Our body weight is determined by the amount of energy that we take in
as food and the amount of energy we expend in the activities of our
day. Energy is measured in calories. If your weight
remains constant, you are probably taking in the same amount of calories
that you burn each day. If you're slowly gaining weight over
time, it is likely that your caloric intake is greater than the number
of calories you burn through your daily activities.
Everyone is in control of the amount of food he or she consumes each day, so our intake of calories is something we can control. To a major degree, we can also control our output of energy, or the number of calories we burn each day. The number of calories we burn each day is dependent upon
Everyone is in control of the amount of food he or she consumes each day, so our intake of calories is something we can control. To a major degree, we can also control our output of energy, or the number of calories we burn each day. The number of calories we burn each day is dependent upon
- our basal metabolic rate (BMR), the number of calories we burn per hour simply by being alive and maintaining body functions
- and our level of physical activity.
