The caloric balance of one`s diet is one factor in determining your overall physical health. You are in caloric balance when, after a while, the amount of calories you eat matches the volume of calories you shed through metabolism and normal activity. In caloric excess, you take in much more calories than you utilize and can cause gaining more weight. In addition, a caloric deficit means you are losing more calories than you eat, allowing you to lose body mass. When you are growing, a caloric excess is important, but unintentionally eating more than you may need leads to unwanted putting on weight. Deliberately putting yourself in the caloric deficit which will then help you shed unwanted body fat; but, shedding pounds when you don’t mean to can often mean a health issue that really needs medical attention.