Personal Health, Part 5
Question 1: How is personal caloric intake determined?
Answer 1: A calorie is the amount of energy required to raise the temperature of one gram of water by one degree Celsius. The number of calories an individual needs every day depends on the individual’s gender, age, size, and level of activity. An average woman needs between 1,900 and 2,200 calories a day, while an average man will consume between 2,300 and 2,900. Another factor that determines the number of calories required by an individual is basal metabolic rate (BMR), the number of calories needed to sustain the body at rest. Activity level is especially important in determining caloric intake; whatever calories are consumed and not burned off through activity will be converted into fat.
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Question 2: Describe and discuss appetite.
Answer 2: The feeling of hunger can be caused by up to 12 different hormones and areas of the brain. There is even some speculation that the size of an individual’s fat cells may cause him or her to feel hungry. The appetite is the physiological desire to eat, and though it is thought to be the body’s means of avoiding failure, it can also be stimulated when the body does not really need food. Humans tend to stop eating when they reach the point of satiety, in which they are no longer hungry and feel full. Scientists have advanced the set-point theory of appetite, which contends that each individual has an internal system that is geared to regulate hunger and satiety so as to keep body fat at a certain rate.
Question 3: What is the relationship between exercise and weight loss?
Answer 3: Despite the appeal of quick solutions to obesity, exercise remains the best way to reduce weight and maintain weight loss. Many people think that increasing exercise will make them want to eat more; in actuality, frequent exercise tends to reduce the appetite, and since it raises the rate of metabolism, it also helps keep weight off. There are numerous other advantages to exercise in regard to weight; exercise burns off fat reserves and increases muscle mass. Since muscle tends to use calories more quickly than fat, this means it will be more difficult for the individual to put on pounds of fat. In study after study, individuals who exercise regularly are shown to be more likely to lose weight and keep it off.
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