Wonderful article on caloric defict and exercise

I found this great article on the american college of sports medicine.

I think it neatly sums up the calories in vs calories out debate.
It's long guys, but a VERY good read.

here is the url if this turns out to be hard to read:

http://www.acsm.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Search&section=20033&template=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentFileID=31


Balancing the Scale: The Simple Facts of Weight Loss
by Randy Kaiser and Lisa K. Lloyd, Ph.D.

Losing weight can be difficult, overwhelming,
and discouraging. Long-term
weight loss, however, can be achieved
with the clarification of some simple
facts about weight control. At the most
basic level, body weight will not change
if a person achieves a daily caloric
balance. Simply stated, if caloric intake:
1. equals caloric expenditure, then body
weight will not change.
2. is greater than caloric expenditure,
then body weight will increase.
3. is less than caloric expenditure, then
body weight will decrease.
Daily caloric intake is the total number
of the calories consumed from food,
fluid, and supplements, and is usually
determined from a three to seven day
detailed food, fluid, and supplement
diary. Caloric intake can be easily
estimated by going to: www.usda.gov/
cnpp/ (and selecting “The Interactive
Healthy Eating Index (IHEI)”).
Daily caloric expenditure is the total
number of calories used by the body for
resting metabolism, the thermic effect of
feeding, and physical activity. Resting
metabolism is the number of calories
expended to carry out the body’s vital
functions, such as breathing, during a
resting state. For males, it is slightly
more than one calorie per minute (or
1,580 to 1,870 calories per day), and for
females is slightly less than one calorie
per minute (or 1,150 to 1,440 calories
per day). For practical purposes, a
resting metabolism of 1,700 calories for
males and 1,300 calories for females
may be used when determining caloric
expenditure.
The thermic effect of feeding is the
number of calories used to digest food,
fluid, and supplements, and is approximately
10 percent of the daily caloric
intake. Daily physical activity includes
calories expended during general
physical activity and during exercise.
General activities include common daily
tasks, such as brushing teeth, combing
hair, showering, and cooking. Calories
expended during general activities can
be estimated by multiplying resting
metabolism by 20 percent. Exercise
includes all structured recreational and
sport activities. Determining how many
calories are burned during exercise can
be somewhat difficult without the proper
tools. Fortunately, some devices such
as treadmills, stationary bikes, stair
climbers, and elliptical machines are
equipped to display calories expenditure.
And, many pedometers estimate
the number of calories used while
walking or jogging.
Once the three components of caloric
expenditure (i.e., resting metabolism,
the thermic effect of feeding, and
physical activity) have been determined,
daily caloric expenditure can be calculated
and compared to daily caloric
intake. From this comparison, an
individual can determine whether he or
she is in a weight gain, weight maintenance,
or weight loss mode. For example,
Mike:
1. consumes 2,265 calories per day.
2. expends 1,700 calories at rest.
3. expends 226.5 calories for digestion.
4. expends 340 calories for general
activity.
5. expends 0 calories for exercise.
Caloric Balance
Daily caloric intake: 2265
Daily caloric expenditure: 2266.5
Difference: About zero (Caloric
Balance)
Mode Weight: Maintenance
Over time, if he maintains the same diet
and activity level, then his body weight
will not be expected to change.
For safe and successful weight loss, an
overweight person should lose no more
than one to two pounds per week. To
lose one pound a week, a caloric deficit
of 3,500 calories per week (or 500
calories per day) is required. With a
caloric deficit, the diet does not provide
enough calories for caloric expenditure,
therefore the body compensates for this
deficit by using calories stored in fat.
When a caloric deficit is achieved
consistently over a period of time, body
weight will decrease. Although there are
several different approaches to achieve
a caloric deficit of 500 calories per day,
the most sensible way is to reduce
caloric intake as well as increase caloric
expenditure. For example, Mike is in
weight maintenance, but wants to lose
one pound per week. He can create a
caloric deficit of 500 calories per day by
eliminating a 20-ounce cola (250
calories) and jogging 2.5 miles per day
(250 calories). This example can be
summarized in table 1 (above).
In this example, Mike was in weight
maintenance (caloric intake = caloric
expenditure) prior to modifying his diet
and activity level. Therefore, he only
had to change his caloric intake and
expenditure by a total of 500 calories.
On the other hand, for people whose
caloric intake is consistently higher
than their caloric expenditure, a
caloric surplus is created and body
weight will increase. Based on the
caloric balance equation, the
caloric surplus must be overcome
and a caloric deficit must be
achieved in order for weight loss to
occur. In this case, caloric intake
will have to be decreased by more
than 250 calories, and caloric
expenditure will have to be increased
by more than 250 calories.
Weight loss does not have to be a
complex and overwhelming process.
It can occur if daily caloric intake
is consistently less than daily caloric
expenditure. Remember that:
Caloric Intake = Calories from food +
Calories from fluid + Calories from
supplements
Caloric Expenditure = Calories for
resting metabolism + Calories for
thermic effect of feeding + Calories for
physical activity
By understanding the caloric balance
equation, individuals should have a
better understanding of how weight loss
occurs and make sensible adjustments
to both their daily physical activity levels
and dietary intake, allowing them to
create the healthy caloric deficits
needed to reach weight loss goals.

If only my husband would believe it. He truly believes you don't eat exercise cal AND you cut down your diet, then you'll lose weight. He thinks if you eating every 2-3 hours your body will not go into starvation mode. I just can't get him to believe me.

It completely depends on how much he's eating. Eating small meals every few hours does help keep your metabolism burning up cals, but even if you do that but eat an amount that your metabolism doesn't deem sufficient, your body will start slowing down it's functions to compensate.

The size of the deficit is different for everyone, so there's no steadfast rule on where your optimal deficit is, and of course, that will change when you lose fat stores and/or gain muscle mass. but the guidelines are usually pretty close for people with a metabolism in the normal range and no other medical issues.

For example, if your husband works out for about 400 calories a day, and has a 200 calorie deficit normally, then his deficit is about 600 calories, if he's 30 or 40 lbs overweight, that shouldn't be an issue, but if he were only 5 lbs overweight, then he might have a tough time, then again, he may not, because, as I said earlier, every body's different, some metabolisms are more tolerant then others (based on a whole host of factors that we don't directly control). That's why this weight loss game is so tough, it's a lot of trial and error. Patience is key, and you can't be afraid to play a little with your calories.

It's when people are already at the MAX deficit, then working out for say 600 or 700 calories a day and don't eat them back where people really get in trouble. They are, at that point, probably burning more muscle then fat, and they are also working against a slowed down metabolism (most likely). So it's a double whammy!