What is the Caloric Balance Equation?

When it comes to maintaining a healthy weight for a lifetime, the bottom line is — calories count! Weight management is all about balance—balancing the number of calories you consume with the number of calories your body uses or “burns off.”

A calorie is defined as a unit of energy supplied by food. A calorie is a calorie regardless of its source. Whether you’re eating carbohydrates, fats, sugars, or proteins, all of them contain calories.

Caloric balance is like a scale. To remain in balance and maintain your body weight, the calories consumed (from foods) must be balanced by the calories used (in normal body functions, daily activities, and exercise).

Can Diseases and Drugs Lead to Obesity?

Some illnesses may lead to obesity or weight gain. These may include Cushing’s disease, and polycystic ovary syndrome. Drugs such as steroids and some antidepressants may also cause weight gain.

A doctor is the best source to tell you whether illnesses, medications, or psychological factors are contributing to weight gain or making weight loss hard.

Can Your Environment Affect Obesity?

People may make decisions based on their environment or community. For example, a person may choose not to walk to the store or to work because of a lack of sidewalks. Communities, homes, and workplaces can all influence people’s health decisions. Because of this influence, it is important to create environments in these locations that make it easier to engage in physical activity and to eat a healthy diet. The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Prevent and Decrease Overweight and Obesity 2001 identified action steps for several locations that may help prevent and decrease obesity and overweight.

The following table provides some examples of these steps.

Home:
* Reduce time spent watching television and in other sedentary behaviors.

*Build physical activity into regular routines.

Schools:
*Ensure that the school breakfast and lunch programs meet nutrition standards.

*Provide food options that are low in fat, calories, and added sugars.

*Provide all children, from prekindergarten through grade 12, with quality daily physical education.
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Work:
*Create more opportunities for physical activity at work sites.

Community:
*Promote healthier choices including at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day, and reasonable portion sizes.

*Encourage the food industry to provide reasonable food and beverage portion sizes.

*Encourage food outlets to increase the availability of low-calorie, nutritious food items.

*Create opportunities for physical activity in communities.

Do Genetics Affect Obesity?

Science shows that genetics plays a role in obesity. Genes can directly cause obesity in disorders such as Bardet-Biedl syndrome and Prader-Willi syndrome.

However genes do not always predict future health. Genes and behavior may both be needed for a person to be overweight. In some cases multiple genes may increase one’s susceptibility for obesity and require outside factors; such as abundant food supply or little physical activity.