Energy balance
Preventing further population-wide weight gain in adults requires a daily energy deficit of less than 100 kJ (24 kcal), achievable through small changes in diet or physical activity.
To stop gaining weight, you do not need to start a rigorous diet or exercise program. You only need to create a tiny daily energy deficit of about 24 calories. This is equivalent to skipping just a few bites of food at dinner or taking a 5-minute brisk walk. Consistency with these tiny habits is more effective and sustainable than attempting drastic lifestyle overhauls.
With an assumed energy efficiency of 50 %, the findings suggest that weight gain could be prevented in 90 % of the German population with < 100 kJ (24 kcal) reduction in energy intake or increase in energy expenditure per day.
Why this rating
Based on retrospective analysis of national survey data with assumptions about energy efficiency and linear weight gain; not a randomized controlled trial.
Source
Identifying the energy gap in the German population using results from representative national health surveys (1985–2002)
Nanette Stroebele et al. · Public Health Nutrition · 2010
DOI 10.1017/s1368980010000686
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