Sue Rose, RD - Office Location

                                  The Energy Balance Diet

     Is this a brand new miracle diet on the weight reduction market that you haven’t heard about yet? Well, no, sorry. This is the real and only way to actually lose weight.
     Your body needs “x” calories to maintain weight. If you consume 500 calories less per day than your body needs, then at the end of the week your scale will tell you that you have lost one pound. If you consume 500 more calories per day than your body needs for a whole week, then the scale goes up one pound. This is because you must go into a 3500 calorie deficit to lose one pound per week and take in about 3500 extra calories to make the scale go up one pound.
     While all this may or may not be news to you, there are some fine points in this mathematical process that need to be explained. The energy consumed by your body is the easy part, because this is simply the calories from everything you eat and drink. Let it be stated at this point that most of us underestimate our calorie consumption!
     The more difficult part of the energy balance equation is determining how many calories your body needs on a daily basis. This is determined by many factors such as: age, gender, stature, activity level, etc. In the past, most clinicians have relied on mathematical formulas to calculate theoretical calorie requirements. After determining these theoretical calorie requirements, the calorie prescription is planned accordingly for weight loss, maintenance or weight gain. The theoretical calorie requirements gleaned from a computer program are simply adjusted, and for most of the patient population the calories are decreased!
     Now, new cutting edge technology has allowed us to actually determine an individual’s calorie requirements. The equipment is called the SenseWear* armband from BodyMedia, Inc., and it measures your total calorie expenditure. By measuring your calorie “burn”, we know exactly what your calorie requirements would be to facilitate weight loss, gain, or maintenance. This equipment even measures how effectively you are sleeping, which has been linked to weight issues. With all the guess work taken out of determining your calorie requirements, weight reduction becomes more realistic to the mindful eater. The SenseWear armband can be a powerful tool to assist in modifiying not only your diet, but also your lifestyle.

*The SenseWear armband equipment is now available for rental through my office. See the fee sheet under "Services for Individuals" or contact my office at (847)
692-3438 for additional information.

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