Calorie Intake and Energy Expenditure — EXPLAINED

Actually, calories aren’t all that bad. You get the energy your body needs from calories. Foods that contain more calories can give your body more energy. But if you consume more calories than you need, your body will turn them into body fat. That’s when the threat of gaining weight befalls. 

Health issues will eventually result from calorie intake that is either too low or too high. Accordingly, it’s important to be mindful of your calorie consumption.

Calorie Intake

A calorie is a unit of energy. It is a measurement of the amount of energy your body could obtain from consuming certain food or beverage. Age, height, metabolism, and levels of physical activity are just a few factors that affect the recommended daily calorie intake.

It is worth noting that your food choices may also affect your calorie consumption. Compared to eating unprocessed foods, eating processed foods seems to encourage people to consume more calories, according to a 2019 study published in Cell Metabolism.

Focusing on diet quality is essential for this reason. Focus on choosing whole, unprocessed foods when making your meal plans, such as lean meats, whole grains, and a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables.

Energy Expenditure 

The amount of calories one burns each day is known as total energy expenditure or TEE. Knowing this amount is crucial because it provides a benchmark upon which to compare current consumption and allows for any necessary adjustments according to goals. The body needs energy for everything it does.

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There are three primary bodily functions that burn calories during energy expenditure:

1. Basic metabolism – accounts for 60% to 70% of total energy expenditure. It is the usage of calories as your body performs basic life-sustaining functions.
2. Digestion – requires roughly 10–15% of the calories you consume. During digestion, TEF takes place. The thermic effect of food (TEF) is the rise in metabolic rate — the pace at which your body burns calories or energy — that happens after you eat. It’s interesting to note that not all foods are created equal, and some have a larger thermic effect than others, which can support a healthy metabolism.
3. Physical activity – the extra calories you consume from food are intended to fuel your physical activity, such as workouts and regular activities like walking and reading.

Your weight will hold steady when the amount of calories you consume from food balances out with the number of calories you expend during metabolism, digestion, and physical activity.

Calories in, calories out is a relationship

Less energy expenditure than calorie intake results in the storage of energy primarily as body fat. However, energy balance is negative and causes weight loss when energy expenditure surpasses energy intake. No matter what the body weight is — above normal, normal, or below normal — equilibrium occurs when intake and expenditure are equal. 

A healthy weight comes from having an optimal relationship between calorie intake and energy expenditure.