Energy Balance

Energy Balance
We try to take inspiration for these articles from real threads in the club and there was one thread that stood out over the past fortnight. Sadly it stood out for many wrong reasons, but that doesn’t mean that the topic isn’t worth exploring in an informative not an aggressive/defensive way. We have actually explored the topic of thermodynamics in many indirect ways in the club and even mentioned it directly a few times. Now may be a good time to demystify it a bit and to see why I think we have misapplied thermodynamics in the world of dieting. I’ll try to share the current view along the way so that you can see what you think...

The laws of thermodynamics (usually just called thermodynamics) are also known as the laws of the universe and/or the laws of physics. These terms are used interchangeably and yet, in my experience of working with dieticians who quote them quite frequently, not many people have studied them to the level that allows them to talk about them quite so confidently. I learned the basics long ago doing applied maths and Andy learned about them from a very useful perspective as an engineering graduate. Our views have formed having debates about the laws from our different backgrounds and, hopefully, asking a lot of questions and applying some (not quite so common) sense.