Energy Balance and Weight Management
Energy balance and weight management have a direct correlation because the human body has a limited supply of energy. Energy balance and weight management in the terms of who much food we eat and how much energy we expend. In my article Good Nutrition and the Body, I explain how this correlation has an effect on many systems in our body ranging from hormonal status, mental outlook, stress, and of course weight management just to name a few. Below we will take a look at energy balance and weight management in terms of the food we ingest and the energy we expend.
Food and its Energy Value
It is important to understand the following when discussing energy balance and weight management. If you eat whole natural foods, and follow good nutrition guidelines; your appetite will closely match that of your energy expenditure. On the other hand, when you eat a diet consisting of mostly processed and synthetic foods the body losses its ability to regulate appetite with normal appetite cues. This of course is a bad if you are concerned about your energy balance and weight management.
Let’s go back to high school physics but with a twist on energy balance and weight management. Both potential energy and kinetic energy play a role in energy balance and weight management. Potential energy is the energy that is stored in a system. Hence, the food that we eat has potential energy. This potential energy is released through the digestive process. The potential energy that is released is converted into work. It is the work that is considered the kinetic energy.
For the human body, food is the most important source of potential energy. The chemical bonds in the food we eat contain the energy, when these bonds are broken it is transferred to the production of ATP; which gives our body the energy to do work.
Energy Balance and Weight Management
The Calorie
You can’t talk about energy balance and weight management without discussing the calorie. Simply stated, a calorie is a unit of heat measurement. When we talk about the energy value of food we discuss it in terms of calories.
For the macronutrients a good rule of thumb to go by for energy balance and weight management is:
1 Gram of Fat = 9 calories
1 Gram of Carbohydrates = 4 calories
1 Gram of Protein = 4 calories
1 Gram of alcohol = 7 calories (not a macronutrient)
These values are actually a bit higher outside the human body, but because some of the potential energy is lost through digestion. The above numbers are a good estimate of the potential energy that is available for use in the body. Being able to read a food label is important when dealing with energy balance and weight management. It is also important to know that, as stated; the above numbers are just an estimate of energy in the foods we eat.
Net Potential Energy from Food
Energy balance and weight management need to take into account that different foods will digest differently and therefore do not release the same amount of energy. Another factor to consider is that different macronutrients from different foods will absorb differently into the body. Plus, there are genetic considerations to think about with energy balance and weight management. Different people will absorb the same macronutrients differently. If the macronutrient is only partially absorbed, then the net energy value will be lower. Another area that the energy can be lost is through the breakdown of some amino acids and through excretion.
Calorie Counting
So, what does this have to do with energy balance and weight management? Well, although some energy is lost from the potential energy of the food we eat, our body is able to still use about 91% of the energy in the food we eat and use it in the energy process transfer to make ATP (ISSA). The most important take away for those concerned about energy balance and weight management is that calorie counting is far from an exact science.
Within our body with energy balance and weight management there can be a fluctuation of 2% to 5% of the energy absorption because of digestion, excretion, and genetic factors. Coupled with the fact that the food labels are just a general guideline to the possible calories in the food we eat. It would be impracticable to measure every item on the grocery store shelves to get the exact calories court. Therefore, the is a standard that is used across the board to measure calories.
What Does it all Mean
Energy balance and weight management has a lot of moving parts. As discussed different foods will provide different amounts of energy for different people. Dealing with energy balance and weight management it is good to understand that the types of foods that you choose to eat will affect you appetite and may not satiate you; and then you go back for more. Even though it is not a perfect science, you should understand how to read a food label to be able to make the best choices when dealing with energy balance and weight management.
Lastly, if you are going to use calorie counting in your energy balance and weight management, be aware that it is an imperfect “science”. Even if you were able to know the exact calories of the food you eat, it is impossible to measure how much of those calories were usable for energy. On a good day you could be 10% off the mark for you calorie counting. However, the chart above is a good tool and guideline to use when dealing with energy balance and weight management.
To learn how to make the correct nutritional choices for proper energy balance and weight management see my other articles: Nutritional Guidelines
