How do people gain/lose weight??

Weight gain and loss comes down to one simple principle: the amount of food (calories) consumed vs the amount of energy (calories) is expended.

So if you are into counting calories, if the number of calories you consume from food is greater than that which you burn through your daily routines and tasks and exercise, you will gain weight.
Simply put:

Amount of Calories taken in from food >  Calories burned    =   Weight gain

Amount of Calories taken in from food <  Calories burned    =   Weight loss.

Weight gain may not be noticeable at first, with some gaining maybe a couple pounds a year, but do the math. A couple pounds a year over a 10 year period equals 20 extra pounds!!

This is essentially what happens to many of us as we age. Not only do our metabolisms slow down, but we get caught up with work, duties, and dilemmas of all sorts which stress us out leading to emotional eating, lethargy, poor diet choices, etc...

An unfortunate combination of the above for an extended period of time is what leads to most of the obesity problems we face today.



Every feel like the cute guy below after a long stressful day??

Being overweight is a common problem in the U.S. because we simply eat too much and don't move around enough!




Did you know that what you drink can have a big effect on the amount of calories you consume?? These "Empty" calories are a good place for many to start cutting calories. Switch over to water which not only has 0 calories, but also plays many important roles for your body!

If it's too hard to go cold turkey on your drinks, start by drinking some of the lower calorie reduced sugar drinks. Stay away from artificial sweeteners like those in diet drinks as although they have no calories, they also negatively impact your body!

Curious on how bad soda is for your body?

Check this article out:http://abcnews.go.com/WN/soda-statistics-empty-calories-add/story?id=10303246

A common question: What is body fat?

A common question I have heard people ask over the years is: What exactly is body fat?



Most of us know it as that extra jiggle that gives our body a little extra unwanted volume (especially around the abdominal area!).

To be precise though, human body fat is a type of tissue, specifically adipose tissue composed of MANY cells called adipocytes.

                                           This is what they look like under a microscope.


Believe it or not, the fat does have a function. It serves as a cushion for our organs and insulation for our bodies. Arctic animals like seals and walruses are great examples of where fat serves a life sustaining purpose! 
Fat also serves as an energy storing mechanism for our bodies. Fat contains 9 calories per gram which is more than double the calories proteins and carbohydrates hold. This makes it the ideal candidate for storing energy since it is dense at takes up less space. Think about it, if the human body stored energy in the form of carbohydrates or proteins...you think some people have a problem with size now....

I'm sure not many people (accept maybe students studying basic chemistry) are interested in the chemistry of fat, but just for the heck of it, most fats our composed of a glycerol molecule linked to (up to 3) fatty acid chains, also known as a tryglyceride.

The above molecule is a triglyceride (an unsaturated fat to be specific). The 3 Left most carbons and oxygens are part of the orignal glycerol molecule while the carbons with the double bonded oxygens are the beginnings of each of the fatty acid chains.




This leads me to my next possible topic. Obesity. Why do people get fat? How does our body store fat? How can one lose body fat? I will touch base with on these questions on my next post.



References:

Campbells 9th Edition Biology Book
Jane B. Reece (Author), Lisa A. Urry (Author), Michael L. Cain (Author), Steven A. Wasserman (Author), Peter V. Minorsky (Author), Robert B. Jackson (Author)