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Energy: Where Weight Comes From

Energy: What is it?
    Your body needs food to live. Your body creates energy by digesting the food you eat.

The common measure of how much energy is contained in food is the Calorie (in scientific jargon, it is called a kilo-calorie, but in common use, the abbreviated Calorie is used).

Food is also rated by three main substances which make up its caloric value (how many calories are in the food):
   * Fat (such as animal fat and all the different types of oils)
   * Carbohydrates (such as flour, rice, potatoes)
   * Protein (such as animal meat, many types of beans and eggs)

You can quickly measure how many calories are in a given food by looking at how much Fat/Carbohydrates/Protein is contained in a food:
   * each gram of Fat = 9 calories
   * each gram of Carbohydrates = 4 calories
    *each gram of Protein = 4 calories

Your Weight: How is it determined?
    Your weight is basically determined by a simple formula:
   Your weight = (calories eaten minus calories used) over time

This formula is known as your energy balance. If you have a positive energy balance (more calories eaten than used), then you will gain weight. If you have a negative energy balance (using more calories than you eat), then you will lose weight. It is that simple!

What you can change to control your weight are either:
   * The calories you eat each day
   * The calories you use each day

How much energy do you eat?
    Simply add up the calories for all food you eat for a day: this is your caloric intake.

You can use Do-It! to greatly simplify this part of finding your energy balance. It does the math, and it also has a database of common foods you can use.

How much energy do you use?
    There are three items that show how much energy you use every day:
   * your basal metabolism
   * energy used to digest food
   * energy used during exercise

Basal Metabolism: On average, people use between 1500 and 2200 calories per day just by being alive. This is called your Basal Metabolism. To determine a more precise value, enter your personal information into Do-It!.

Energy used to digest food: Your body needs to use energy to breakdown and process all the food you eat. When you see an item at the grocery store and look at its label, you can see how many calories are in that food. By convention, the listed amount takes into account the energy needed to digest it. So while you are using Do-It!, you really don't have to worry about this energy source.

Energy you use during exercise: Your basal metabolism is how much energy you would use if you sat in a chair all day and looked at the ceiling. Whenever you move, like walking into the kitchen, picking up your child, or running a mile, you use more energy.

Weight versus Calories
    There are about 3500 calories in a single pound of fat. You have to show a positive or negative energy balance of 3500 calories over time to either gain or lose this pound of fat.

The Cal-Meter in Do-It! (shown below) does this calculation for you. It shows you how many pounds you will gain or lose based on the current day's diet (as a weekly value).
  
    

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