Question

Given the relatively modest number of calories burned by anything but the most vigorous activities, why can people consume over 2,000 kilocalories a day, yet maintain a healthy body weight?View Available Hint(s)Given the relatively modest number of calories burned by anything but the most vigorous activities, why can people consume over 2,000 kilocalories a day, yet maintain a healthy body weight?Not all calories are created equal, so a person who consumes 2,000 kilocalories of sugar- and fat-laden processed food will gain weight, whereas a person who consumes 2,000 calories of nonprocessed, low-carbohydrate food will not.People really should exercise vigorously for one to two hours per day.They can't, and this has led to a problem of obesity in the United States.Most of the energy consumed in food is spent maintaining the body's functions, so only a fraction of food energy needs to be burned in exercise.

Answer 1

Much of the caloric intake is used to maintain normal body functioning -- heart rate, respiration, muscle contraction, etc.. Therefore, only some of the calories are actually stored as fuel for later use.

Step-by-step explanation:

In the question, there is a comment to indicate that 2,000 of low-carbohydrate food will not cause weight gain. This is not exactly accurate. Weight gain depends upon what is taken in (calories in food) and what is expended (calories in activity).

There has to be moderation in what is consumed. Consuming all fats or all carbs is not the answer. Yes, fat has more calories per gram (9) than does carbohydrates (4.5), but it should be noted that if you take in too many calories in carbs, they will be converted and stored as fat.