How Many Calories Do I Burn In A Day, is a common question you may have, and you will need to know for your weight loss meal plan.
First you need to get your BMR.
BMR = Basal metabolic rate. We all have one. It’s different for each person based upon their age, weight, height and sex. I just calculated mine on THIS SITE and it is 1363.25. That’s how many calories I need to consume each day just to be alive.
Then you use the Harris Benedict Equation which is based upon how many calories (approximately) you expend each day. You get to pick between five choices, Sedentary, Lightly Active, Moderately Active, Very active, or Extra Active. What each means is on THIS SITE, where I chose Very Active, because I wanted to be on the safe side. It tells me to multiply my BMR (1363.25) by 1.725.
1363.25 x 1.725 = 2351
2351 is the number of calories I need to consume in a day to maintain my weight.
Now, to lose the weight……
There are 3500 calories in a pound. You must create a deficit of 3500 calories over several days via exercise or lowering calorie consumption. Usually people aim to create a deficit like this or 7000 calories over a week. That is widely known as the most common, effective & healthy way to lose weight. This way you lose 1 – 2 lbs a week.
So, how do you determine calories consumed & calories burned? I use SparkPeople to track my calories. Some folks use MyFitnessPal (btw add me here – http://www.myfitnesspal.com/profile/kyrawilliamscf or the username KyraWilliamsCF). Some folks use iPhone apps. Some folks do it the old fashioned way and write it out. The websites are nice because they do the calculations for you and tell you your ranges. They are kind of a pain to set up but they are so awesome once you get them set up. When I first began tracking I did my first day eating my normal food & I found I was eating like 2500 calories a day and about 300 g of carbs!!!!!!!!!!! So I HIGHLY recommend doing this.
As far as how many calories you burn in a class, doing some kind of activity, etc you really need a heart rate monitor for an accurate reading. If someone says, “you can burn 500 calories in an hour of my spin class,” this is BS. A 120 pound 45 year old woman with 32% body fat is not going to burn nearly as many calories as a 210 pound, 28 year old man with 9% body fat.
Your age, your weight, your level of conditioning and the amount of muscle you have on your body makes a huge difference. More muscle burns through more calories.
That’s where I come in!
I build custom meal plans for clients everyday! I create weight loss meal plans off of each individual’s goals, body type, daily schedule, foods you like/ dislike/ cannot eat, workout program and anything else forseeable!
Do you know how many calories you need to lose weight?
Do you need help with which ones are the best and need a meal plan made just for you?
Sign up for online training here and let me help!
2 replies to "How Many Calories Do I Burn In A Day"
Hello Kyra!
I would very much appreciate help with meal planning. I am especially terrible at not eating breakfast! I have been trying to drink a whey protein isolate after working out before hitting the road though this past week.
I am up and exercising by 5:00 am and on the road commuting to work by 6:30. I get home in the evening about 5:00 PM. I am usually pretty good about eating a healthy supper and then I’m off to bed! I am not very good about a decent lunch or we call it dinner here in the upper mid west. I have been bringing fruit mostly and eat while driving from one facility to the next. 🙁 Apples, grapes, bananas and oranges usually. I know that this is not a very effective diet for building muscle but it is very hard for me to find time to eat during the day as I have to complete my work schedule around patient’s schedules in nursing homes. I need simple things that can be eaten while I am typing documentation on a patient visit or while driving. That’s asking a lot huh? Sorry! Angie Root
I’ll email you shortly!