Knowing your basal metabolic rate (BMR) is the key to knowing how many calories you should, or shouldn’t eat in a day. Simply put, your BMR is the minimum amount of calories your body requires on a daily basis to complete its basic functions (i.e. breathing, sleeping keeping your heart beating or regulating your internal temperature). Your BMR is dependent upon your age, height, and weight and gender. If you’ve noticed that every year, it becomes harder to eat whatever you want and stay slim, then, you may have discovered that your BMR decreases as you age. The good news is that a regular routine of cardiovascular exercise (walking, jogging, swimming, aerobics, etc) can increase your BMR.
Once you know your BMR, then you can determine your Total Daily Caloric Expenditure by adding to that number, the number of calories used (i.e. energy burned) in your physical activity and the energy burned in digesting your food … yes digesting your food is work and uses caloric energy.
Once you have estimated your total daily caloric expenditure, you can more accurately calculate how many calories you can afford to eat (i.e. your daily calorie budget) and how much exercise you need to do every day to maintain, gain or lose weight to meet your healthy weight goals.
Basic Daily Caloric Expenditure Calculation
1 – Estimating your BMR
Calculating your BMR can be a very scientific process, but here is a quick “back of the envelope” sort of calculation which gives a good estimate.
BMR = your body weight (in pounds) multiplied by 10.
Example: 186 pounds x 10 calories/pound = 1,860 calories
Another more accurate way of calculating your BMR is called the Harris-Benedict Formula This formula takes into consideration your gender and age along with your weight. Visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basal_metabolic_rate for the formula.
Alternatively, you can visit this site for an online BMR Calculator that takes your age, weight and gender into account. http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/
2. Next factor in Calories Used in Physical Activity
Multiply your BMR by the appropriate activity level factor, as follows:
Physical Activity Calories = (BMR x Activity Level):
- Sedentary: 20% (Sitting most of the day)
- Lightly Active: 37.5% (Walking here and there; daily chores)
- Moderately Active: 40% (Constantly moving around; daily exercise)
- Very Active: 50% (Heavy exercise for prolonged periods of time, such as training for a sport)
Example: 1,860 calories x 0.20 = 372 calories for a sedentary person.
3 – Next Factor in The Calories Used During Digestion
Calories used during digestion, are estimated at 10% for the general population..
Digestion Calories = (BMR + activity level ) x 10%:
Example: (1860 + 372 calories) x 0.10 = 223 calories
4. Total Daily Caloric Expenditure = (BMR Calories + Physical Activity Calories + Digestion Calories)
Therefore, in order to maintain my current weight I burn an average of 2,455 calories every day to support my body’s most basic needs, activity level and digestion of food.
Now that I know my daily caloric expenditure, I can figure out how many calories I need to reduce in my diet in order to reach my weight loss goal.
Keep in mind that one pound of fat is equal to 3,500 calories. Therefore as a general rule of thumb, to loose 1 pound per week, I must take in a negative 500 calories a day or negative 3,500 calories per week. I can reduce the calories by a combination of eating less and exercising more to lose weight. So you see it’s pretty simple, if the total number of calories burned is more then the calories consumed it will lead to weight loss.
My goal is to lose 30 pounds over the next 6 months; that’s approximately 1.15 pounds (4,025 calories) of fat in per week or 575 fewer calories each day. My plan is to eat 375 fewer calories and maintain a daily exercise routine that will burn up 200 calories per day.
So I’m off to the gym to find out what how long I need to exercise on the elliptical to burn at least 200 calories . I’ll let you know how things go.
My question for you:
What exercises do you do? How frequently do you do them? How many calories do you burn while exercising? Okay that’s 3 questions but you must admit they are all closely related.
