Energy in versus energy out
It feels like the summer is finally on its way leading to thoughts of holidays and perhaps spending a little less time in the west coast duffle coat.
This can lead to a spike in gym attendance or the adoption of new diets in a bid to shed a few pounds before hitting the beach.
For years we have been encouraged to follow an “energy in” versus “energy out” equation but perhaps this approach is a little too simplistic when it comes to weight loss and some other assumptions could also be complicating our efforts.
Let’s start with “energy in” which you would think is easy to track but basic food labels can have a margin of error of up to 20 per cent and this tends to be on the high side.
Energy out can be much more complicated.
Firstly, we have your basic metabolic rate (BMR) which is what you would burn at rest just by maintaining the body’s basic operations such as brain function, heart rate, digestion and breathing.
Your total energy expenditure includes your BMR plus the energy you burn from physical activity, your NEAT and the thermogenic effect of your food.
Physical activity includes any form of conscious movement like attending the gym, having a walk or gardening.
Your NEAT or non-exercise activity thermogenesis relates to spontaneous activity done without thought.
We all know someone who fidgets or who taps their feet with monotonous regularity, and it turns out that these folk can burn a considerable amount of additional calories every day through unplanned and spontaneous movement.
The thermic effect of food (TEF) relates to the energy it requires to extract the calories from your food.
In the same way that we can’t just put petrol in our car and expect to move without the need for a battery, we can’t just eat food and hope it appears in our cells as fuel.
This could be around 10 per cent of what we consume overall. The TEF of fat is around three per cent, five to 10 per cent for carbohydrate depending on fibre content, and 20 to 30 per cent for protein.
Therefore, there is quite a lot at play when it comes to assessing calories in and energy out.
Add to that the gross inaccuracies in calorie count on wearable fitness trackers or gym equipment and we begin to see how difficult it may be to accurately estimate our daily expenditure and consume a net deficit to encourage weight loss.
What about a simple way to assess our progress?
Most of us will now have a set of digital scales so place them on a hard floor preferably in the bathroom and leave them in the same place.
Weighing yourself randomly can lower motivation as the human body can vary considerably in terms of total body weight from one day to the next depending on fluid levels for example.
However, if we weigh ourselves naked (hence the bathroom is a good choice for scales) every morning (after using the toilet) and take an average weight over the week we can compare weekly averages over time.
This will inform you if your current weight loss strategy is working or whether it needs a tweak or a complete rethink.
Just a final note that if you suffer with an eating disorder or have a difficult relationship with food you should talk to your GP or dietician about the best way to track your weight as daily weigh-ins are not likely to be helpful.
If you could benefit from some advice on how to manage bodyweight effectively why not self-refer to Healthy Options Thrive by visiting www.lornhealthyoptions.co.uk.