Energy Balance
Pg 1/3
Energy Balance is the key to achieving or
maintaining a healthy weight. It refers to balancing
the energy you get from food (Energy “In”) to your
daily energy requirements (Energy “Out”).
It’s a Constant Burn!
So h
ow do
we
?
ergy
n
E
e
r
u
m eas
Regardless of our activity levels (even when we’re
asleep) we need energy to maintain normal body
functions, such as breathing and digesting food.
The number of calories your body burns at rest to
maintain these normal body functions is called your
Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). It changes with age,
weight, height, gender, diet and exercise habits.
So as you can see, we need a continual supply of
energy; otherwise we would not be able to survive.
The Balancing Act
The energy we use can only be obtained from food (measured in calories or
kilojoules). The problem with weight gain occurs when we simply consume
too much. Weight gain and weight loss comes down to a simple balance of
“ENERGY IN” versus “ENERGY OUT”.
That is, when we consume more energy (food) than we burn through activity
(called an energy surplus or positive energy balance) on a daily basis, we
gain weight. This is because our bodies are very efficient at storing excess
energy as fat.
We evolved this process so we would have a store of energy when food
was scarce. However, in developed countries, like Australia, food is so
readily available that it is very easy to consume more food than we need.
This has resulted in most of the population being overweight.
On the other hand, if we consume less energy than we burn (called an
energy deficit or negative energy balance) on a daily basis, we will lose
weight (we will need to use our fat stores as energy instead of food, and
therefore “burn fat”).
If we consistently balance our food consumption with our energy
requirements, then we remain at a constant weight.
So even though counting calories isn’t always necessary, an appreciation of
the energy content of food is desirable.
Energy Balance
Pg 2/3
Consider Both Sides!
To maintain a healthy weight (and especially to lose weight) we need to avoid an energy surplus
(consuming excess energy than we require). Remembering that there are 2 sides to this balancing
act, we can achieve this by:
Restricting our energy intake
Restricting Our Energy
Intake:
To restrict our calorie intake
we have to be smart about
the types of foods we eat. We
get energy from three different
types of foods: Carbohydrates,
Proteins and Fats.
Both Carbohydrates and
Proteins contain 4 calories
per gram and Fat contains 9
calories per gram, meaning
that fat has much more energy
Increasing our energy expenditure
per gram. Eating a diet low in fat
will therefore help restrict our calorie
intake.
cravings and less likely to
have energy peaks and
troughs).
As well as watching what types of
food we eat, we also need to be
careful about the quantity of food
we eat. Eating large portion sizes
is a major contributor to many
people exceeding their daily energy
requirements, causing them to gain
weight (even though they are eating
“healthy foods”).
This also increases our
Basal Metabolic Rate every
time we eat, helping us
“burn” more energy.
Tips to avoid overeating:
Don’t drink your calories.
Drinking alcohol is the
main reason many people
exceed their daily energy
requirements.
Eat smaller portions! If you
have to fill your plate with food,
use smaller plates! A rough
guide to the size of your meal is
that it should equate to the size
of your fist. Refer to the “Food
Serve Sizes” Handout for the
recommended serving sizes for
different foods.
Eating five to six small meals
per day (all about the same
size as your fist) helps our
body maintain stable blood
sugar levels (therefore reduce
A meal doesn’t have to
come on a plate. It might be
an apple and yoghurt or a
hundred grams of chicken
(not a kilo) and a salad.
And don’t be fooled by
some of the “healthier”
options; some fruit juices
and smoothies can contain
more calories than we might
have in a typical lunch or
dinner…and people drink
these in between meals
because they are a healthy
option!
Energy Balance
Pg 3/3
Increasing Our Energy
Expenditure:
Exercising is obviously a
great way to burn calories,
with the added bonus of
improving
your
fitness.
Exercising also increases
your Basal Metabolic Rate,
so you burn more energy
even at rest.
Our lifestyles are becoming
increasingly
sedentary,
which is contributing to
the “obesity epidemic”. By
embracing an active lifestyle
you will expend more energy
and therefore help avoid an
energy surplus.
Guidelines to incorporate activity
into routine life:
Don’t drive if you can cycle.
Don’t cycle if you can walk.
Don’t walk if you can run.
Whenever you are walking, try
and increase the intensity.
Take the stairs whenever
possible (instead of escalator
or lift)
Walk to the shops
Get off the train or bus a stop
earlier
Take the dog for a walk
Find an activity you enjoy.
General Guidelines:
Everyone in the world is different
and so is our recommended daily
energy intake. But in general
terms the average calories per
day for a woman is around 2000
(8,400 kilojoules) and for a man is
2500 (10,500 kilojoules).
Weight loss should be gradual: No
more than 1 kg per week
A caloric deficit of 7000 kcal is
needed to lose approx 1 kg
Therefore, the caloric deficit
Example:
To lose ½ kg per week, you
need a 500 kcal deficit per
day.
Expending 500 kcal is
equivalent to walking approx
6.4 km more each day.
Whereas the same 500 kcal
Be active with a partner
or friend for motivation
and encouragement.
deficit is achieved by eliminating a
packet of chips from your diet.
On the other hand, if you add the
equivalent of a packet of chips
a day to your diet (maintaining
same activity levels), you will
gain ½ kg per week – more
than 25 kg over a year!
should not exceed 1000 kcal
per day.
Weight loss rate decreases
over time, because the
difference
between
the
energy intake and energy
needs gets smaller as you
lose weight.
It is easier to achieve an
energy deficit by reducing
calorie intake than by
increasing physical activity.