Talk with you soon,
Lori
Weight Loss Success Stories for BlackWomensHealth.com 
July 5, 2011 at 4:46 am
hi sir my name is ramesh and im obese my body weight is 108kg which i increased during this last 6 to 7 months bef i was weighing 97kg jst half a yr ago nw i have increased my weight so drastically tht i feel bad i was myself a athelete sir i lost rhythm nw again i started doing my gym workout as i use to do 2yr back i did my gym for 7yr than i went to russia for further study where i los t my rhythm nw iam doing treadmill for 35 min at a speed of 4.5km/hr bef i use to do for 7 nw bec weight increased my leg muscles get hurt n my knees to tht why i dnt want to strain so tht i get injury than i do weights for heavy workouts for 35 to 40mins everyday inthe evening as iam a doct whole day i have to sit so offcourse my BMR is going to decrease so pl kindly tell me wat kind of diet should i prefare i think workout is ok wat do u suggest pl kindly guide me as my target is to going on to 70kg so i have to lose atleast 20 to 30 kg pl help
June 28, 2011 at 9:24 pm
hi my name is alexis, and im 5’5, and wiegh 161 lbs..i want to lose 30lbs before i go back to school. each pound is 3,500 calories..and i need to lose 1,500 a day to lose wieght before i go back to school, its goin to be a challenge but its my dream to have a skinny body…i want to be 120 lbs or under…:)
June 28, 2011 at 12:26 am
I have lost 6 kgs in 4 weeks..
been following a no/low carb diet and of course working out 2x a day 5 x a weeks…morning and evening..morning time i go on the treadmill and evening i do a combination of pilates and weight training..my clothes fit better and of course seeing 84 on the weighing scale has been amazing..from 90kgs!
my aim is to loose another 6 kgs by the end of 2011 and would like to be 78 and stay that way in 2012:)
I do cheat a lil bit once in a while, like few sips of carbonated drinks when i am really thirsty!
i have not touched bread in 4 weeks and i think that bread is the worst for you…i havent touched pasta too…i have had few tbspoons of rice in the 4 weeks… other than that just vegetables, tofu, salads, fruits…
June 28, 2011 at 12:25 am
I have lost 6 kgs in 4 weeks..
been following a no/low carb diet and of course working out 2x a day 5 x a weeks…morning and evening..morning time i go on the treadmill and evening i do a combination of pilates and weight training..my clothes fit better and of course seeing 84 on the weighing scale has been amazing..from 90kgs!
my aim is to loose another 6 kgs by the end of 2011 and would like to be 78 and stay that way in 2012:)
I do cheat a lil bit once in a while, like few sips of carbonated drinks when i am really thirsty!
i have not touched bread in 4 weeks and i think that bread is the worst for you…i havent touched pasta too…i have had few tbspoons of rice in the 4 weeks… other than that just vegetables, tofu, salads, fruits…
June 18, 2011 at 2:48 pm
I am 19 years old, 140lbs, and 5’5″. I used to run track, which kept me very fit and healthy, but since I have graduated I do not have enough time to work out as much. I want to get back to my standard 128lbs, any suggestions for how to fit in exercise in a tight schedule?
June 13, 2011 at 1:10 pm
so your weight times 10 and thats how many calories u burn?
June 12, 2011 at 10:01 am
hi i am 14 years old i weigh 56 kg and my height 152cm.
i really need to lose 6kg in the next 40 days, is that possible and if it is can you please tell me how 🙂 ?
June 10, 2011 at 4:56 am
I was 90 kgs, and have lost 2.5 kgs in 10 days. I have been cutting out on carbs and having a diet rich in fruits, tofu and vegetables. I have not touched rice, pasta, bread in 10 days. I work out in the morning 4-5x a week at speed 7km/h for 45-50 mins and then in the evening i do pilates/weights 4 x a week. I feel lighter and good. Is it ok to continue this diet?
8am- workout treadmill 45-50mins 7km/h speed
9am- papaya+watermelon
12:30- tofu steamed with 1 vegetable stirfry no oil very less low sodium salt
5:30- tofu steamed with some sauce and 1 vegetable stirry in adiff style
630-workout
8:30 – 1 pc of green apple or water apple
June 13, 2011 at 1:13 pm
i’m not trying to lose a lot of wieght,
i’m just trying to stay my size
mabey i’m trying to get a little skinnier
but ya
June 16, 2011 at 10:02 pm
You do need to have carbs in your diet, your body needs them to work properly. Try adding 100% whole grains, the get the carbs that your body needs and your body knows what to do with. Stay away from carbs that come from enriched flower.
July 4, 2011 at 10:21 pm
I would suggest you’re too low on calories – your body WILL go into starvation mode – and you’ll start burning muscle (rather than fat) – sort of a double edged sword. Just be careful – ask yourself if this is sustainable?
