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I have 2 questions for you:

1. Do you understand what Energy Balance is and how it impacts on weight loss / weight gain?

2. Do you understand how a bank account works?

If you answered ‘yes’ to either of the above then you understand the fundamental principle required to lose / gain weight!

Energy Balance

We’re going to use the comparison of a bank account to help explain energy balance. To do this we will use money & calories interchangeably.

Calories are unit of energy, just like metres are a unit of distance. We consume & expend energy (calories) every day!

Bank Account Analogy

Now, I want you to imagine that you have an empty bank account. Every single day this bank account starts at £0 and over the course of the day you deposit a total of £2000 into the account.

You then spend that £2000 throughout the day on your daily activities. Leaving you with a bank balance of £0.

Now let’s switch this over to Energy Balance.

Imagine, you consume 2000kcal throughout the course of a day. You do this by eating and drinking various food & drink items.

You then ‘spend’ those calories on your daily activities. Such as moving around, working out and even breathing!

This leaves you with a net energy balance of 0 kcal at the end of the day. This is known as ‘maintenance’ which if you were to consistently achieve would result in no change of bodyweight due to energy balance*.

*bodyweight varies due to other factors such as water retention and leaving your phone in your pocket when you get on the scales!

Lose Weight

In order to lose weight we need to create a negative energy balance. Which is just like creating a negative bank balance.

How do you create a negative bank balance?

You spend more than you put in.

This is exactly the same in respects to energy balance. If you’re spending more energy (calories) than you are consuming, you will create a negative energy balance.

This is known as a calorie deficit.

Gain Weight

In order to gain weight we need to create a positive energy balance. Think of this like saving money.

If you’re trying to save money, you’re going to be very careful with what you spend your money on. You will also try to earn more money to put into your bank account.

Similarly, if you’re trying to gain weight you may cut back on the amount of activity you’re doing, this is usually extra cardio. You will also try to consume more calories, by eating & drinking more.

A positive energy balance is known as a calorie surplus.

Sustainable WEIGHT-LOSS

What would happen to somebody who didn’t earn a lot of money. But kept spending more and more in living a luxurious lifestyle?

They would eventually go broke. It’s a very unsustainable way to live.

So why adopt the same approach when it comes to weight loss?

Hard dieting is like uncontrolled spending with no income. It isn’t going to last and will cause a lot of damage for the spender.

If you severely restrict your calorie intake and decide to start expending a lot of energy, usually by training too hard. It’s only a matter of time until you burnout.

So how is it possible to lose weight sustainably?

An overdraft facility on your bank account, will allow you to create a small deficit in your account, without getting into trouble.

For sustainable weight loss / fat loss you need to create an energy overdraft. This means you will be able to maintain a small calorie deficit, without getting into trouble.

The message

Managing your weight is much like managing a bank account.

Weight Loss: Spend more. Consume Less.

Weight Gain: Spend Less. Consume More.

But don’t get greedy! Sustainability is key for your long term success.