Over the course of a year, how accurately can people regulate their energy intake and expenditure?

The ability of individuals to accurately regulate their energy intake and expenditure is generally limited due to a variety of factors, including biological, psychological, and environmental influences. Research suggests that people typically struggle to maintain precise control over their energy balance, often leading to deviations due to factors such as hunger cues, food environment, emotional eating, and the difficulty of accurately tracking food intake and physical activity.

The figure of 1% reflects the realistic range of accuracy that individuals can achieve when monitoring and managing their energy balance over a long period, such as a year. This specific percentage highlights the challenge of consistently keeping energy intake and expenditure aligned, as even small miscalculations can lead to significant deviations over time.

In contrast, the higher percentages, like 3%, 5%, or 10%, imply a level of precision that is often unattainable for most individuals due to the complexity of daily life and the numerous variables that can affect energy regulation. Factors such as metabolic adaptation, variable physical activity levels, and changes in appetite can all impact how accurately one can manage energy intake and expenditure, making the 1% figure a more realistic estimation of human capability in this area.