Daily energy expenditure

Synopsis

• Three main reasons for being overweight
• Basic methods for calculating daily energy consumption
• Method of calculation recommended by the Ministry of Health

Three main reasons for being overweight

The energy balance of the body, numerically presented for the choice of diets, determines the difference between the expenditure of the body’s energy for daily activities and the energy received from food. When these indicators are equal, the energy balance becomes balanced and body weight stabilizes at the same level – that is, you do not lose weight and do not gain weight. This energy balance must take place after the recommended diet, otherwise weight gain is inevitable.

The reasons for the imbalance in the energy balance (at the same time are the reasons for overweight):

• Excess energy intake from food (this is the most common cause of weight gain).
• Insufficient physical activity – both professional and social (in most cases, physical activity is normal, but the exception may be elderly people, for example, with no professional activity).
• Hormonal metabolic disorders (can be caused by various reasons, such as diseases – in particular the thyroid gland; pregnancy and the postpartum period – the female body creates reserves not only for itself, but also for the child; or the usual intake of hormonal drugs).

Basic methods for calculating daily energy consumption

In modern dietetics, several methods are used to estimate the average daily energy expenditure:

1. Assessment according to tables of professional activity – gives an extremely approximate assessment, because nor does it reflect the characteristics of the basic metabolism, which differ significantly (more than 2 times) from weight, age, gender and other characteristics of the human body.
2. Estimation according to tables of energy consumption for various activities (for example, a sleeping person spends 50 Kcal per hour) – also does not take into account the characteristics of the basal metabolic rate.
3. Combined with the two previous ones based on the coefficients of physical activity (CFA) relative to the basal metabolism – in the second option, the accuracy of the calculation is very high, but it is extremely difficult due to the need to assess average values ​​of daily energy consumption – and the differences between weekdays and weekends will be significant.

Method of calculation recommended by the Ministry of Health

The assessment is carried out on the basis of calculating the value of the basal metabolic rate and the group of energy costs due to professional activity in time. Basic metabolism is determined according to tables with an upper limit of body weight of 80 kg for women, which is clearly not enough in a number of cases – in the calculator for the selection of diets, more accurate formulas for the body’s energy losses are used for this according to several calculation schemes – which makes it possible to assess the range and direction of possible deviations …

In the same way, social activity and rest are assessed in terms of coefficients relative to the basal metabolic rate, which makes it possible to estimate with high accuracy the average daily energy consumption over a long period of time (taking into account significantly different indicators on workdays and weekends).

The most accurate estimate of the average daily energy expenditure makes it possible to choose the safest weight loss regimen for a predetermined time. And the rate of weight loss determines the necessary negative energy balance, according to the value of which you can make a choice of diets or nutrition systems for losing weight.