Starting at 218 lbs 6 weeks ago I followed a deficit of 500 cals / day and moderately exercised 2-4 times / week.
exercise is better in morning – before eating, but I had to do in evenings
1/2 hour after waking – 1 whey protein shake with banana
10 am – med sz apple
lunch – chicken breast & salad
3 pm – 12 almonds (or other nuts)
dinner – chicken/tuna/turkey/bison/white fish, steamed veggies, spag squash
8 pm – 2 cups plain airpopped popcorn
several options for substitution, but 24.2 lbs in 6 weeks and counting.
May 29, 2011 at 6:51 am
Do not underestimate any kind of excercise, even moving back and forth in front of an elevator waiting for it to open, what is even better is to use the stairs instead!
June 13, 2011 at 1:15 pm
i would just like to know how many calories to eat if your trying to lose just a little weight
May 25, 2011 at 12:00 pm
I was wondering what my basic calorie burn was per day doing nothing. (i work from home on computer) i dont get the chance to workout much. ive been able to cut out a 1000 calories a day, but i think it might be to much =\ i dont think cutting a bunch of calories will lead to faster lose
June 15, 2011 at 12:55 pm
You might, if at all possible, sub the desk chair with an excerise ball. That can work out your core! Hope this helps!
May 14, 2011 at 7:35 pm
Hi, I’m 18, female, 5′ 1″ and 149 lbs. What is the best way to lose stomach fat? I’ve tried running and such but all it does is take off lbs from my bust area.
June 19, 2011 at 2:45 pm
No way to target fat loss. Unfortuantely the belly is one of the last to go.
June 22, 2011 at 9:05 am
There’s actually no way to target fat loss, no matter what people try to sell you. The most you can do is continue to fight towards a fit body through exercise and healthy eating. If you build up some muscle it’ll work towards fighting your fat more even while you’re sitting, which will help fat loss and make you more fit all around but, ultimately, there is no way to lose fat in one specific area.
April 26, 2011 at 6:44 pm
Hi, Im 15 years old, and I weigh usually between 86-90 pounds. I looked up my BMI and it says I need 880 calories a day. Is that right? I steadily exercise every day between 3-4 times a day. I bike ride for 15 minutes when I get home, and relax, then after dinner, I bike fr a half hour, then come home and lift my 10 pound weight for about 5 minutes. then I finish off with crunches. I’m jsut confused on the concept of where I need to be. Ive been trying to keep at 1,000 calories but idk if thats to much or not, and I exercise every day. Help please?
April 26, 2011 at 6:47 pm
Oh, and I’m on a very healthy diet. I eat plenty of grains, protiens, and fruits and veggies, and rarely have any treats, and I only drink water, and green tea.
June 19, 2011 at 8:57 pm
bmr is your basic metabolic rate, so basically what you burn if you where a vegetable but you’re not so you actually need more than 880 calories a day <=eating less than 1200 calories a day is extremely unhealthy
about 1355 calories a day should be right for the bmr you listed, which is wrong since i tried it and it said 1258 assuming you're 5'
if that's the case then you need 1937 calories to maintain your current weight
April 22, 2011 at 9:32 pm
Hi! my name is Randy im 5’5, 196 pounds and i am a 22 year old female. I have always been at leat 30 pounds over weight since i was about 12 years old and now after 2 kids 196 is the wors i have been. I’m tierd of beeing like this!!!. I started reserching calorie intake and honestly did not know how important it was. I started doing yoga about a week ago 2-3 times a week for 30 minuts. Im also drinking about 11 glasses of water and eating 1700 calories a day. I also play with my kids, clean my apartment and cook for my hubby, i also do about 200 sit ups randomly during the day maybe about 3 times a week…
What do you recomend my calorie intake should be to lose 2 pounds a week? and how many calories do you think i may burn a day?
I have been doing good an my calorie counting since i started 2 weeks ago but on friday i ate 2300 calories and today (saturday) 2000, Can that ruin my whole 2 weeks of sacrifice. I’m kinda getting use to my calorie intake, of 1700 but sometimes spagetti night and muffin saturday can end up being a big temptation for me.
