It's called "energy balance."
And simply put, it's the basic formula for how weight loss happens.
When more energy is burned than what the body absorbs, it results in losing weight.
Any food nutrients taken in by the body must either be burned as energy or stored as fat.
It's the reason so many people are interested in knowing their metabolic rate, which reveals the balance between how much is eaten and how much is lost in burned calories.
Fitness Pointe in Munster, owned by The Community Hospital, is one of the few gyms in Northwest Indiana with a new device for anyone concerned about caloric intake and metabolic measurement.
Developed by Korr Medical Technologies, the ReeVue Indirect Calorimeter registers breathing during a 10-minute monitoring scan to offer insight into how many calories are burned when a person is inactive. This is in addition to estimating how many calories are spent during the course of an average day.
It can be used to screen for slow metabolism, which helps instructors construct a customized weight-loss program.
Periodic retesting then reveals the effect caloric reduction or medication is having on the client's metabolism.
The 10-minute test at Fitness Point is around $70.
But according to Phrosini P. Samis, MS, C.P.T., fitness assessment and outreach program coordinator, the results are priceless to help establish a "spot-on" plan for healthy weight loss.
"This technology was designed specifically for the physician to have hospital-quality indirect calorimetry without the bulk, expense or complexity
of traditional larger equipment," she said. "The printed results are formatted to assist in teaching energy balance to patients in a colorful and easy to understand manner."
Clients are asked to refrain from eating or exercise prior to the test, which is conducted in a private room.
The client reclines in a chair with their nose clamped, while breathing through a special hose connected to the monitoring device. The feeling is similar to being attached to a scuba breathing apparatus.
The color-coded result charts are printed at the end of the testing process.
The charts show the amount of "resting energy" calories are naturally burned by the body by just sitting in a car, working at a desk or even sleeping. The more active the metabolic rate, the higher the calories expended.
Also charted are the amount of additional calories used each day for activities like walking the dog, doing laundry and grocery shopping.
The final layer of calories revealed are any "above and beyond" burned calories when regular exercise or sporting activities are included in a daily schedule.
"Once we have all of the numbers, it much easy to make a plan that not only works, but also utilized both calories and fitness needs to the best possible extent based on each person's calorie activity level," Samis said.
FYI: korr.com or (219) 934-2835
So what was Times Columnist Phil Potempa's Metabolism Like?
When tested, the ReeVue screening revealed Phil burns 2,275 calories just with his "resting energy expenditure."
That's a lot of calories without even lifting a finger.
In addition, with his day-to-day activity level, another 681 calories are burned by Phil each day as calculated for his lifestyle and activity level.
And since Phil is working out regularly at the gym, an added 236 calories are also heaped on to his metabolic rate, for a grand total of 3,192 calories plus burned each day!
That ranks him in the "above normal" (by 14 percent) "fast metabolism" rate.
And since he's only taking in 1,200 calories a day while participating in Seattle Sutton's 2010 Slim Down Challenge, it's easy to see why he's losing so much weight so quickly on this 14-week low calorie menu plan.
- - Courtesy of Phrosini P. Samis, MS, C.P.T., Fitness Assessment and Outreach Program Coordinator for Fitness Pointe Gym
