General Adult Health Information
Control Your Weight by Balancing Energy In and Energy Out
Weight control is simply balancing energy. That's what calories are—a way of measuring energy.
- When you eat, you take in calories/energy.
- When you’re active, you use calories/energy.
- If the number of calories you take in and use are the same, you'll stay at the same weight.
- If you use more calories than you eat, you'll lose weight.
- Or, you can lose weight by eating fewer calories and staying active.
- You gain weight when you eat too much and move around too little.
Food labels make it easy to see how many calories we take in. But physical activity, or calories out, is also important for balancing energy. Not only does physical activity use calories right away, it also helps your body use more calories while at rest (sitting at a desk, watching TV, or sleeping).
If you’re not getting enough physical activity each day, it’s very hard to lose weight and/or to keep weight off.
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