3.2.

5 Metabolism – A Balancing Act

❖ Describe the education required for the position and the standard
salary range for individuals in this field. List at least five duties of
this biomedical professional. Under your list, write a short
paragraph describing how a dietitian or nutritionist might help the
patient you have been assigned.
■ Dietitian: Requires Bachelor's degree 4 yrs RD exam Both
$52,000-$66,000 a year; Access patients and clients health
needs/diets, counsel patients, develop meal plans, take
caution of cost of client preferences, take into account
medical and family history. Nutritionist: Responsibilities
include: plan meal plans/menus, determine dietary
needs/restrictions, counsel patients and educate the
families, consult other doctors in the diet planning process,
and educate the public.

❖ Record the standard values for BMI. What is considered a healthy

BMI? What BMI values are associated with being overweight or
obese?
■ 18.5 to 24.9. If your BMI is 30.0 or higher, it falls within
the obesity range.

❖ Record the calculated BMI on the Client Report and discuss the
implications of this value.
■ 17.5 BMI

❖ Rae is concerned about being classified as overweight. What might

you tell her to ease her worries?
■ Portion your food
❖ What are the limitations of using BMI as the sole indicator of
health?
■ BMI does not distinguish between excess fat, muscle, or
bone mass, nor does it provide any indication of the
distribution of fat among individuals.

❖ What other factors should healthcare professionals take into

account when advising a patient about weight, fitness, and overall
health?
■ Many factors can affect your weight, including your genes,
age, gender, lifestyle, family habits, culture, sleep, and even
where you live and work. Some of these factors can make it
hard to maintain or achieve a healthy weight.

❖ Record BMR on the Client Report. Show your calculations.

■ BMR = 655.1 + (9.5663 Weight) + (1.85 Height) - (4.676 *
Age) BMR = = 655.1 + (9.5663 55.3383) + (1.85 177.8) -
(4.676 * 19) =1434.57 BMR: 1424.57 kcal

❖ Multiply the BMR you calculated by this activity factor to

determine the number of calories your client should consume daily
to maintain his or her current weight. This value is referred to as
the Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE). Show your work and
the final TDEE on the Client Report.
■ Because Trisha exercises daily for at least 30-60 minutes a
day, her energy factor according to the Harris-Benedict
Equation is about 1.725. 1424.57 * 1.9 = 2706.683 TDEE
= 2706.683

❖ What are factors that can increase or decrease BMR? Explain

each.
 ■ Factors that can increase or decrease BMR are gender,
hormones, body size, body composition, and age. Gender
can affect BMR because women process more body fat and
less muscle mass than men of a similar size.
Hypothyroidism is most common in women and hormones
have a severe impact on this. People with weight issues
probably have a problem with their thyroid. Body size
impacts BMR because the metabolic rate increases as
weight, height and surface area increases. As you get older
your metabolism is slower/decreases. Body composition is
a factor because fat tissue has lower metabolic activity that
muscle tissue.

❖ What are the health risks associated with high levels of saturated
fat and cholesterol in the diet? Think back to what you learned in
PBS.
■ Too much saturated fat can increase the amount of
cholesterol in the blood, which can increase the risk of
developing coronary artery disease and heart attack.

❖ Each gram of fat you consume provides over twice as many calories
as a gram of protein or carbohydrates. What does this tell you
about your body’s ability to burn off these three fuels? Which
would require the most energy to burn?
■ Since each gram of fat you consume provides over twice as
many calories as a gram of fat, this tells us that it requires
more energy to burn off fats than it does to burn off protein
or carbohydrates.

❖ Compare how much energy your client uses during a typical day
(the TDEE) to how much energy he or she consumes (average
calorie consumption per day). Calculate a difference. According to
 these values, is your client consuming too many or too few calories?
Record the calorie deficit or surplus on the Client Report.
■ TDEE - daily calorie consumption = energy lost or gained

❖ Predict your client’s expected weight loss or gain if he continues

these activities and eating patterns for one month. Use the
information below to help you estimate this value and record your
findings on the Client Report.
■ [daily calorie consumption]x[30 (days)] then decided by
3,500 to find pounds.

❖ Analyze your client's food choices and compare their consumption

of carbohydrate, fats, protein, and sodium with the daily
recommended values (DRVs) - you need to memorize the DRVs.
■ Protein: 50g Fats: 40-70g Carbs: 300g Sodium: 2,300mg

❖ Describe how being overweight affects at least three other body

systems.
■ Carrying extra fat leads to serious health consequences
such as cardiovascular disease (mainly heart disease and
stroke), type 2 diabetes, musculoskeletal disorders like
osteoarthritis, and some cancers (endometrial, breast and
colon).

❖ Describe how being underweight affects at least three other body

systems.
■ If you are underweight, you may be at greater risk of
certain health conditions, including malnutrition,
osteoporosis, decreased muscle strength, hypothermia and
lowered immunity.
❖ Explain how a nutritionist or dietitian might help an athlete train
for a major competition, race, or game.
■ A nutritionist or dietitian might help an athlete train for a
major competition, race or game by making sure that they
are eating the right foods and enough of them.