Documentation

Resources on Within-Day Energy Balance

Document 1

This journal article, published in the July 2007 issue of the American College of Sports Medicine's Health and Fitness Journal, discusses the reasons why within-day energy balance is a critically important strategy for improving weight and body composition.

ACSMHFJ-July07-Benardot.pdf

 

Document 2

This journal article, published in 2000 in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, assessed the within-day energy balance of 4 groups of elite athletes (artistic gymnasts, rhythmic gymnasts, middle-distance runners, and long-distance runners) and found that those who restricted caloric intake the most during the day, had the highest body fat levels.

Energy Deficits and Body Comp-MSSE.pdf

 

Document 3

This podcast is an interview between Dr. Monte and Dr. Benardot, recorded live for Fitness Rocks in 2008, and includes a discussion of within-day energy balance. 


Fitness_Rocks_Podcast_085.mp3

 

Document 4

This is an excerpt from a book by Susan Kleiner and Magie Greenwood-Robinson, entitled 'Power Eating' (Human Kinetics Publisher, © 2009).  This chapter, entitled 'Implement an Antifat Diet Strategy' discusses Dr. Benardot's findings and dietary principles related to within-day energy balance.

Implement an antifat diet strategy.pdf

 

Document 5

This article, by New York Times correspondent Gina Kolata, appeared  in the Science section of The New York Times on July 18, 2006. This article discussed the strategies the USA marathoners followed leading up to and including the 2004 Athens Olympic Games marathon.  Dr. Benardot's within-day energy balance strategy is discussed. (The 2004 Athens Olympics marathon ended up being the first time in history the USA won two Olympic marathon medals at the same Olympic games.)

NYTimes_Race_to_the_Swift.pdf

 

Document 6

The women's 2004 Olympic Marathon Coach, Julia Emmons, wrote this article in the Jan/Feb 2005 issue of Marathon & Beyond.  She discussed the Olympic experience for the marathoners, and included multiple references to the within-day energy balance strategies followed by the Olympians leading up to the Olympic marathon.

They Practice on Mountains_Marathon&Beyond.pdf

 

Introduction to Within-Day Energy Balance

Within-Day Energy Balance is a new way to look at energy balance.  Traditionally, energy balance has been assessed in 24-hour units (i.e., assess caloric intake over 24 hours; then assess caloric expenditure over the same 24 hours; and then assess the ratio between the two.)  However, assessing energy balance in this way misses the very important energy surpluses and deficits that occur during the day, making it difficult to understand why people respond they way they do even when they have an apparent perfect end-of-day energy balance.  These documents will help you understand the within-day energy balance principles, and will help you see why understanding within-day energy balance is critically important in weight, body composition, athletic performance, and sense of well-being. Most people do very well when within-day energy balance stays between ± 400 calories, and the NutriTiming® system makes it easy for users to see when they are with that range (optimum range is 'green' in screenshot below.)

 

 

Within-Day Energy Balance Screen from: NutriTiming® for iOS devices