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What is Energy Balance and How to Calculate Your Daily Energy Needs

Master energy balance to manage your weight effectively. Learn to calculate your daily energy needs for a healthier lifestyle.
what-is-energy-balance-and-how-to-calculate-your-daily-energy-needs
Maintaining a healthy body weight and overall well-being is closely tied to the concept of energy balance. We all have some set of energy requirements necessary to carry out various physical activities and maintain our body weight, muscle size, or overall body composition.
Energy requirements can vary across age groups, genders, and geographic regions. However, the fundamental principle of food intake remains consistent: ensuring that everyone meets their daily energy needs to support a healthy lifestyle.
For example, children and teenagers have higher energy needs due to growth and development, while older adults may require fewer calories but still need adequate nutrition to support healthy aging. Additionally, males typically have higher calorie needs compared to females, largely due to differences in body composition and metabolic rate. Geographical populations may also have unique dietary habits and energy needs influenced by cultural, environmental, and socioeconomic factors.

4 Steps to Understand Our Body's Energy Cycle

The process by which our bodies acquire and utilize energy is truly fascinating. It begins with the food we consume, serving as the fuel that not only powers our daily activities but also sustains the vital functions necessary for our survival. In essence, our bodies operate as an ongoing energy engine, continuously fueled by the nutrients we ingest. Let’s take a closer look at how this energy cycle works and keeps us going day after day.
1. Energy Intake
We acquire energy by consuming food and beverages. These items contain essential nutrients such as carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, which are the primary sources of energy.
2. Energy Conversion
Following digestion and absorption, our body transforms these nutrients into usable forms – glucose, amino acids, and fatty acids. These substances enter our cells and undergo metabolic processes to produce energy.
3. Energy Utilization
The energy generated powers various cellular functions and physical activities. Any surplus energy not immediately used is stored for future requirements. The balance between energy intake and expenditure plays a crucial role in influencing our overall health and body weight.
4. Energy Storage
Excess energy is stored as adipose tissue (body fat). This stored energy serves as a reserve and can be mobilized and converted back into energy when needed.

What Is Energy Balance?

Energy balance refers to the equilibrium between the energy you consume through food or beverages and the energy your body expends through various activities and bodily functions. In simpler terms, it’s the delicate balance between calories in and calories out. Understanding energy balance is essential for managing your weight and overall health.
Energy balance is achieved when,

Input (i.e. dietary energy intake) = output (i.e. total energy expenditure)

What is Negative and Positive Energy Balance?

Negative Energy Balance
This occurs when you consume fewer calories than your body requires. In other words, you are in a calorie deficit. This state typically leads to weight loss as your body taps into its fat reserves for energy.
Positive Energy Balance
On the contrary, a positive energy balance arises when you consume more calories than your body needs. This surplus of calories can result in weight gain, as the excess energy is stored in the form of fat.

How do we use energy?

Keeping the Basics Running
A significant portion of the energy we consume goes into maintaining essential bodily functions, this includes functions like keeping our cells working, regulating hormones, maintaining body temperature, and ensuring our heart and lungs operate smoothly.
Dealing with Food
When we eat, our body expends energy to process the food. This includes breaking down and absorbing nutrients, which raises our heat production and oxygen consumption. This process accounts for nearly 10% of our daily energy expenditure.
Physical Daily Life
Physical activity like exercising plays a big role in our energy use, also other activities that require physical strength like household chores and other everyday tasks go unnoticed. Everyday activities, like going about our routine, contribute to our energy expenditure.
Growing
When we’re in the growth phase, like infancy and adolescence, our body uses some energy to build and maintain growing tissues. Similarly, energy is required to grow muscle mass in youth and preserve muscle mass in older ages too.
Special Times
Pregnancy requires extra energy to support the growth of the baby and changes in the mother’s body. Lactation, or breastfeeding, also uses additional energy for milk production and other processes.
Extra Enjoyment
Engaging in activities for fun, socializing, and personal enjoyment, such as hobbies and recreational pursuits, is another way we use energy.

How to Calculate Your Daily Energy Needs

To calculate your daily energy needs, you can use the Harris-Benedict equation or the Mifflin-St Jeor equation. Both equations estimate your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), which represents the number of calories your body needs at rest to maintain basic bodily functions such as breathing and circulation. Once you have your BMR, you can adjust it based on your activity level to determine your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE).
Here’s how to do it:
1. Calculate your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)
For men: BMR = 10 x weight (kg) + 6.25 x height (cm) – 5 x age (years) + 5
For women: BMR = 10 x weight (kg) + 6.25 x height (cm) – 5 x age (years) – 161
2. Adjust your BMR based on your activity level
Sedentary (little or no exercise): BMR x 1.2
Lightly active (light exercise or sports 1-3 days a week): BMR x 1.375
Moderately active (moderate exercise or sports 3-5 days a week): BMR x 1.55
Active (hard exercise or sports 6-7 days a week): BMR x 1.725
Very active (very hard exercise or a physically demanding job): BMR x 1.9
3. Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE)
This adjusted number represents your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE), which is an estimate of how many calories you need per day to maintain your current weight. To lose weight aim for a calorie intake below this estimate, and to gain weight, aim for an intake above it.

Example

Let’s assume the person is a 30-year-old woman who is 150 pounds and 65 inches tall.
Calculate BMR
BMR = 655 + (4.35 * weight in pounds) + (4.7 * height in inches) – (4.7 * age in years)
BMR = 655 + (4.35 * 150) + (4.7 * 65) – (4.7 * 30)
BMR ≈ 655 + 652.5 + 305.5 – 141 = 1472 calories
Adjust for activity level
Sedentary: BMR * 1.2 = 1472 * 1.2 = 1766.4 calories
Lightly active: BMR * 1.375 = 1472 * 1.375 = 2024 calories
Moderately active: BMR * 1.55 = 1472 * 1.55 = 2281.6 calories
Active: BMR * 1.725 = 1472 * 1.725 = 2538 calories
Very active: BMR * 1.9 = 1472 * 1.9 = 2796.8 calories

Takeaway

Understanding your daily energy needs is the first step in managing your weight. Whether it’s weight maintenance, loss, or gain, keeping an eye on your energy input and output is a powerful tool for achieving a balanced and healthy lifestyle.

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