HELP PLEACE!!!!!!!!!! THANX
July 2, 2011 at 4:16 am
OhMy! Its totally okay to eat a muffin (more like a half one) once a week. but at least try to maintain calories in and out. So, yeah. your weekend of indulgence cost approximately a day of work depending on how you look at it. 500 extra calories and the same amount of exercise of those days.
This is what I’m thinking and correct me if Im off: you do average exercise. so we will say that on average you burn about 800 calories just doing what you do already which means in order to have enough calories to do what you do you only need 1200 calories a day. IF you are 196 and subtract 500 calories from that (because 500X7days a week=3500=1lb) then to lose a lb you need to reduce your calories to 1460. Then the other workout stuff that you do moderately throughout the week should help put you at a weight loss of 2 lb easily per week until you get to about 10-15 lbs of your ideal weight where you will experience a plateau…. Here is where I have trouble. if you do this eating a little more calories on the weekend will also not effect you to any noticeable level.
April 18, 2011 at 1:28 pm
Hey,
I have a question. If I sit at a computer for MOSt of the day, but I exercise at the gym for 1-1.5 hours 6 days a week, is this enough exercise??? And how many Calories should I be eating? (I do Cardio kick 3x per week, Elliptical for 20 min twice a week, running for 20 min 3x per week, and weights for like 30-40 min 3x per week).
April 14, 2011 at 7:17 pm
Hi, my name is adele. I’m 14 and I weight 96 pounds. I was just wondering if it would be ok for me to jog for 15-20 minutes per day, without dropping to much weight. I just like to keep up with a healthy life style to keep in fit.
April 14, 2011 at 7:21 pm
And I forgot to mention that I’m 5’0
April 14, 2011 at 7:12 pm
I am 13
April 7, 2011 at 6:17 pm
I am 26 years old and I need to lose about 40 pounds. Of course, I want to do it quickly. I space out my meals and snacks to where I eat six times per day. Unexpectedly, that keeps me full even though I weight train every morning and I do manual labor.
I have been doing this for a week, and I have lost seven pounds. I don’t think this is what I was looking for, but I feel better now than I have in 3 years (since I started packing on the pounds!).
I think I’ll add a little more to breakfast or lunch to reach 1,500 calories for intake. I can tell you that being fat sucks, but the weight comes off quickly if you work hard and eat right. If you are at or near your ideal weight, it will be much harder to lose weight.
I am supposed to be around 160-170, I’ll let you know when I get there!
March 27, 2011 at 4:50 pm
Hi, im 14, and i weigh 250, at “6’2” so basicly, i would be loosing “3,781.25 pounds” a day from your method? so i can loose basicly a pound a day? doesnt make sense
March 15, 2011 at 3:34 pm
hi..
M 22 years old & 5.6 feet girl,i started at 95 KG & am right now around 86 KG and my target is 75-80 KG in another 2,3 months.I use treadmill daily for 60 min,n i burn 400-500 calories daily.But for the last week my weight stays at 86 KG,my wright is not coming down wht can i do now kindly help..:( i eat at around 500-1000 calories daily is it enough?Exactly how much calories should i need to burn & as well how much calories i need to consume?
Thanks.
March 14, 2011 at 4:50 pm
hi.
M 22 years old n my height is 5.6 feet I started at 93 KG & am right now around 87 KG in 2 months and my target is 75 in another 2 months.i use readmil daily for 60 min,n burn around 400-500 calories daily.And i eat around 1000 calories per day
i just need to know exactly how much calories do i burn daily n how much calories do i need to consume daily???
To achieve my target :))
Thanks.
March 7, 2011 at 4:20 pm
I’m 46 and 135 and i want to lose weight. i’m 5’3 and want to be back around 120-125.
I’m walking every day but not losing ??
March 7, 2011 at 5:06 pm
HI Natalie,
As we get older our metabolism’s slow down, so we may have to do a little more to loose weight then we did when we were younger. If you are not losing weight I’d look in two areas.
1). What are you eating? I’m not just talking about the number of calories. The types of foods you eat and how you combine them can also play a big factor in your ability to loose weight. Without getting real complicated, try eating more fruits and vegetables and eating them as close to their natural state as possible. By that I mean, if you had a side serving of broccoli that was steamed and well seasoned with herbs, versus a side of broccoli with cheese sauce, which do you think has the fewer calories. If you guessed the broccoli with herb seasoning your’re correct. Another example is a baked potato versus a potato chip. The potato chip has been processed, which often means that many of the nutrients have been stripped away and the frying adds calories. So keep it simple, eat natural foods and make sure your plate is colorful.
