Obesity is on the rise for both adults and children. It is estimated by the American College of Sports Medicine that 66 percent of adults and 14 to 18 percent of children are classified as overweight or obese. To combat this problem, you need to understand how your body mass affects energy use to manipulate your body weight.
Relationship Between Mass and Energy
According to the National Strength and Conditioning Association there is a positive relationship between body mass and energy usage. The more you weigh, the more energy or calories you need to survive. Also, you tend to burn more calories during the same physical activity at the same intensity than a smaller person. However, your resting metabolism may be lower than a leaner, more fit person and your risk of disease is higher.
Energy Usage Factors
Energy for the human body is referred to as calories. Foods you eat have a certain number of calories and provide you with a certain amount of energy. All of the metabolic processes in your body, including food digestion and physical activity, burn calories. To maintain, lose or gain weight you have to manipulate the energy you consume with the the energy you burn.
Body Mass Factors
Your total body mass is composed of lean body mass and fat mass. Lean body mass includes everything but your body fat. When you hear about increasing LBM, it refers to increasing the amount of muscle tissue on your body. Muscle tissue is metabolically active, which means that it needs and expends more energy/calories than fat tissue. This is important for weight control and weight loss.
Improving Function
Because being overweight or obese carries health risks, you want to positively change your body mass with energy manipulation. You can improve your metabolism by exercising. The fitter you are, the longer and harder you will be able to exercise, so you can expend more energy than an overweight or obese person. Cardiovascular exercise can burn a lot of calories during the session, depending on the intensity. Resistance training may not burn as many calories during a session, but the lean muscle it adds will increase your metabolism even at rest.
Body Mass and Energy Consumption
A person with a higher body mass will need to consume more calories than a smaller person to maintain body weight, according to Nancy Clark, M.S., R.D. Your activity level and percentage of LBM versus FM also affects the energy and nutrients your body needs. Exercise and increasing LBM also increases your appetite. You need to replenish calories daily for your body to function properly. Lose weight by cutting a modest number of calories from your diet or maintain weight by balancing your energy expenditure with energy consumed.
References
- "ACSM's Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription"; American College of Sports Medicine; 2010
- "Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning"; National Strength and Conditioning Association; 2008
- "Nancy Clark's Sports Nutrition Guidebook"; Nancy Clark, MS, RD; 2008
- The Science of Energy Balance: Information About Energy Balance
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