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You’ve probably heard someone talking about how they “gained weight” or how they want to “lose weight.” But how does that work?
You’ve probably heard someone talking about how they “gained weight” or how they want to “lose weight.” But how does that work?
Our bodies are a little bit like a car -- they need fuel to operate! For us, our fuel is food. Food gives us ENERGY, and being active uses energy. When talking about our body, energy is called CALORIES.
Our body’s goal is for those numbers to be the same. It would be like a balanced scale.
When we eat a lot but don’t move, the balance gets upset and we gain weight. When we move a lot but don’t eat very much, we lose weight.
But how do we keep the scale balanced?
One way is to be aware of our calories. Eating lots of food that is high in calories will push us towards GAINING weight. Doing lots of exercise that burns a lot of calories will push us towards LOSING weight.
Here are some examples of foods and how many calories they have in them:
Pizza: 200-300 calories per slice
Soda pop: 150-200 per can
Tacos: 200-250 calories per medium taco
Watermelon: 50-80 calories per cup
Here are some examples of exercises and how many calories you might burn by doing them for 15 minutes:
Running: 200-250 calories
Biking: 175-250 calories
Swimming: 125-150 calories
Walking: 100-150 calories
If you’re curious if it would be good for your health to gain or lose weight, please talk to your doctor and ask for their help! They will be able to tell you whether it would be good for your body to gain weight or lose weight.
The important thing is to be active and eat healthy foods, no matter what!
Resources:
Green, D. J. (2014). Ace Personal Trainer Manual. American Council on Exercise.
Adam Schnacker, SPT, CPT
Adam is a Doctor of Physical Therapy student at the University of Kansas Medical Center, a LEND Emerging Leader, and an ACE Certified personal trainer. He also holds a Bachelor's of Science in Nutrition, Exercise, and Health Science from the University of Nebraska. He has been working with people of all sorts of abilities and disabilities ever since his younger brother was diagnosed with Down syndrome and he loves to help people meet their goals!
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