Lifestyle Analysis Essay

The Lifestyle Analysis Project has helped analyze the diet and exercise that I follow and highlighted the areas of nutrition I need to work on to maintain my personal heath. When I calculated my energy balance I found that I am in “energy equilibrium”, meaning that I take in enough calories, in accordance with exercising to burn off calories, to maintain my current body weight. However, my energy balance was 499 kcals, and after 500 kcals in excess one begins to gain weight. Since I am on the border of weight gain, to continue to keep my weight where it is now I could take in a few fewer calories or add more exercise to my daily life. My total carbohydrate intake is 52.59% of my daily calories. With the DRI recommendation of 45-65% of total calories being from carbohydrates, I fall nearly in the middle of the provided range. Proper intake of carbohydrates is needed to maintain the body’s energy; red blood cells can’t use any other form of energy, and the brain and nerve tissues prefer carbohydrates. Without carbohydrates the body resorts to breaking down protein to make glucose and converting fat to ketone bodies, which can eventually accumulate and cause ketosis. My total fat intake is 34%, compared to the DRI recommendation of 15-35% of total calories from fat. I fall high on this range, …show more content…
However, although I met my major nutrient needs it wasn’t through necessarily nutrient-dense food. Often times my food in energy dense and processed instead, which explains why my saturated fat intake is over where it should be. Should I continue this diet throughout my life I would be at a greater risk for obesity due to my high fat intake and low rate of exercise, and along with obesity would come cardiovascular risks. Since my family has a history of heart disease already it would be wise to alter my diet to provide more healthy, whole foods rather than snacks and fast