Energy balance
Obesity is fundamentally a disorder of energy balance where excess energy intake exceeds expenditure, driven by a feedback system derangement involving economic, hedonic, and behavioral overrides rather than simple thermodynamic inefficiency.
Understand that obesity is not just a simple math problem of calories in vs. calories out, but a complex regulatory failure influenced by your environment and biology. To manage weight, you must address the 'hedonic overrides' (taste, convenience, cost) that disrupt your natural energy balance feedback loops, rather than relying solely on willpower.
Obesity results from an imbalance between energy expenditure and energy intake that occurs on a genetically susceptible background... the problem is better understood as a derangement in a feedback system that has economic and hedonic overrides.
Why this rating
This is a consensus statement from a joint NSF/NIH workshop summarizing established physiological principles.
Source
Engineering Approaches to Energy Balance and Obesity: Opportunities for Novel Collaborations and Research
Abby G. Ershow et al. · Journal of Diabetes Science and Technology · 2007
DOI 10.1177/193229680700100115
More from this paper
- Current methods for measuring energy intake and expenditure are insufficiently accurate for widespread clinical or research use, creating a barrier to understanding and managing obesity.Good
- Sarcopenic obesity, characterized by increased fat stores and decreased muscle mass, is a distinct and dangerous body composition status in the elderly that is often masked by net weight loss.Good
Related findings · Energy balance
- Achieving a total body weight loss of 10-15% (or >10-15 kg) through Total Diet Replacement (TDR) induces remission of Type 2 Diabetes in individuals with short-duration disease.Strong
- Bariatric surgery is superior to medical management alone for inducing significant long-term weight loss, remission of type 2 diabetes, and reduction in mortality for patients with BMI ≥ 40 or ≥ 35 with comorbidities.Strong
- Achieving type 2 diabetes remission requires significant weight loss (≥15 kg) via major caloric restriction, independent of macronutrient composition.Strong
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