Calorie Balance Equation

When it comes to maintaining a healthy weight for a lifetime, the bottom line is – CALORIES COUNT! Weight management is all about balance—balancing the number of calories an individual consumes with the number of calories their body uses or "burns off." A calorie is defined as a unit of energy supplied by food. A calorie is a calorie regardless of its source. Whether someone is eating carbohydrates, fats, sugars, or proteins -- all of them contain calories. Caloric balance is like a scale. To remain in balance and maintain body weight, the calories consumed (from foods) must be balanced by the calories used (in normal body functions, daily activities, and exercise).

If you are... Your caloric balance status is... Maintaining weight "in balance." Eating roughly the same number of calories that the body is using. Weight will remain stable. Gaining weight "in caloric excess." Eating more calories than the body is using. The body will store these extra calories as fat and weight gain will occur. Losing weight "in caloric deficit." Eating fewer calories than the body is using. The body is pulling from its fat storage cells for energy resulting in weight loss. Am I in Caloric Balance? If you are maintaining your current body weight, you are in caloric balance. If you need to gain weight or to lose weight, you'll need to tip the balance scale in one direction or another to achieve the weight goal. If you need to tip the balance scale in the direction of losing weight, keep in mind that it takes approximately 3,500 calories below your calorie needs to lose one (1) pound of body fat. To lose about 1 to 2 pounds per week, you'll need to reduce your caloric intake by 500—1000 calories per day.2 To learn how many calories you are currently eating, begin journaling or self-monitoring the food and beverages you consume each day. By self-monitoring what is consumed, an individual becomes more aware of everything they are putting in their mouth. Also, begin monitoring the amount of physical activity you do each day. You can use pen and paper to self-monitor or you can use a web-based program where you enter the foods you have eaten and the physical activity you have done to see how the calorie intake compares to their calorie expenditure. By studying your food diary you can become more aware of your eating habits and the number of calories you consume on an average day. Physical activities (both daily activities and exercise) help tip the balance scale by increasing the calories they expend each day. Recommended Physical Activity Levels Adults should be physically active at a moderate intensity for at least 30 minutes, 5 or more days per week. Increasing the intensity or the amount of time that they are physically active can have even greater health benefits and may be needed to control body weight. About 60 minutes a day may be needed to prevent weight gain. Encourage children and teenagers to be physically active for at least 60 minutes each day 5 to 7 days per week. So the bottom line is… each person's body is unique and may have different caloric needs. This is why they received their metabolic measurement using the MedGem® device. A healthy lifestyle requires balance, in the foods they eat, in the beverages they consume, in the way they carry out their daily activities, and in the amount of physical activity or exercise they include in your daily routine. While counting calories is not always necessary, it is the best behavioral tool used in self-management and it does help an individual gain awareness of their eating habits as they strive to achieve energy balance. The ultimate test of balance is whether or not they are gaining, maintaining, or losing weight. Questions and Answers about Calories Q: Are fat-free and low-fat foods low in calories? A: Not always. Some fat-free and low-fat foods have extra sugars, which push the calorie amount right back up. So just because it is fat-free does not mean it is low calorie. Always read the Nutrition Facts food label to find out the calorie content. Remember, this is the calorie content for one serving of the food item, so be sure and check the serving size. If you eat more than one serving, you'll be eating more calories than is listed on the food label. For more information about the Nutrition Facts food label, refer to the Label Lingo document in your reference binder. Q: If I eat late at night, will these calories automatically turn into body fat? A: The time of day isn't what affects how your body uses calories. It's the overall number of calories you eat and the calories you burn over the course of 24 hours that affects your weight. Q: I've heard it is more important to worry about carbohydrates than calories. Is this true? A: By focusing only on carbohydrates, you can still eat too many calories. Also, if you drastically reduce the variety of foods in your diet, you could end up sacrificing vital nutrients and not be able to sustain the diet over time. Visit with the physician to determine if carbohydrates should be limited. Q: Does it matter how many calories I eat as long as I'm maintaining an active lifestyle A: While physical activity is a vital part of weight control, so is controlling the number of calories you eat. If you consume more calories than you use through normal daily activities and physical activity, you will still gain weight. References: Information obtained from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. Source: 2008 © Microlife Medical Home Solutions, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Microlife and WatchWT are registered trademarks of Microlife Corp. MedGem is a registered trademark of Microlife Medical Home Solutions, Inc.

