Energy flux describes the level of calorie intake and calorie expenditure for a person. If a person eats little and exercises little, they have a low energy flux. If they eat a lot and exercise a lot, they have a high energy flux.
To put it simply, the human body is made for a high energy flux. Hunter-gatherers exercised a lot obtaining food, and also ate a great deal when the opportunity came about. If you operate at a low energy flux, you are sending the wrong signals to your body. From an evolutionary standpoint, a low energy flux of diminished eating and little activity sends the message that 1) exisiting food is low, and 2) opportunities for new food sources are not good (or you would be out "exercising" after them). This is not the recipe for fat loss; instead the body will interpret these signals as potential starvation.
A new study highlights these concepts in relation to heart disease. “The fact is that those who both exercised more and ate more nevertheless had low cardiovascular mortality,” said the study's lead author. The press release also mentions that those who eat less won’t necessarily be thinner, and how eating more does not have to translate into obesity.
Eating less is not the right way to lose weight or improve health. Operating at a high energy flux is what our Stone Age bodies are built for.
Energy flux describes the level of calorie intake and calorie expenditure for a person. If a person eats little and exercises little, they have a low energy flux. If they eat a lot and exercise a lot, they have a high energy flux.
To put it simply, the human body is made for a high energy flux. Hunter-gatherers exercised a lot obtaining food, and also ate a great deal when the opportunity came about. If you operate at a low energy flux, you are sending the wrong signals to your body. From an evolutionary standpoint, a low energy flux of diminished eating and little activity sends the message that 1) exisiting food is low, and 2) opportunities for new food sources are not good (or you would be out "exercising" after them). This is not the recipe for fat loss; instead the body will interpret these signals as potential starvation.
A new study highlights these concepts in relation to heart disease. “The fact is that those who both exercised more and ate more nevertheless had low cardiovascular mortality,” said the study's lead author. The press release also mentions that those who eat less won’t necessarily be thinner, and how eating more does not have to translate into obesity.
Eating less is not the right way to lose weight or improve health. Operating at a high energy flux is what our Stone Age bodies are built for.