WEIGHT LOSS ADVISER- free facts on diet programs, fat and obesity

The Body Weight, Fat and Obesity Universe sits on the Body Energy Equation

The weight loss, fat and obesity universe is much more than the Atkins' Diet or other diet programs. All answers to problems are associated to how energy (represented by calories) is managed - voluntarily and involuntarily. They are based on the Body Energy Equation, which we use to link to authoritative weight loss information, ideas and research. There is no cut-and-dry answer for everyone but there is something here for everyone searching for answers to the subject of weight loss and obesity.

What is the Energy (or Calorie) Equation?
The energy equation expresses how the body balances energy intake and usage.

The energy equation is:
Change in stored energy = energy intake minus energy usage

Therefore, in the context of weight control:

If energy intake equals energy usage, there will be no change in stored energy (body weight) and thus no change in weight.

If energy intake exceeds energy usage, there will be an increase in stored energy (body weight), resulting in weight gain.

If energy intake is less than energy usage, there will be a decrease in stored energy (body weight), resulting in weight loss.

Relevance of the First Law of Thermodynamics: The first law of thermodynamics "The conservation of energy" states that energy can be neither be created or destroyed. Mass and energy may be converted one to the other.

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Calories Count: Balancing The Energy Equation

At last count, nearly two of three (64.5%) Americans were classified as overweight or obese. With this number climbing upward at an alarming rate, there has been much speculation as to the cause of America's weight problem. Some popular diet books are especially vocal about naming carbohydrates as the culprit. A few years back, the villain was dietary fat.

Somewhere along the line concern about calories took a back seat. That's too bad, because the fact is that you gain weight when you eat more calories than you burn. Period. "Obesity is a disease of excess—excess calories and excess sedentary activities," says registered dietitian Keith Ayoob, associate professor of pediatrics at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York. "The cure is to balance calories in with calories out."

Likewise, weight loss doesn't depend on whether calories come from carbohydrates, protein or fat. To lose a pound, you must create a 3,500-calorie deficit by consuming fewer calories, burning more calories through physical activity, or a combination of both.

This formula is simple in theory, but difficult for many people to put into practice. Food intakes, activity behaviors and environmental factors all play a significant role in tipping the balance toward weight gain. For instance, research shows that for a number of foods, portion sizes have increased along with the amounts Americans eat. Our enthusiasm for a labor-saving lifestyle contributes to the fact that only about one in four adults gets even the minimum recommended amount of daily physical activity.

Fortunately, the calorie equation can be balanced with increased attention to both food and physical activity habits. Experts offer this advice:

• Keep a record of food intake to raise eating awareness. "We're surrounded by tempting foods and often don't realize how much we're eating," says registered dietitian and American Council on Exercise-certified personal trainer Cathy Leman of Glen Ellyn, Illinois. "I ask my clients to keep a written log of what they eat and it's a real eye-opener. They're amazed when they see how many calories they're getting from seemingly innocent habits like nibbling food samples at the grocery store."
• Change food habits. Cutting calories does not mean a life sentence of food scales and measuring cups, as some people fear. Ayoob recommends that overweight patients gradually start trimming food portions by, for instance, filling their plates a little less or skipping second helpings. "The weight starts to come off when people change their eating habits, not by weighing and measuring everything or counting every calorie," he says.
• Find the right macronutrient mix. Although a calorie deficit is necessary for weight loss, choosing the right proportions of carbohydrates, protein and fat in the diet can have a positive impact. "Many women I counsel take the 'low fat' message to extremes," says Leman. "They're hungry all the time because they don't eat enough protein and fat for satiety. By evening, they're ravenous and eating is out of control." For each client, Leman seeks the macronutrient balance that provides enough energy and satisfaction. The 2002 National Academy of Sciences' Food and Nutrition Board report, Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrates, Fiber, Fat, Protein, and Amino Acids (Macronutrients) recommends a flexible approach in which adults obtain 45 to 65 percent of their total daily calories from carbohydrates, 20 to 35 percent from fat, and 10 to 35 percent from protein.
• Crank up calorie-burning physical activity. In addition to keeping a food log, Leman asks clients to keep a physical activity log. She finds that people usually overestimate their amount of physical activity, but few actually get enough. When someone has been inactive, Leman recommends starting with just a few minutes of daily physical activity, such as walking, and building up from there. For more seasoned exercisers, she recommends increasing their frequency or intensity by 50 percent. "People clearly benefit in terms of calorie burning when they go from two days to three days of exercise each week, or increase their workout time from 30 minutes to 45 minutes."
  

Source: Food Insight, March/April 2003

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It's Not the Diet Program - Special Diet Programs Don't Mean More Weight Loss - It's the Calories

A study of 80 overweight or obese people showed that they all lost the same amount of weight regardless of whether they were on an extra low-fat diet or one targeted at the so-called glycemic index, which aim to cut foods that affect insulin.

"Despite all the controversy about diet ... a calorie is a calorie is a calorie," said Dr. Ernst Schaefer of Tufts University in Boston, who led the study.

"No matter how you lose weight, you lose the same amount of weight," added Dr. Robert Eckel of the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center and president-elect of the American Heart Association.

Read more on proclamations that it's the calories that count.

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Control the Calories - With Fruits and Vegetables, More Can Be Less

"Calories count, no matter what you read in the press. The laws of thermodynamics have not been reversed."

With respect to weight gain and loss, the laws of thermodynamics can be translated as: Calories consumed must be used or they will be stored as body fat. The body does not waste energy, no matter what its source. When people are placed on carefully controlled calorie-restricted diets, the amount of fat in the diet - whether 25 percent or 45 percent of calories - has little effect on weight loss, Dr. Rolls reported.

People who claim that they can eat as much as they want (of protein and fat, for example) and lose weight as long as they avoid certain kinds of foods (carbohydrates, for example) are really eating less (that is, fewer calories) than they did before.

Read more about statements on calorie intake and the law of thermodynamics.

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