Compare your average total daily caloric intake with the guidelines for total calories and describe your status.
The average total daily caloric intake is very different for every individual. Some of the factors that have to be considered when calculating this are age, size, sex, height, overall general health, and an individual’s lifestyle. According to my report data, my recommended total calories intake should be 1750 kilocalories. However, my average total daily caloric intake is 1556.38 kilocalories. This means that I consumed fewer calories than I was supposed to. Consuming fewer calories than the body requires is very risky and can lead to severe health conditions. It may lead to extreme levels of fatigue and anemia. Also, it will be an uphill task for my body to get the required nutrients when I eat fewer calories than recommended. However, considering that I am leading a sedentary lifestyle, I am recommended to eat at least 500 fewer calories than active people.
Based on your total daily caloric status, what could happen with your weight over time if you continue with this average total caloric intake?
Because I am eating fewer calories than recommended, if I continue with this routine over time, I may end up being malnourished and skinny. This usually happens when the body doesn’t get enough nutrients. Although maintaining a healthy weight is a goal of every individual, many people fail to achieve this when they consume many calories but do not burn them through physical activities. Alternatively, with my inactive lifestyle, eating too few calories may slow down my metabolism, which in return will make me overweight. Being inactive can reduce the number of calories supposed to be burned during the day.
What would you do to prevent the above from happening? Provide at least two specific strategies related to the energy “IN” aspect of the energy balance equation
To prevent the above situation from happening or becoming worse, I should employ some specific solutions to end the problem. The energy balance equation shows the connection between the amount of energy consumed and the energy that is burned, measured in calories. To maintain a healthy weight, I have to balance between energy in and energy out. If my body uses too much energy out and too little in, I may become underweight. Also, if the energy expended exceeds the energy consumed, I will be overweight.
One of the strategies that I will use to prevent my situation from happening will start exercising every morning for at least 30 minutes. Moderately intense activities will boost my metabolism by building muscles and controlling my weight. Also, on the days that I will be exercising, I will eat more calories than when I will be inactive. This will help compensate for the energy that has been expended while working out. I feel this will be a perfect strategy to help me maintain my weight. Secondly, since the number of calories I consume in a day is 1556.38kcal and the calories burned are 1377.106kcal, it means that I have a positive energy balance of 179.274kcal. In this case, I will gain weight. I will need a negative energy balance (Martins et al., 2020). I will have to adjust to my daily diet to decrease my caloric intake. I will have to eliminate high-calorie snacks and drinks to achieve my goal.
What are the three components of energy expenditure?
Energy expenditure is the process through which the amount of energy a person uses to maintain respiration, circulation, and digestion through physical activities. Energy Expenditure (EE) comprises of three components, namely, resting metabolic rate (RMR), activity-induced energy expenditure (AEE), and Diet-Induced Thermogenesis (DIT). Resting metabolic rate refers to the number of calories burned when the body is in a complete rest (Soares & Muller, 2018). Activity-induced energy expenditure is determined by an individual’s body size and body movement.
To improve my energy expenditure in the diet-induced thermogenesis component, I need to add plenty of proteins to my diet. This is because the body needs a lot of calories and energy to digest, absorb, and process nutrients. Eating a lot of proteins will increase my metabolism rate to burn more calories. While at rest, the metabolic process slows down and the calories burned down are stored in the form of saturated fats. To break down these saturated fats, intense physical activities are compulsory (McDonough et al., 2018).