2). How long are you walking and how fast are you walking. If you are strolling along you won’t burn as many calories as you would if it was a brisk walk. Also, you may want to add some variety to your walking. I live in a area of country where it’s cold during the winter, and this winter I was introduced to a DVD by Leslie Sansom called “Walk at Home” http://www.walkathome.com. I bring this up, because if you do her 30 minute workout (which is the amount of time the American Heart Association recommends that you exercise each day) you really work up a sweat, and you exercise just about every major muscle in your body…including your arms. So make sure you’re walking or exercising at a pace that will raise your heart rate to a healthy level and do it for at least 30 minutes.
Finally, even if you think you’re not losing weight, don’t give up. It takes time. It may take several weeks before you begin to see results. You may find that your clothes are fitting better, but you’re not losing weight yet. That’s because muscle weighs more then fat. So you’re getting more trim and fit. The weight loss will come. Hang in there.
January 27, 2011 at 8:58 pm
Hey I recently decided to tone and get into shape. My bmi is 23.9. I weigh 150lbs, and am 5’7″. I want to get down to about 14% body fat. I use to have a very fast metabolism where I never gained any weight. I am now 24 and see myself with love handles and the pear shape I never had. I just want to tone and strengthen. I am going to school for massage and I need to build up my stamina for this. What would a good diet and exercise be? I crave sugar all the time, like an addiction. I try to avoid it but I always give in. Anyone have any ideas for that as well? Hope to hear from you all!!
January 10, 2011 at 3:20 am
Hi my name is Sarah, I’m 21 years old, female, 5’1 and weigh 187 pounds/85kgs.
I’m quite active at work, walking around all day. I work 7.5 active hours for two days of the week and 5 hours for 3 days.
I’ve worked out that my BMR is 1666 .. is this right? and then if calculating the sort of thing I do during the day my calorie intake should be 2565.64 which seems like ALOT to me for how overweight I am.. today (it’s now after dinner time and I probably wont eat again for the night) I’ve eaten 1187.54
How on earth am I meant to eat that much food! I did Weight Watchers a while ago and I was allocated 23 points a day, I normally ate 16 points a day, once I started doing about 22 points each day I lost weight dramatically, 1.8kg in my first week (3.96pounds) and every week after that I lost a kilo (2.2pounds) or more. So yes, for me, eat more lose weight.. but I CAN’T.. it’s took much food. I struggled so badly to reach 22 points a day.. and as it shows with my calorie intake… Help me!
January 10, 2011 at 3:33 am
but then I take off 7500 so I can lose around a kilo a week it means I should have 1491.21 cal a day. So I’ve nearly reached my daily limit but I wont meet it cos I wont eat again tonight.
So should I eat more and will that help?
And what if I went for a half hour walk every night.. cos that will burn calories but.. I dunno it’s so confusing.
December 27, 2010 at 4:27 pm
Hey. Im around 5″3 and 15. Right now i weight around 147. I wanna be back to 120. I do cheer and thats about it. How many calories should I work off a day?
Thanks
December 12, 2010 at 4:01 pm
Hi. I would just like to say thanks for this! It’s coming up to Christmas (many temptings foods!) and I feel that knowing this will really help me with my dieting and weight-loss goals, and can also assist me to defeat the holiday bloating and weight gain, haha!
December 2, 2010 at 10:11 pm
first off I would like to thank you for sharing this with us. It was great. To answer your questions. I have a treadmill at home that I exercise on. I do a mixture of walking fast, jogging and running. I burn more than 500 calories a day by doing this.
I’m getting concerned though. I weighed myself yesterday and I was 143 pounds, today I was 146. I’m a 17 year old 5’5 girl. I take in about 500-650 calories a day. I started working out this week and I’m worried/puzzled as to why I’ve gained weight. Should I be losing weight soon? I want to get down to about 120 or 115 pounds. Any suggestions or insight to this? Thank you.
