The Case against Rapid Weight Loss
Charles Paul Lambert in Physiology and Nutrition for Amateur Wrestling, 2020
Energy balance is the balance between energy (caloric) intake and energy output or caloric expenditure. Energy intake is simply the energy that you ingest. Energy expenditure is broken down into resting energy expenditure, energy expenditure related to exercise, that related to the digestion, absorption, and metabolism of food, and non-exercise induced thermogenesis such as fidgeting. Weight loss for amateur wrestling should happen before the season while during the season weight should be maintained and practices and matches fueled with optimal nutrition for performance and recovery. I have come to the conclusion that successful weight loss can be boiled down into taking four components into consideration: (1) Documenting Energy Intake; (2) Monitoring Bodyweight; (3) Monitoring Muscular Strength; and (4) Calculating Resting Metabolic Rate and estimating the amount of energy to ingest (Calories). The prudent goal is a loss of 1–2 lbs/week over the course of the weight loss period since energy or caloric restriction of 40% or greater can reduce resting metabolic rate and cause negative hormonal changes. During the pre-season weight loss phase athletes should take in adequate protein for heavy weight training and long-distance running and should ingest 60% CHO, 20% Protein, and 20% Fat. Twenty percent protein will allow for ~1.5 g Protein/kg bodyweight/day. Diets with about this much more protein or higher protein should spare fat-free mass (i.e., muscle mass) from being lost as a result of weight loss.
Optimal Nutrition for Women
Michelle Tollefson, Nancy Eriksen, Neha Pathak in Improving Women's Health Across the Lifespan, 2021
Energy balance occurs when energy intake is equal to energy expenditure, which is the goal for maintaining body weight. When energy intake exceeds expenditure, a state of positive energy balance occurs followed by an increase in body mass, most of which is usually body fat. On the other hand, when energy expenditure exceeds intake, negative energy balance leads to a loss of body mass, which is also usually body fat.22 While overweight and obesity is generally considered to be a result of either excessive calorie intake or insufficient physical activity, body weight is incredibly complex, so the most effective strategies for achieving and maintaining a healthy body weight often employ many modalities including nutrition, physical activity, mental health, and others.
ENTRIES A–Z
Philip Winn in Dictionary of Biological Psychology, 2003
In the past, theories have suggested that body weight was closely regulated to a SET POINT (probably in the HYPOTHALAMUS) but evidence for such a theory remains unconvincing. Lesions in parts of the hypothalamus that produce dramatic change in body weight (see VENTROMEDIAL HYPOTHALAMIC SYNDROME; LATERAL HYPOTHALAMIC SYNDROME) have been shown to produce their effects by disrupting multiple processes and do not represent the neural substrates of body weight set points. Moreover, the idea of a single set point is intrinsically unlikely: animals generally have to take advantage of seasonal variation in food intake and as such, body weight must be a flexible construct. Critical to this is the process of fat deposition: body weight is an index total body mass, but changing fat deposition is the most rapid way to affect body weight. Studies of ground squirrels have shown that physiological processes are adjusted to take account of seasonal food availability: the body weight of these animals increases in seasons when food is plentiful. However, if they are maintained in a laboratory on a constant energy intake, their body weight still fluctuates: what is regulated is the proportion of energy intake that is stored as fat. It is ENERGY BALANCE that is important to consider in order to understand body weight regulation.
The impact of body composition on treatment in ovarian cancer: a current insight
Published in Expert Review of Clinical Pharmacology, 2021
Veronica McSharry, Kate Glennon, Amy Mullee, Donal Brennan
Early identification of body composition abnormalities would permit targeted intervention prior to, and after surgery. Low muscle attenuation is correlated to higher rates of weight loss [67], increased systemic inflammation [68], and insulin resistance [69] in cancer. Multimodal interventions may alleviate some of these factors. Both energy intake and physical activity have been shown as key components of energy balance, contributing to alterations in body composition. Supplementation of amino acids and carbohydrates consumed after resistance exercise increased muscle protein synthesis rates by 145% above baseline compared with 41% from exercise in isolation in healthy male patients [101]. A combination of resistance and cardiovascular exercise are recommended to sustain or improve muscle mass, muscle density, and performance status during cancer treatment [102]. Exercise is also known to improve insulin sensitivity and inflammatory responses [103,104].
The role of diet in multiple sclerosis: A review
Published in Nutritional Neuroscience, 2018
Sabrina Esposito, Simona Bonavita, Maddalena Sparaco, Antonio Gallo, Gioacchino Tedeschi
General strategies to ensure body weight control, including physical activity, are not always feasible for moderate-severely disabled MS patients.112 In such cases, diet plays a key role in maintaining an adequate energy balance and in reducing the risk of comorbidities and mortality associated with weight excess.113,114 However, findings regarding the body composition and the prevalence of obesity in MS patients are conflicting. As evidenced by a systematic review of Wens et al.,115 the best designed studies investigating body composition looked at three anthropometric measures: body mass index (BMI), lean body mass (LBM), and body fat amount. BMI data have shown inconsistent results between studies, with slightly elevated, normal, or slightly lowered BMI values in MS patients. Similarly, most LBM studies have shown no significant differences in LBM between MS and controls, with only a few of them indicating regional differences (lower LBM in the lower limbs of female patients) and an influence of disability level. Finally, small studies, comparing body fat percentage between MS and matched controls, reported either similar or lower fat amount in MS patients. Nevertheless, a recent study103 on 130 disabled MS patients compared to the general population showed that despite the lower percentage of obesity (evaluated according to BMI), the MS group had higher rates of increased waist circumference. Its known relationship to cardio-metabolic complications116,117 suggests that abdominal obesity might be a better index to evaluate health risk in MS population.
“Prescribing” Exercise and Nutrition in Cancer Care
Published in Oncology Issues, 2020
Jessica Clague DeHart, Jeffrey Massin, Cailey Barnes, Marissa Ramirez
Obesity risk factors can be subdivided into unhealthy lifestyle and environments, age, family history/genetics, race/ethnicity, and sex.7 However, the dramatic increases in overweight and obesity rates among Americans over the last 26 years can most likely be attributed to an increase in portion size and decrease in activity levels. Figure 1, right, illustrates the concept of energy balance. When you eat more calories than you burn, your risk of gaining weight increases. When energy intake begins exceeding energy expenditure, weight gain occurs and continues to rise if not corrected through energy expenditure.8 Conversely, burning more calories than you eat increases your likelihood of losing weight. Patients may ask why they have not lost weight while regularly exercising. In turn, it is important to ask about their eating habits to further educate these patients about energy balance. In fact, tracking food intake has been shown to be one of the most effective weight loss strategies.9
Related Knowledge Centers
- Bioenergetics
- Biological Process
- Biosynthesis
- Glycogen
- Homeostasis
- Adipose Tissue
- Triglyceride
- Hypothalamus
- Hunger
- Adenosine Triphosphate