The fundamental law of energy balance

My yesterdays post brings us to the law of energy balance; the granddaddy of all nutritional laws,
and the first fundamental you must understand and obey if you want to get super fit.

The law of energy balance establishes, that when you burn more calories than you consume, then
your body must use the stored fat for fuel to make up for the calorie deficit and you will lose fat.
And of course, the reverse is also true: If you consume more calories than you burn each day, you
will store the extra nutrients and gain fat (or when weight training, gain muscle).


The first natural outcome of the law of energy balance


There are two natural outcomes with the law of energy balance. The first outcome is that
too much of any food – even so-called “healthy” foods – will be stored as body fat. If you
consume more calories than you are burning each day, it doesn’t matter what you eat; you
will gain weight, usually in the form of body fat. When the calorie surplus is beyond what you
need for muscle growth, then all those extra calories will be converted into body fat.

There’s no such diet where you can “eat all you want” and lose weight and body fat by simply
eating one particular food, one food group or a special combination of foods – this is physiologically impossible. It’s also not wise to eat excessive amounts of calories (or protein) thinking that you’ll
gain more muscle that way. No diet program has any "metabolic advantage” that can override the
law of energy balance, no matter what combination of foods it prescribes.



The first natural outcome of the law of calorie balance

Too much of ANYTHING will get stored as fat - 
yes, even healthy foods.


The second natural outcome of the law of energy balance


The second outcome of the law of energy balance establishes, that if you are eating fewer calories
than you are burning each day (you’re in a calorie deficit), then even if you eat junk food, you won’t
store it as body fat.

But this should NOT be interpreted as a recommendation or a free license to eat anything you want
in small quantities because you can “get away with it.” Obviously calorie quality is also very important. However, knowledge of this allows you to relax your diet and enjoy some “cheat” foods from time to
time without feeling guilty about it, as long as you do it in moderation. In other words, you can have
your cake, and eat it too. But just don't eat the whole thing!




Outcome two of the law of calorie balance

Small amounts of anything - even junk food - will 
probably not get stored as fat if you are eating fewer 
calories than you burn up.


Pay attention to portion size and never stuff yourself at 
one sitting


The law of energy balance is the major law of fat loss you need to understand and follow if you
want to get lean. This law and its two outcomes override all other nutritional laws. I've seen many
people do almost everything right: they work out, choose the right foods and eat frequently. Yet
they're missing the most obvious factor of all: they simply eat too much calories!

Sometimes the only mistake keeping people from reaching their goals is failure to pay attention to
portion sizes they eat. Not every overweight person is an overeater. Some people hardly eat at all
and they still can’t lose weight, because of their bodytype. However, it's still the number one cause
why people are overweight, even though that might be the ONLY thing they’re doing wrong. Fat loss requires the discipline and willpower to control your portion sizes at all times.


The good rule to follow is to never stuff yourself in one sitting. Instead, always spread your calories throughout the day in smaller, more frequent meals. The benefits of small and frequent meals will be discussed in my later posts, but one of the major benefits is body fat reduction through portion control.



How to find out your caloric needs


Once you understand the importance and essence of calories, you’re ready to figure out how
many you actually need. The first step in designing your personal fat loss plan is to count the
total number of calories you are burning every day. This is known as your total daily energy
expenditure (TDEE). It's also known as your "maintenance level," because this is the level
where your calorie deposits are equal to your calorie withdrawals, as established on my
previous post.
.
TDEE is the total number of calories your body burns during 24 hours, including metabolic  rate
and all activities you do. Once you know your maintenance level, you will have a reference point
from which to start your plan.


Some typical calorie averages


Before I tell you how to calculate your own caloric needs, it is helpful to know the average
person’s calorie requirements. According to exercise physiologists, the average maintenance
level for women in the USA is 2000-2100 calories per day and the average for men is
2700-2900 per day.

Of course, these numbers are only averages. Actual caloric needs may vary widely and are much
higher for athletes or extremely active people. Some triathletes and cyclists for example may require
as many as 8000 calories per day just to maintain their weight! Endurance cyclists often eat energy
bars and high calorie carbohydrate drinks on the saddle, just to keep from losing weight every hour!

Calorie requirements can also vary among people with the same activity levels because of
differences in genetic metabolic rates.



Typical calorie averages for men and women:

For maintaining weight (TDEE):

Men (average): 2700-2900
Women (average): 2000-2100

For losing weight:

Men (average): 2200-2700
Women (average): 1400-1800

For gaining weight:

Men (average): 3200-4000+
Women (average): 2200-2500+


That's all for today, but tomorrow I'll tell you which 6 factors can affect your daily caloric needs, and an
simple way to roughly determine your calorie needs during the day!