December 2, 2010 at 10:15 pm
also, I haven’t eaten more than 1000 calories in quite a while. I just can’t get myself to eat that much, I get full quick.
January 5, 2011 at 7:48 pm
Hi Amy,
I would just like to say that your not eating enough calories, anything less the a 1000 a day is not good for you. This is the reason why you are gaining weight and not losing it. Try to go on an 1600 calorie diet and keep exercising this should help you. Yes I do now what I am talking about my name is Micheal and I’m a registered dietation.
January 6, 2011 at 2:53 am
Hi Amy,
You have to eat more calories if you want to lose weight. Right now you are starving yourself so your body is fighting it and clinging on to everything you eat.
You said that you haven’t eaten more than 1000 calories in quite a while and you’re now down to 500-650 a day. This is not safe, especially since you are working out and burning upwards of 500 calories a day!
I used to starve myself in HS and it doesn’t work in the long run. You will eventually end up with an eating disorder like anorexia or you’ll snap and end up overeating and gaining more weight. It’s a vicious circle that can end up leading to lifelong bad habits.
Eat sensible, healthy foods that are high in fiber to keep you full and stay away from processed junk. Eating right and mixing up your exercise routine will lead to the results you’re looking for.
Hope this helps!
January 18, 2011 at 11:32 am
I am going to tell you my personal experience. I do not guarantee it will work for you, and I would recommend checking with a doctor or dietitian before attempting. I lost 13lbs over the past 2.5 weeks. I have been eating around 1000 calories a day (give or take), and I do a moderate to heavy 45-60 minutes of cardio and weights every day. I eat an apple for breakfast, oatmeal for lunch, and have a reasonable dinner. No snacks, no desserts, and nothing to drink but water. Depending on how much water you are drinking, your weight could fluctuate dramatically in the short-run. I’ve dropped from 210 to 197 so far. At 6’0″, my goal is 185 in the long run. Once I hit 195, though, I’m going to bump up my calories to allow for some juice and snacks. Give it time, be patient and good luck!
November 7, 2010 at 6:36 pm
Thank you this was very helpful I’m just starting a weight lose program and this will help me a good deal.
October 11, 2010 at 7:28 am
I use the machine at the gym that sort of makes it look like your skiing. Anyway, I set it to max resistance (20) and rock out Tabata Protocol on it. Doing this averages 19 calories burned per minute, so it says. I do about 2 to 4 rounds of tabata, and then I rest until my pulse is 130. I then go at a good pace (still max resistance), but I only do about 17 calories per minute, so not working as hard. I take 30-60 minutes breaks when I get to tired. Anyway, in 20 minutes I usually burn 300 calories. I often don’t stop until I’ve burned 500. Getting into the 800 range makes me feel naucious afterwords for an hour or so.
October 11, 2010 at 7:29 am
Damn, I meant I take 30-60 minute breaks when I feel too tired.
September 14, 2010 at 1:14 am
hi i am just wondering what are your calories are you saying calories with a small or large c cause a large c means that it is really 1000 and a small c means well just the number
October 11, 2010 at 3:09 pm
I did know that there was a difference between a capital “C” and a little “c” when discussing calories. Thanks for pointing that out. I was referring to the little “c” (i.e. the actual number of calories).
October 26, 2010 at 3:11 pm
actually all dietary and metabolic Calories are with a big C. The capital C is used in place of kcalories meaning thousands of calories. All the numbers about food and exercise use big C. Little c is defined as the amount of energy needed to heat 1 gram of water by one degree Celsius. Obviously this is a very small amount.
September 13, 2010 at 9:30 am
Hi, i am very upset to see that i walk daily for 30 to 45min and i have been doing this for 20 days but my weight is not decreasing. I need help to find out the reason. I have already controlled my daily intake calories.
Thanks
November 5, 2010 at 9:36 am
It sounds to me like you either need to increase your speed or maybe try walking with small weights, try 3 or 5 pound weights. That way you are increasing your heart rate that much more and toning your arms too! It helps me by listening to music while walking, you sort of get lost in the music and before you know it, your workout is done! Good luck, hope this helps!!
November 10, 2010 at 5:21 am
Walking generally doesn’t increase your herat rate enough count it ad cardio exercise (which you need to do to lose weight). Either walk on an incline (up hills), include some running or begin some work in the gym.
