Why you may not be losing weight

Energy Expenditure vs Energy intake OR calories in vs calories out

Have you tried every fad diet there is? Low carb, low fat, juice ‘cleanse’, intermittent fasting etc? Nothing seems to be working? There is a relatively simple explanation as to why this might be.

Ever heard of energy in vs energy out? (in more scientific terms: expenditure vs intake). This is one of the equations to focus on when your goal is to loose weight. Why? Because it helps us to understand how much energy your are burning (expenditure/out) verses how much energy you are putting in (food intake). Another equation to note is that of including all aspects of expenditure aka ‘calories out’.

TDEE (total daily energy expenditure)= BMR + NEAT + TEF + EAT

Broken down TDEE %:

BMR= Basal Metabolic Rate - 70%

NEAT= Non-exercise activity thermogenesis – 15%

TEF= Thermic effect of Feeding – 10%

EAT= Exercise Activity Thermogenesis – 10%

Put simply, if you are eating the same amount of energy that you are expending, you will not loose weight but maintain. E.g:

Let’s say Sally is trying to lose 3kg. Sally eats 1600 calories every day, 3 meals with a few snacks, she goes to the gym 6x per week for 1 hour. However, Sally sits down at her desk job for majority of her day, which means she is sedentary and is not using much energy during the day until she goes to the gym. Sally is expending (total, including her TDEE) 1600. Which means: calories in 1600 - calories out @1600 =0.

Now, let’s say Sally decides to reduce her intake and increase her hours spent at the gym. Sally is now consuming 1400 calories and expending 1700 calories. Sally’s calories in 1400 – 1700 calories puts Sally in a 300 calorie deficit. Depending on her BMR will determine the time it takes for her to reach her total loss of 3kgs. However, THIS WILL OCCUR over a period of time if Sally stays in her deficit caloric intake.

When manipulating your body/weight to reach goals, whether this is fat loss, muscle gain or maintenance, you will need to be in either an energy deficit, surplus or at maintenance. The method to achieve your specific goal is determined by YOU, not every second Instagram influence you follow. They may have you believing that low carb (keto), fasting, etc, is the answer, however, it is not the choice of method you choose to follow, but the principal of energy balance itself. Energy balance is complex, it takes hard work and patience to understand it in terms of your body, lifestyle, activity level etc. Once you find/determine your ‘balance’/maintenance, you will have the control to either maintain, decrease or increase your intake in conjunction with your personal goals.

This is why GMD offer meals in categories that make it easier for you to choose from depending on your personal goals. E.g. ‘muscle gain’, ‘weight loss’ etc. Be sure to use these tabs to your advantage the next time you are purchasing your meals so you know you are eating within your realm of targets!

Bec B