The magnitude of the energy imbalance in obesity is generally underestimated

Abstract

As the efforts to defeat the obesity epidemic amplify around the world, it is important to understand the true magnitude of the energy imbalance associated with excess weight. The energy imbalance in a weight gain situation is the difference between the number of calories ingested and the total caloric expenditure on the same day. In this regard, it would be useful to quantify the size of the energy imbalance in a number of states such as in early and late weight gain. However, there is another dimension to the topic that has begun to receive some attention, and it is an issue of the utmost importance. It has to do with the so-called ‘energy gap.’ The energy gap is defined as the difference in the amount of calories consumed or expended between normal weight individuals and persons at various levels of excess weight but when weight stability is present.