Calories are a measure of energy that you derive from food and expend through daily activities. When this equation is balanced, your body enjoys an optimum weight and health status. When it's not, your weight may fluctuate, and your health may suffer. While you have no control over the amount of energy your body uses in involuntary metabolic processes, you can regulate how many calories you take in and how many you use through movement and exercise.
Greater Caloric Intake
When your caloric intake exceeds your energy output, your body stores the extra calories as fat, and your weight increases. A diet that includes high-calorie items such as fast-foods, fatty meats and sweets raises your risk for weight gain. To deplete them all, you'll need to limit your consumption and avoid a sedentary lifestyle. The Food and Drug Administration recommends an average of 2,000 calories daily and to include adequate nutrition and to provide enough energy to maintain a fitness program.
Greater Physical Activity
When you burn off more calories than you consume, your body uses stored fat for fuel to fulfill physical demands. This causes you to lose weight. To stay at your current calorie intake, increase the length of your workouts or move from moderate to more vigorous intensity to deplete more energy than your diet generates. Reducing your usual daily calorie intake while increasing activity helps you achieve this ratio and lose weight more quickly.
Caloric Balance
Achieving equilibrium in caloric intake and expenditure will cause your weight to remain stable, barring underlying medical issues. This state reflects true metabolic equilibrium and physical health. Your individual metabolism may require different calorie limits and exercise criteria than other people, so you may have to adjust your diet or your activity program until you are able to sustain your weight. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services relates that this may take between 150 and 300 minutes of moderate to intense exercise, while the USDA suggests a range of 1,200 to 2,800 daily calories.
Significance
You should be aware of your caloric versus energy balance and strive to maintain a healthy weight throughout your life. In addition to benefits such as short-term vitality and good health, a stable body weight decreases your risk for chronic illness and premature death. The Office of the Surgeon General reports that avoiding overweight conditions makes you less likely to suffer from potentially fatal heart disease, kidney and colon cancer and type 2 diabetes.
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