December 19, 2010 at 7:39 pm
You didn’t post your weight or you walking speed so I’ll assume your normal. 150lbs @ 3 mph,that is normal walking speed, burns about 170 calories in 45 minutes. You haven’t even burned up 1 pound yet.
December 20, 2010 at 9:53 am
If you weigh 150 lbs and walk 45 minutes at 3 mph, that’s average walking speed, you would burn about 170 calories. 170X20=3400. That is less than a pound.
September 8, 2010 at 12:15 am
First I would like to thank you for what you wrote above it’s very helpful. As for the 3 questions you would like me to answer:
What exercise do I do?
I do fitness program called INSANETY it’s an awesome work out (not recommended for everyone).
How frequently do I do them?
The program is multiple intents workouts you have to do one each day.
How many calories do I burn while exercising?
Well me personally I burn 600 calories and uo depends on how motivated I am that day, the most I burned was 850 calories and the infomercial claims that if you do it right and as recommend you would burn 1000 caloties.
I hope I answered your questions fully.
Thank you again.
November 30, 2010 at 1:31 pm
Frank,
Doing INSANITY how do you know how many calories you have burned? I have the program but it would be nice to know how many I’ve burned per session.
August 26, 2010 at 10:35 pm
Hello there.
Well I do burn 200 calories every day while doing “Elliptical” and after that I do 100 “Push ups” and “Crunches”. And on weekends I go for my “Basketball couching” for 3 hours, both the time at morning and at afternoon too.
So, is that good enough for me? Ha or for anyone?
Oh by the way I am 17 years old and I weigh 53.
August 18, 2010 at 5:24 pm
I use Weight-By-Date which does all these calculations for me and explains everything step by step. I can log my food and exercise daily and it shows me exactly how much more calories or exercise I need to reach my goal. And it links to my phone too! It has got to be the best thing I have ever found.
August 9, 2010 at 9:22 am
Hi,
This was very helpful, thank you!
July 14, 2010 at 10:53 pm
hi
i started dieting and exercising 2 weeks ago, iam doing 40 minutes daily on the treadmill, and eating a lot of vegetables and fruits and grilled chicken for protin, i lost 9 pound…..i am now 158lb, and my goal wieght is 125lb…..sooo is what iam doing right or do i need to do more….
thanx..
July 12, 2010 at 9:16 pm
I’m kind of active woman. I use treadmill to do excercise everday. How many calories should I burn in a day is enough? My weigh is 53kg ( equal to about 1,200 pounds). My heigh is 1,45m.
October 11, 2010 at 3:23 pm
Phuong, I think you meant that your weight in pounds is about 120 pounds (smile). If you want to maintain your weight then you’ll want to keep the same calorie intake that you are doing now. However, if you want to loose weight it would be a combination of exercise and reducing your calorie intake. You have to look at the types of food that you eat, and try to have lots of fresh whole foods (i.e. fruits, vegetables, unprocessed foods). You also want to make sure you are doing cardio exercises at your optimum heart rate which is based upon your age and weight. Most machines have a sensor to track your heart rate. As I’m sure you know, you burn more calories exercising at a more intense level (e.g. running versus walking).
July 7, 2010 at 6:23 pm
this whole weight loss thing is soo confusing!.im only 16.i weigh 135 pounds.im trying to loose some weight and get healthier.but its confusing.ive tried the whole not starving yourselves thing so that my body didnt go in satrvation mode.i would eat 2,500 cal/day with exercise but i only ended up GAINING WEIGHT.befor that i tried only eating 600 cals per day but i wasnt loosing anything at all. and i thought the less you ate,the more weight you lost??? HELP PLEASE!
June 27, 2010 at 10:44 pm
thank you for giving people like me access to this information… i have been struggling with weight and trying to figure out how many calories i need to take in to lose the “weight” arghhhhh… I”VE FOUND IT!!!!
I hope to report back in a week as to how much ive lost!
June 13, 2010 at 3:08 pm
Hi i am sandeep 35 year old having weight 89kg and my height is 180cms. I wish to loose 5kg weight in 3 months. I am working as a software engineer and all the time i am sitting. How many calories i should burn in a day if i do GYM or exercise 5 day in a week.
