Energy Balance

We all put on weight (fat) when our energy intake (food) exceeds our metabolic needs. We lose weight when our energy intake is less than our bodies needs. So what are our metabolic needs?

Our body uses energy in two ways:

• We have our basal metabolic rate (BMR) which is essentiallly related to our muscle mass. Muscle mass decreases as we age and is one of the main causes of "middle age spread". Our BMR runs 24/7/365 so the more muscle you have the more energy you need simply to stay alive.
• On top of this we have our dynamic requirements. Digesting food, physical activity, growth, pregnancy and lactation all contribute. Those generous souls who choose to contribute blood to the blood bank also get a free 1/2 kg weight loss.

So to lose weight we need to take in less food energy than our body needs. When this happens our body taps into the supply of energy it has saved up for a rainy day (fat). The two main problems with this situation are:

• hunger and
• loss of muscle mass

When our body is faced with an energy crisis (not enough food) it digests not only our fat, but also our muscle. If by dieting we allow ourselves to lose muscle at the completion of the diet our BMR is lower, so if we eat the same quantity of food we were eating before the diet we will begin to put on weight again. How unfair is that?

This vicious cycle is why conventional diets simply don't work. But don't despair! There are things you can do that have consistently demonstrated results, and yes, we are getting to that soon.

Losing Weight Takes Time

It takes a long time to put on weight and the simple reality is that it will take time to get the weight off. This means any diet you can't stick to in the long term will not work, where "will not work" means you will lose some weight but won't be able to maintain the diet for long enough to reach your goal.

How much weight can you reasonably expect to lose? The answer is it depends but about 1% of your current weight per week is the ballpark - for most people this is about 0.5-1.5 kg a week. Yes you can lose more than this but it will be very hard to sustain, and time is your friend when it comes to weight loss. You will lose more weight when you first start so there is a bit of a silver lining here.

Ultra low calorie diets will cause rapid weight loss but they will also cause loss of muscle mass (BMR) as well as putting you at risk of a variety of illnesses related to not getting sufficient nutrients. You know what they say, if it sounds too good to be true.....

So now we have covered the basics click on weight loss secrets - common myths and let's continue the journey together.