The Law of Calorie Balance

This is the first law governing weight loss but it is not gospel (more on that later). The law of Caloric Balance states that if a person consumes more calories than they expend they will gain weight. The opposite is also presumed, that if a person consumes less calories than they expend they will lose weight. Many diets and weight loss programs would have you believe this is all there is to it. Just eat less and you will get in shape. Why do they say this? Because in this world of instant gratification, people want one sentence solutions to complex problems. Let us examine for a moment why this law is not gospel.

According to the 'eat less than you expend theory', lets imagine a 200lb individual has a daily caloric requirement of 2500 calories per day to maintain that weight. If they were to eat only 2100 calories per day, the law states that they would lose weight. So they continue eating fast food, chocolates, candies, ice cream all to the sum of 2100 calories only. Hopefully common sense tells you they will not lose weight. The law of calorie balance is a guideline but it doesn't always work out on paper. What really controls whether the body gains weight or loses weight are hormones. These hormones also determine where that weight loss comes from, stored body fat or precious muscle. But that is an entirely different subject which I will address later.

There are some noteworthy points to consider regarding calories. Firstly, understand that too much of anything will make you gain weight, even healthy food. As we discussed in a previous article (meal frequency), even lean proteins along with healthy fruits and vegetables in excess will promote weight gain. Secondly, not all calories are the same. They differ in thermic (heat releasing) properties, and have alternate effects on your bodies release of hormones depending on what macro-nutrient the calories came from.