HOW MANY CALORIES DO WE BURN PER DAY?

HOW MANY CALORIES DO WE BURN PER DAY?

The human body has four ways of burning calories during the day: Basal Metabolism – calorie Consumption tied to work – Calorie consumption tied to digestion – Calorie Consumption tied to sports.

1: BASAL METABOLISM:

This is what lets a person burn calories (basal) even while at rest.  The process is different in each individual.  The general rule is that the heavier the body, the more calories it consumes, but its a good idea to keep in mind that the muscular mass (the so-called lean mass) consumes a great deal more than the fatty mass (adipose tissue).  In other words, although they weigh the same, a person with a good muscle structure burns many more calories than a person with a weaker one.

If you know how many calories foods contain its easier to decide what and when to eat, and this helps to keep your diet under control.  The problem, however, is managing to calculate by yourself how much “Fuel” is needed a day.  In other words, how many calories to consume in eating to offset energy consumption.

There is a formula, (using statistical constants), giving the average consumption of a person who is neither thin nor fat.  Here it is:

MEN:

66.5 + (13.75 x the person’s weight in KG) + (5 x height in cm) – (6.75 x age in years)

WOMEN:

66.5 + (9.55 x the person’s weight in KG) + (1.8 x height in cm) – (4.7 x age in years)

For Example:

A man weighing 90kg, 185cm tall and 40years old will have a basal metabolism of: 66.5 + (13.75 x 90) + (5 x 185) – (6.75 x 40) = 1959Kcal

2: Calorie Consumption Tied to One’s Work:

As a rule, the following percentages have to be added to basal metabolism:

• Sedentary work (office worker, student) – Basal Metabolism + 20%
• Moderate work (housewife, salesperson) – Basal Metabolism + 40%
• Very High work (loader, lumberjack) – Basal Metabolism + 80%

3: Calorie Consumption Tied to Digestion:

We can presume an equal amount for all, 200Kcal.

4: Calorie consumption Tied to Physical Exercise:

The number of calories burned at the end of a workout appears on the monitors of cardio machines in gyms.

The number of calories each person burns in a day should be offset by calorie intake from the food if you want to keep body weight constant.  If, on the contrary, you want to lose a few pounds, you’ll have to work on both sides of the scale: less calories intake from food and/or more calories burned in exercise.

Tags: calorie burning, calories, Fitness, Health, Weight Loss

Category: Nutrition (weightloss)