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Energy Balance

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Maintenance Check

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ENERGY IN

Food and Beverages = Fuel for the body
Calories – Measure of food energy

Nutrients that provide energy

Carbohydrates
Protein
Fat

Slide 4: ENERGY IN

a. Just as a car needs fuel to provide its energy, our bodies need fuel to provide our

energy.

b. Ask the students: What provides fuel, or energy, for our bodies? Solicit answers.

Everything we eat and drink provides the energy or fuel for our bodies.

c. Ask the students: How do we measure the energy in our food? Solicit answers.

Calories are the measure of the energy in food.

i. One calorie is the amount of energy needed to heat 1 Liter of water by 1°

Celsius.

ii. It takes approximately 100 calories to walk one mile (for a 180-pound

person).

d. Ask the students: What compounds in food provide calories? Solicit responses.

Carbohydrate, protein, and fat are the nutrients in food that provide us with

Drexel University, HS Energy Balance Lesson Plan, Eval, revised 4/19/2021, Page 3

energy. These nutrients are called essential nutrients because we must have all

of them in our diets.

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ENERGY OUT

Basal Metabolism

Energy the body uses to maintain life

Physical Activity

Energy used to move

Thermic Effect of Food

Energy needed to process food

Slide 5: ENERGY OUT

a. Ask the students: How do we use the energy that we get from food? Discuss

students’ answers and how they relate to the categories below.

b. There are three ways in which we use energy:

i. Basal Metabolism: this term is also referred to as “metabolism.” This is the

energy that our body uses at rest. This is the energy that we use to pump the

heart, breathe, think, cells to regenerate, etc.

ii. Physical Activity: This is the energy that we use to perform any body

movement. Sitting, standing, turning your head, raising your hand, walking

across the room, running, playing a sport, exercising, or any bodily

movement.

iii. Thermic Effect of Food: This is the energy that we need to digest our food.

We need to use energy to digest and absorb the food that we eat. This is not

a large amount of calories though, so we do not count this as a significant

part of energy out.

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ENERGY BALANCE

ENERGY IN

Food

Beverage

ENERGY OUT

Basal Metabolism

Physical Activity

Thermic Effect of Food

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ENERGY IN

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Carbohydrates:

Provides energy

4 Calories/gram

Simple Sugars

2. Complex Carbohydrates (starches)

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Protein

Important for:

Choose Wisely:

Fish, shellfish, lean meats
Limit high fat processed meats
Choose beans, nuts, & seeds

Muscle growth and repair
Building material for many body tissues
4 Calories/gram

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FAT

EAT MORE:

EAT LESS:

Unsaturated Fat

Vegetable oils, nuts, and fish

Saturated Fat

High fat dairy, fatty meats

Trans Fat

Fried food & baked goods

9 calories/ gm
Needed for energy storage and vitamin absorption

Can raise cholesterol and increase risk of heart disease

Slide 10: Fat

a. We need fat in our diet to transport important vitamins, provide energy, and

have proper brain and nerve function. We should try to choose more healthy

fats and cut back on solid fats in our diet.

b. EAT MORE – Unsaturated Fat: This type of fat is good for us, and it is found in

vegetable oil, olive oil, nuts, and fish. If you or someone at home cooks a lot,

consider using olive, vegetable, or canola oil to cook with instead of butter or

lard.

c. EAT LESS – Saturated Fat: This type of fat can raise your cholesterol, which can

increase risk for heart disease. Examples of foods that have saturated fat are

dairy products, fatty meats, and fast food. This is why we should try to switch to

fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk and dairy products.

d. EAT LESS – Trans-Fat: This type of fat is also considered not as healthy because it

can lead to increased risk for heart disease. Foods that are high in trans-fat

include fried foods and baked goods.

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ENERGY OUT

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How Do I Use Energy?

Slide 12: How Do I Use Energy?

a. As we discussed earlier there are three different ways we use energy:

i. Basal Metabolism: This is the energy that is needed to stay alive. It is about

60% of our total calorie expenditure, but does vary depending on gender,

amount of lean body mass (muscle), age, and even genetics.

ii. Physical Activity: This is the energy that we burn when we move our muscles

on purpose. Physical activity is about 30 to 40% of our total calorie usage.

iii. Thermic Effect of Food: This is the energy needed to digest food, which is

only about 10% of the total amount of energy we use each day.

Drexel University, HS Energy Balance Lesson Plan, Eval, revised 4/19/2021, Page 5

b. Ask the students: Which of these do we have the most control over? We have

the most control over our physical activity. Many people today don’t do as much

physical activity as previous generations because we have machines that do a lot

of our manual labor, and we tend to walk less and drive (or be driven) more.

Therefore, we have to put in extra effort to get enough physical activity every

day.

