Us humans, take in energy in the form of protein, carbohydrate, fat and alcohol and then we use this energy for bodily functions and requirements which is known as the Body’s Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), absorbing and metabolizing food consumed (Thermic Effect of Food – TEF) and for physical activity (Thermic Effect of Activity & Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis – TEA/ NEAT).

So what is energy balance?

Basically, it is the difference in the energy you input into your body (number of calories) and the energy output required for the activities listed above (BMR+TEF+TEA+NEAT).

Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) –

• Number of calories your body requires just at REST to keep it functioning correctly!
• Accounts for 60-70% of your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE).

Thermic Effect of Food (TEF) –

• The amount of extra energy required above BMR to digest and absorb nutrients after a meal
• Accounts for around 10% of your TDEE

Thermic Effect of Activity (TEA) –

• The amount of extra energy expended above BMR to perform physical activity
• Accounts for 15-30% of your TDEE

Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis –

• The amount of extra energy expended for everything we do that is not sleeping, eating or sports-like exercise
• The amount it accounts with TDEE can vary widely within populations (e.g. due to job, body size, genetic factors)

How many calories do we require?

It is often suggested that – a man requires around 2,500kcal a day to maintain his weight and a woman will require around 2,000kcal a day. However, kilocalorie requirement varies! This can be due to differences in many factors including: age, body size, height, weight, physical activity levels and health status.

So how do we calculate how many kilocalorie my body needs?

Indirect calorimetry is one of the most accurate methods utilised for calculating your body’s specific daily energy requirement, however requires expensive equipment.

Many estimate the body’s energy requirement from numerical calculations and formulas – the Harris-Benedict Equation and Mifflin-St Jeor equation are two examples often used to calculate your BMR and take into account your gender, height, weight, and age. The BMR generated from this equation then is multiplied by an activity factor to determine your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) and useful for health and body weight.

The need / or desire to lose, maintain, or gain weight will affect how many calories that they are consuming.

In order to lose weight: you must take in less energy than you utilise

In order to gain weight: you must take in more energy than you utilise

In order to maintain your weight: the amount of energy you take in must equal the amount of energy that you utilise.

Contact me today – for more information! I can calculate your kilocalorie requirement, and help you reach those weight loss or weight gain goals! OR even help you to manage your own weight!

The post Energy Balance appeared first on LA Nutrition.

The question is the ketogenic dieting method really superior for weight loss? Compared to any other method of dietingt? Many famous diets focus on restricting the amount of fats or carbohydrates that you consume – and sometimes both!

1. Kennedy et al. (2001) looked at a range of individuals diets (high carb-low fat / mod carb-mod fat / low carb-high fat etc.) utilising a food questionnaire and concluded

“Weight loss is not dependent on the composition of the diet.’’

‘’Energy restriction is the key variable related to weight loss in the short term.”

This basically is telling us that no matter which method you use to diet (high fat-low carb, high carb-low fat etc.), you must obey the energy balance equation. 

So if you’re taking in more energy (from food and drink) than you use = you’re going to put on weight!

ENERGY IN > ENERGY OUT = WEIGHT GAIN 

Therefore, if you take in less energy than your body requires you’re going to lose weight!
ENERGY IN < ENERGY OUT = WEIGHT LOSS

Taking in a similar amount of energy to what your body uses results in weight maintenance.

ENERGY IN = ENERGY OUT = WEIGHT MAINTENANCE

Further evidence, from a meta-analysis (an examination of a large amount of data) compared named weight loss diets within a population of obese adults. Utilising 6 – large electronic database to collect all the data, they focused on the body mass index (BMI) at 6 & 12 months of the individuals utilising the named weight loss diets.

Johnston et al. 2014 found that a significant weight loss was incurred with any of the diets, whether it be low-carb or low-fat.

‘’ This supports the practice of recommending any diet that a patient will adhere to in order to lose weight.’’

So really what I’m trying to say … find a weight loss method that works for you. Contact me for more information today.

We will find:

• One you can stick to
• One that you enjoy
• One that works with your lifestyle

Don’t think one method is more superior than the other.

Johnston, B., Kanters, S., Bandayrel, K., Wu, P., Naji, F., Siemieniuk, R., Ball, G., Busse, J., Thorlund, K., Guyatt, G., Jansen, J. and Mills, E. (2014). Comparison of Weight Loss Among Named Diet Programs in Overweight and Obese Adults. JAMA, 312(9), p.923.

Kennedy, E., Bowman, S., Spence, J., Freedman, K. and King, J. (2001). Popular diets: correlation to health, nutrition, and obesity. J Am Diet Assoc., [online] 101(4), pp.411-20. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11320946 [Accessed 16 Jul. 2019].

The post Is the ketogenic diet really superior to any other diet? appeared first on LA Nutrition.

The ketogenic diet is a popular trend amongst celebrities and the popularity of it continues to rise. Reality stars like The Kardashians, and actress Halle Berry advocate cutting carbohydrates from their diets whilst LeBron James an American athlete tried the trend back in 2014 – again, cutting out carbohydrates and dairy and focusing his meals around meat, fish, fruits, and vegetables, which resulted in him losing a ton of weight.

Several studies have shown the effectiveness of ketogenic diets in both athletic and nonathletic populations showing a reduction in weight. When your body ends up in the ketosis state it is suggested that the ketosis state has a significant influence on decreasing your hunger, and causes individuals to report that they are able to go longer in-between meals – and thus supporting them to lose weight (Bazzano and Hu, 2014; Kendall and Haff, 2019; McSwiney et al., 2018; Paoli et al., 2012; Sawyer et al., 2013).

The amount of glucose (energy) required by the body is not able to be produced at the rate the body requires during a ketogenic diet. Carbohydrates are the body’s preferred source of energy, and during a ketogenic diet, the body is deprived of these carbohydrates – and enters a catabolic state in order to supply an alternative source of energy (state of breaking down larger molecules into smaller ones). This process is known as ketogenesis.  The alternative source of energy is in  the form of ketone bodies. Ketone bodies are derived from free fatty acids that are supplied from the diet or from adipose tissue (fat cells) and results in a state of ketosis.

Be cautious with a keto diet however. The side effects include a range of symptoms like: nausea, vomiting, headaches, fatigue, dizziness, insomnia, difficulty in exercise ability, and constipation. Ensuring enough fluid and electrolytes are taken in may help to counteract some of these symptoms.

Bazzano, L. and Hu, T. (2014). Effects of Low-Carbohydrate and Low-Fat Diets. Annals of Internal Medicine, 162(5), p.393.

Kendall, K. and Haff, G. (2019). Manuscript Clarification for A Low-Carbohydrate Ketogenic Diet Reduces Body Mass Without Compromising Performance in Powerlifting and Olympic Weightlifting Athletes. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 33(4), p.e220.

McSwiney, F., Wardrop, B., Hyde, P., Lafountain, R., Volek, J. and Doyle, L. (2018). Keto-adaptation enhances exercise performance and body composition responses to training in endurance athletes. Metabolism, 83, pp.e1-e2.

Paoli, A., Grimaldi, K., D’Agostino, D., Cenci, L., Moro, T., Bianco, A. and Palma, A. (2012). Ketogenic diet does not affect strength performance in elite artistic gymnasts. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 9(1).

Sawyer, J., Wood, R., Davidson, P., Collins, S., Matthews, T., Gregory, S. and Paolone, V. (2013). Effects of a Short-Term Carbohydrate-Restricted Diet on Strength and Power Performance. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 27(8), pp.2255-2262.

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