on your own. Evaluate the factors that affect your caloric intake and caloric output. You have control over some factors (like activity level) and no control over others (age, gender). Simply change what you can to tilt the scales of your energy balance equation and reach your weight loss goals.
Most people gain over a long period of time and this is how we differ from our ancient ancestors; they would eat as they needed energy and only as much as they needed to go on. Before there was money and jobs, people only worried about survival. Man was part of the food chain and were being hunted by large animals like we hunt animals today. They were constantly on the move burning energy and eating mostly roots and fruit during the day also hunting for small game that they could eat at night. Man was eating by instinct like wild animals do. If you have ever noticed, animals in the wild always maintain a perfect body weight. But domestic animals that live with us will gain too much weight and end-up with all the diseases that man has; cancer, obesity, joint problems and other illnesses. Animals in the wild will stay healthy except for injuries.
What are we doing wrong, what happened? Thin people like a marathon runner will burn his energy first and then eat something to replace that energy. He will use up all he has before he eats to replace it. We are eating before we need the energy or calories and then we try to burn all those calories we ate. We are working backwards and that’s why we can’t win. When you eat the calories first you will probably never burn all the calories you ate. And you never burn the body fat because your first burning the new calories you just ate. I hope that makes sense to you.
Losing weight for me works best if I have an energy shake in the morning, first thing, then workout, then eat a high-protein breakfast after the workout. I prefer ham and eggs or greek yogurt and fruit. High-protein breakfast cut my cravings and I don’t even think about food until lunch.
Think about your diet this way. If your hungry two hours after you eat then you didn’t eat the right food. Cravings are the way your body tells you that it needs nutrition, but you have to decide what kind. If you decide wrong you will have more cravings and this will continue on until your body get what it needs. Meanwhile you’re adding pounds. Be smart about what you eat and you’ll eat less and spend less money.
Look for my podcast by searching “How Bad Do You Want to Lose Weight” on the podcast app that you use. You’ll see a piece of my book cover.
If you really want to lose your body fat look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You’ll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books.
There are two e-books. “How Bad Do You Want to Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $3.99. Go to any of the websites below and search the title to find my e-book. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans, or meal plans. Look for my book. at Amazon.com, bn.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.
My new e-book is available on Smashwords.com and other online bookstores. Just type “getting to a Healthy Weight” in the search box at the top of the home page.
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