How Weight Loss Works
As to methods, there may be a million and then some, but principles are few. The man who grasps principles can successfully select his own methods. The man who tries methods, ignoring principles, is sure to have trouble.”
— Ralph Waldo Emerson
This quote may as well have been written about the fitness / diet industry.
Many people that want to lose weight, don’t understand how. Many who have successfully lost weight, don’t understand how they did it. There are many methods by which to lose weight, any number of them can work, but the problem, and the ring a round, and the yo-yoing stems largely from a lack of understanding of the principles that govern weight loss.
The purpose of this article is to provide education around the principle of energy balance that governs weight management so that you are better positioned to sift through BS online, choose a method of weight loss that is most suitable for you and understand how to maintain your weight at the end of it all.
The Principle of Energy Balance.
It is the relationship between our energy intake and energy output that dictates whether we lose, gain or maintain our weight. In other words, any change we see in our weight is a function of calories in versus calories out. Whether or not you actually count your calorie intake or expenditure is irrelevant; they are always at play. [Note: calories are not inherently good or bad. They a unit of measuring energy, in the same way that a metre is a unit of measuring distance].
So, when we experience:
Weight loss, energy out is greater than energy in. This state is called a “caloric deficit.”
Weight maintenance, energy in is equal to energy out. This state is called “caloric maintenance.”
Weight gain, energy in is greater than energy out. This state is called a “caloric surplus.”
Therefore , to lose weight, we can either increase energy out and / or decrease energy in.
What makes up our “energy in”?
The calories absorbed from the food and beverages we eat / drink. The food we consume contains macronutrients: carbohydrates, fat, protein and sometimes, alcohol. Each of these macronutrients yield calories.
Carbohydrates: 1 gram of carbohydrates yields 4 calories
Protein: 1 gram of protein yields 4 calories
Fat: 1 gram of fat yields 9 calories
Alcohol: 1 gram of alcohol yields 7 calories
For example, this Vegan Cornetto I had last night contained:
26g of carbohydrates
8.4g of fat
1.1g of protein
0g of alcohol :(
24g of carbohydrates x 4 calories per gram = 96 calories
8g of fat x 9 calories per gram = 72 calories
1g of protein x 4 calories per gram = 4 calories
96 calories + 72 calories + 4 calories = 172 calories in my Vegan Cornetto
What makes up our “energy out”?
A couple of things actually. Our Total Daily Energy Expenditure [TDEE] is the total number of calories we burn in a day and is comprised of four components:
Resting Metabolic Rate [RMR]: the energy required by our body to sustain our vital organs. This accounts for ~70% of our TDEE.
Thermic Effect of Feeding [TEF]: the energy used to digest, store and metabolise the food we eat. This accounts for ~10% of our TDEE.
Physical Activity Level [PAL]: the energy burned during planned exercise, eg: a gym session or going for a run. This accounts for ~5% of our TDEE.
Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis [NEAT]: the energy used to perform any movements that is not planned exercise, eg: cleaning the house, mowing the lawn, performing your job. NEAT varies a lot between individuals, largely due to the nature of their work and how they spend their days. A tradie is likely to have a much greater NEAT than an office worker. NEAT can account for up to 15% of our TDEE, again depending on how active you are in your day to day life.
Any diet that has ever worked ever, has done so because it has reduced energy in and created a caloric deficit. It is not that any of the below methods are magical. They simply aim to use the principle of energy balance, to create a calorie deficit. So when you ask someone how they lost weight, and they tell you that intermittent fasting is the best thing ever and it changed their life — it was the principle that created the weight loss, and they happened to find a method that suited them.
Same goes with exercise. HIIT isn’t better than Crossfit which isn’t better than powerlifting which isn’t better than your bootcamp which isn’t better than Body Pump which isn’t better than going for a run around the block. Sure the energy expended by each of these activities may vary, but non are inherently “fat burning” unless you create a calorie deficit.
Whether or not you are successful in a weight loss attempt largely depends on your choosing a method that is coherent with your lifestyle and preferences. If someone told me to cut out carbs and go keto, or only eat meat and go carnivore, I’d tell them to go f*ck themselves. Instead, I personally prefer a flexible approach that gives me the freedom to eat the foods I enjoy in quantities that are conducive to my goals. I choose powerlifting and walking as my modes of exercise because I enjoy them. Because I enjoy them, I show up every day for training, and thereby keep my energy output high. I could go for a 20km run each day which would burn more calories than powerlifting, but I hate running so I’m not going to do that.
One of my roles as a coach is to help my team find approaches that suit them and guide them through the implementation and maintenance of that approach. This might mean running and working on changing behaviours that cause them to over eat . Or powerlifting and macro tracking. Or powerlifting and macro tracking with a higher % fat intake because the foods they enjoy eating are generally higher in fat. Again the method is only important in so far that it is enjoyable for you and you are able to sustain it long enough to achieve and maintain your goals.
Metabolism is a widely poorly understood. No we can’t increase our RMR, but we can consciously choose to modify our diet to decrease our energy intake and / or exercise or move more to expend more energy. These are the options available to you to manipulate your body weight. You are chasing your tail and wasting time, energy and emotions searching for an alternative [inb4 gastric banding which reduces your ability to eat food thereby producing a calorie deficit].
Energy balance is a universal law and there are no exceptions.
An understanding of the principles that govern weight loss is important, and acquiring such an understanding if weight loss is your goal, is a productive use of your time. Searching high and low for a quick fix is expensive in both time, effort and energy, not to mention highly emotionally draining when none of what you try works. Education is empowering — the better you know the underlying principles, the better you are positioned to make informed decisions that move you closer to where you want to be.
So in summary, here are the key points I want you to take away.
Energy balance is the principle that governs any weight loss or gain
Energy in > energy out = weight gain
Energy in = energy out = weight maintenance
Energy out > energy in = weight loss
Energy in: calories absorbed from the food and drinks we consume
Energy out: resting metabolic rate + thermic effect of food + physical activity + NEAT
No diet is inherently better than another. If a calorie deficit is created, any diet can work.
What matters is that you find something that suits your lifestyle and you can stick to for a reasonable length of time to produce results.
The same goes for exercise, rather than searching for the “greatest fat burning exercise ever”, just choose a mode of exercise that you enjoy and show up, 3-5 times per week.
Weight loss is simple but not easy. Simple in that the science that governs it is quite basic. Not easy in that food is delicious and we as the human race possess notoriously bad habits. [Spoiler alert: habits can be changed].
In my next blog, I plan to unpack the misconceptions around “survival mode” — when you are eating little but still not losing weight. Again, metabolism is very poorly understood, and causes a lot of grief for a lot of people. I want to help put an end do that.
If any of this has confused you, challenged your existing beliefs, raised additional questions or you want to learn more, please get in touch. I’m always up for a chat, and consultations are free of charge.
Stay safe friends,
Billie x