What's a Calorie?

Whether we're burning calories by sweating it out at the gym or resisting the call of the cupcakes, calories definitely affect our waistlines. Understanding the fundamentals of calories is about more than just reaching for the low-cal option. If you're watching your weight or looking to lose some, here's what you need to know about calories to keep you going. A calorie is just a form of energy. We burn calories all the time, whether merely breathing and sleeping or running a seven-minute mile. Metabolism is the rate at which our bodies use up this energy; the amount of calories we burn by simply existing is called our BMR, or basal metabolic rate (calculate your BMR here). Your BMR, age, and activity level are used to determine how many calories you should be eating in order to maintain your weight.

If you want to lose weight, however, the formula is simple: burn more calories than you eat. But that doesn't mean it's easy. It can be hard, and all-consuming, to keep track of every single calorie you eat or burn. Whether you're a calorie counter or someone who barely glances at labels, read on for tips on how to track calories to help you lose weight. Calories In, Calories Out Having a calorie deficit means that you're burning more calories than you are eating or drinking, and it takes into account all the calories you've burned, whether you're sitting at your desk or pedaling away in a 45-minute Spin class. Once you've calculated your BMR, you'll know how many calories you should be burning or cutting from your diet. Many people find the most success in combining a diet with an exercise plan, but be sure to eat at least 1,200 calories a day; anything less can be unhealthy and can actually slow your metabolism. And remember that it takes about a 3,500-calorie deficit to lose a pound, so you'll start to see that result on the scale once your calorie deficit adds up if you exercise regularly and cut calories out of your normal diet. Here are some healthy ways to cut calories from your day: Track it: You can't know how many calories you're eating unless you know what's in your food. Fat is the most energy-dense macronutrient, clocking in at nine calories per gram, while each gram of protein and carbohydrates contain four calories each. If you want to lose weight, chances are you'll have the most success if you keep track of the calories you consume. It's all too easy to convince yourself that a little bite of something won't hurt too much, or that your two glasses of wine at dinner aren't really contributing to your bottom line. But once you start tracking the calories you eat (with an online tracking system or a food journal), you'll be more conscious of what you're actually eating. Pay attention: Be sure to check serving sizes; a recent study found that most people don't even glance at a nutrition label, even when they thought they did. And often times the only thing they look at is calorie counts, which are often misleading since a serving size may be smaller than you think. So before you happily consume a bag of chips thinking that you're keeping your snack calories under a certain amount, make sure that you're keeping in mind the actual portion sizes according to the label. When cooking, become familiar with how servings sizes should look; here's a guide on recommended serving sizes. Shave a few: Calorie-counting isn't for everyone. If you're trying to create a calorie deficit, try shaving a few calories from each meal by just making a few healthier choices. You'll barely notice that you made the lower-calorie choice, and you'll be saving hundreds of calories from your meals. Here are some tips on how to save 100 calories at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. by Leta Shy

Weighing scale

Weighing scales is a measuring instrument for determining the weight or mass of an object. Weighing scales are used in many industrial and commercial applications, and products from feathers to loaded tractor-trailers are sold by weight. Specialized medical scales and bathroom scales are used to measure the body weight of human beings. The name scales derives from the pair of scales or dishes in which objects to be weighed and the weights / masses against which to weigh them are placed. The Oxford English Dictionary defines scales as "Apparatus for weighing. The pan, or each of the pans, of a balance."Spring balances or spring scales measure force or weight by balancing the force due to gravity against the force on a spring, whereas a balance or pair of scales using a balance beam compares masses by balancing the force of gravity (weight) due to the mass of an object against the force due to gravity (weight) of a known mass.

Either type of balance or scales can be calibrated to read in units of force (weight) such as Newtons, or in units of mass such as kilograms, but the balance or pair of scales using a traditional balance beam to compare masses will read correctly for mass even if moved to a place with a different (non-zero) gravitational field strength (but would then not read correctly if calibrated in units of force), while the spring balance would read correctly in force in a different gravitational feld strength (but would nor read correctly if calibrated in units of mass).