The majority of us are aware of or at least have heard of the energy in – energy out equation required for weight maintenance and weight loss. But how many of us know what our individual energy requirements are or how many calories you need a day? Often you will hear that women should be having 2000kcal per day and men 2500kcal per day. However this is a very general prediction and can lead to people over or under consuming their daily requirements.
Energy in – Energy out Balance
Energy requirements will vary from person to person depending on their age, gender, weight, height and activity levels. ‘Energy in’ comes from our daily intake of food and drink while ‘energy out’ refers to activities carried out during the day. If you don’t get this balance right you will experience gradual weight gain. It is simple enough to exceed your daily energy requirement, especially if you don’t know what your ‘energy in’ should be. For example eating an addition 50 – 100kcal a day (1 biscuit) can lead to significant weight gain over a year.
It is important to know how many calories you should be consuming every day so that you can ensure your energy in/energy out balance is restored and you can maintain your healthy weight. As well as this it is important to know where these calories should be coming from. Many people are unaware of their nutritional requirements and often exceed their recommended intake of fats and carbohydrates.
If you are trying to lose weight you need to create a deficit or alternatively if you are trying to gain weight you need to create a surplus in this balance. Nowadays there are so many conflicting messages that sometimes it is difficult to know which approach to take to achieve the perfect balance.
Professional Help
Our dietitians have specific equations that they use with patients to work out the recommended calorie intake (depending on what the patient’s goal is) specific to the individual. For an accurate and tailored calculation of what your daily needs are book a consultation with one of our dietitians who can help to guide you on the right path with simple tips and meal plans.