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		Activity Level
Gender	Age	Sedentary	Moderately Active	Active
Female	14-18	1800	2000	2400
Male	14-18	2000-2400	2400-2800	2800-3200

Estimated Calorie Needs

Slide 13: Estimated Calorie Needs

Note: If students are using the workbooks, the chart on this page is reproduced in

the center of the next page.

a. This chart gives a very general breakdown of the calorie needs for male and

female high school students. As you can see, the amount of calories you need

depends on your gender and your activity level. On average, males need more

calories than females because they are usually bigger and have greater muscle

mass.

b. The amount of calories you need also depends on how active you are. The more

active you are, the more calories you need.

c. Ask yourself what activity level category you fit into.

i. If you are sedentary, then you probably don’t get much exercise. Maybe you

get up in the morning take the bus to school, sit in class all day, then head

home and watch TV, play video games, or use the computer until dinner.

ii. If you are moderately active, you may walk to and from school. Maybe you

do some other light activities during the week. Even walking around the mall

would count as being moderately active.

iii. If you are active, you may play a sport or work out vigorously for an hour or

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Why is Physical Activity Important?

Increase your chances of living longer
Feel better about yourself
Decrease risk of depression
Better sleep
Concentrate better in school
Move around more easily
Have stronger muscles and bones
Maintain or achieve a healthy weight
Be with friends or meet new people
Enjoy yourself and have fun

Slide 14: Why is Physical Activity Important?

a. As you saw on the previous slide, activity level is an important factor in

determining a person’s calorie needs.

b. Ask students: Why is physical activity important?

c. Being physically active can help you:

i. Increase your chances of living longer

ii. Feel better about yourself

iii. Decrease your chances of becoming depressed

iv. Sleep well at night

v. Concentrate better in school

vi. Move around more easily

vii. Have stronger muscles and bones

viii.Stay at or get to a healthy weight

ix. Be with friends or meet new people

x. Enjoy yourself and have fun

The next series of slides explores the benefits of increasing physical activity as part of an overall weight loss or control program, or as a general strategy for improving your lifestyle. Physical activity can improve your general cardiovascular health as well as help you feel better because it:

Boosts energy
Helps you cope with stress
Improves self-image
Increases resistance to fatigue
Helps counter anxiety and depression
Helps you relax and feel less tense
Improves your ability to fall asleep and sleep well
Provides an easy way to share time with friends or

family and an opportunity to meet new friends

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Physical Activity and Your Health

A lack of physical activity increases the risk of:

Heart disease
Diabetes
Hypertension
High blood cholesterol
Stroke

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Physical Activity Guidelines

For teenagers:

Get at least 60 minutes of physical activity each day
Most of it should be either moderate- or vigorous-intensity aerobic activity
Try to include muscle-strengthening activity 3 days of each week and bone-strengthening activity 3 days of each week

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Types of Physical Activity

Aerobic

Makes you breathe harder and your heart beat faster
Running, jumping rope, swimming, dancing, biking

Muscle-strengthening

Making muscles work more than usual
Climbing, tug-of-war, lifting weights, push-ups

Bone-strengthening

Moving our bones against the force of gravity
Running, jumping rope, basketball, tennis, weight-lifting

Balance and Stretching

Improves stability and flexibility
Reduces risk of injuries
Gentle stretching, dancing, yoga, martial arts, and t’ai chi

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Intensity of Physical Activity

Biking
Hiking
Rollerblading
Brisk Walking

Moderate

Vigorous

Running
Jumping rope
Sports like soccer, hockey, basketball, swimming, and tennis

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So what happens when…�� Energy In ≠ Energy Out ?

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weight loss

Not consuming enough calories over time

How Weight Loss Happens

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weight gain

Consuming extra calories over time

How Weight Gain Happens

Slide 21: How Weight Gain Happens

a. If we consistently take in more energy than we use, over time we will gain

weight.

b. (Optional discussion) If a person ate an average of 200 extra calories every day,

how much weight would they gain in a year? 200 calories is about one 20-ounce

bottle of soda. Let’s figure out how much weight we would gain if we drank an

extra soda every day for a year.

c. Do the math: 200 calories x 365 days in a year = 73,000 calories. There are 3,500

calories in 1 pound. So 73,000 calories divided by 3,500 calories = 20 pounds of

weight gained by the end of the year.

Talking Points:

Marion Nestle, in her book, Food Politics, noted that between 1970 and the late 1990s the daily food supply in America increased by 500 calories.Although the food supply is an overestimation of what people consume, dietary intake surveys show an average increase of more than 200 calories per day. Such small increases in calories can translate into significant weight gain unless there is a change in physical activity or metabolism.

Possible Activities:

Ask the audience to discuss if they think they are eating 200 more calories a day than they did 15 years ago. If so, what is the source of those calories?

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To Maintain Weight:�Maintain Energy Balance

ENERGY IN

ENERGY OUT

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Maintaining Energy Balance

ENERGY IN

Focus on nutrient dense foods

Limit “empty calories”

Be mindful of portion sizes

ENERGY OUT

Stay active!

Aim for 60 minutes a day

Slide 23: Maintaining Energy Balance

a. What can we do to tip the scale in the right direction to maintain energy

balance? There are a few simple shifts we can make to balance the scale.

b. Energy In

i. Most of the calories we consume should be from nutrient-dense foods that

provide calories along with important nutrients like vitamins, minerals, and

fiber.

ii. We want to limit the amount of “empty” calories we consume from foods

that are high in solid fats or added sugars and low in other nutrients.

iii. We should be mindful of our portion sizes, especially for foods that contain

empty calories.

c. Energy Out

i. Physical activity is the one factor that we have the most control over on the

“Energy Out” part of the equation.

ii. Make sure to stay active and aim for 60 minutes of physical activity daily.