01.07 Energy Balance and Weight Control

This lesson is going to cover energy balance and weight control.When we talk about energy balance in regard to weight, there are two sides to the equation.  On one side of the equation is the calories in the food and beverage we consume.  The other side of the equation is energy expenditure, which includes Basal Metabolic Rate or BMR.  The energy required to meet life sustaining activities such as heart beat and breathing, you know those important things.  Thermic Effect of Food or TEF is the energy used in digesting, absorbing and metabolizing food. So part of those calories in the food we consume is used by the body to process it.  So what is energy balance?  When energy intake is equal to energy expenditure, weight is maintained.  Positive energy balance is when things get a little tilted and intake exceeds expenditure.  And guess what happens?  Weight gain.  Negative energy balance is the opposite.  When things get tilted the other way and expenditure exceeds intake and can result in weight loss. 

There are times when there is a need for higher calorie consumption.  One example is undesired weight loss, outside of a disease.  There could be some lifestyle changes that may have led to this.  Think if someone got a more physically demanding job.  Or maybe they are under a lot of stress and eat less as a result.  A little experimenting can often be the fix. No surprise.  Pregnancy definitely requires a higher level of calories to support that growing baby and for the pregnant woman.  A significant increase in exercise, such as starting a new exercise program or even making big changes to a current one.  If losing weight isn’t a goal, they may need to increase their calories.  Also, certain disease conditions can require a higher number of calories.  If the disease has them in a catabolic state and losing weight (such as cancer), they will require more calories and nutrients.

Balance, while not always easy, is an important overall concept in life and definitely is important with nutrition.  A balance of intake and expenditure allows people to maintain a healthy weight and also have enough energy to go about their lives.  Balance also plays a role with macronutrients.  As we will talk about shortly, there are recommended macronutrient ranges.  It’s not just about getting the right number of calories but also choosing a variety of foods to get all the nutrients needed.

What is a macronutrient? It is an element required in relatively large amounts in the diet.  The three macronutrients are protein, carbohydrate, and fat.  Both CHO and protein 4 cal/g, while fat provides over double with 9 cal/g.  So if you look at a food label, when you see the number grams of each macronutrient there is, you can calculate the number of calories they provide.  Protein with its 3 grams provides 12 calories. Carbohydrates 37 g is 148 calories and the 8 g of fat provides 72 calories.  Are you thinking wait, those don’t add up to 230 calories.  And you’re right, just remember there is some rounding of numbers on food labels. 

So how do we know how these macronutrients should be distributed?  The Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Range (AMDR) is to reduce risk for chronic diseases, while providing essential vitamins and minerals.  They are broken down like this: protein 10-35%, carbohydrate 45-65%, fat 20-35%.  All for daily calories. 

Let’s sum it up.  Energy balance: when energy intake is equal to energy expenditure resulting in no change in weight.  Sometime there are needs for higher calorie consumption.  Balance is important for intake and expenditure and food choices.  The three macronutrients are CHO, protein and fat.  And the AMDR provides the recommended ranges.

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