Thanks
April 5, 2011 at 12:23 pm
Hi, i wieghed the same as you, make sure you eat breakfast a fuit and small bowl of ceral. go to the gym bweteen 1- 4 and use the treadmill of up hill walking. eat max 1600 cals, have lots of protein inc fish and chicken and bread. at luch have a sandwich and for tea a calorie paked meal max 1000 calories and your matablism will increase if you drink ice cold water. or noraml water 8-10 glasses. i lost 2 and a half stone in 3 month and i do regualr weight so i have ftted my body in with mucles. hope it helps
June 10, 2010 at 4:08 pm
hey guys, I started a new type of diet that isn’t a diet about a month ago. I actually get to eat till I’m full. The amount I eat keeps me full for several hours because they are complex carbohydrates. I use to eat sugar as my main meal. Chocolate has always been my weakness. I thought I was doomed. Then I ate at a friend’s house and noticed for the first time I was full and not thinking about chocolate. Plus I was full and content – something I never am – for about 5 hours. This means I eat as much as I want but can’t eat very much because the food fills me up. Eating all I want I do good to eat 1,000 calories a day. I just don’t get hungry. And the chocolate that I have been addicted to for over 30 years, no problem now. The cravings are gone. I don’t need it anymore. I found that I can make a weeks worth of food for about $10. In the past month since I decided to try this new way of eating – its not a diet – I’ve lost about 14 pounds and 4 inches in my waist. But I haven’t been hungry and I get to eat all I want. Its amazing. Its easy losing weight if you don’t get hungry. You can still eat the things you like. Just do it in moderation. I’m not sure I can post the concept here because many that profit from fad diets that don’t work would lose millions if everyone just made this simple change in their eating habits. I couldn’t believe it when I stumbled into this but I live by it now. I’ve got more energy, I sleep better. I exercise now which I didn’t before and I walk about 4 – 6 miles a day which I didn’t before. Even with this activity, I’ve still got plenty of energy. Sometimes too much. i have to walk a couple of miles to get tire enough to go to sleep some days. Late one evening I had to walk 4 miles to tire me out so I could sleep. The odd thing is the more I walk, the more stamina I have the more energy I have. I haven’t had this much energy since I was a teenager. I can now run most people in the ground and give a second person a good run for their money.
April 12, 2011 at 11:50 pm
What diet are you doing sounds great.I’m going nuts taking in about 1500 calories a day weighing over 250 @ 5′ 7 and 1 hour a day on treadmill and losing about 4 pounds a week but I’m struggling
June 9, 2010 at 10:52 am
iam 180cm 58kg my BMI=30.4
HOW MANY COLORIES DO I NEED TO BURN/DAY….AND HOW MANY COLORIES INTAKE/DAY?
I DO EXERCISE EVERYDAY RUNING AROBCS AND YOGA
I NEED TO KNOW HOW MANY COLORIES DO I NEED TO BURN/DAY
THANX
June 11, 2010 at 6:16 pm
In order to determine how many calories you need to burn in a day, you need to determine what your weight loss goal is. One site that can help with this is http://www.fatsecret.com
March 31, 2010 at 10:32 pm
Wow! Thanks a lot for writing this. This is exactly what I needed to know about consuming/burning calories.
March 20, 2010 at 12:40 pm
2 weeks ago a I started a diet I eat only milk and cereal for breakfast and fruit vegetable, and some proteines ( chiken eggs ) , I do one hour per day running ( 600 calories ) I already loose 5 pounds !
June 10, 2010 at 9:20 pm
that is so good keepit up im going to try that i lost 8 pound in one month so i am 137 now but i want to be 124 i just had a baby a year ago andnow im strugglen trying to lose wight
March 16, 2010 at 6:18 pm
This website is very informative!
March 9, 2010 at 8:59 pm
Hello,
Thank you for the information. But I seem to have a problem. I calculated my BMR as 1,420.7 calories per day. I eat probably about 1,200 calories and I burn another five hundred a day during physical activity. But I’m not losing weight. Is there a reason why?
April 7, 2010 at 10:06 pm
yes you body is in starvation mode.. you are not eating enough….
April 16, 2010 at 4:51 pm
Hey Alissa.. In the beginning of your excercise routine people often gain weight because body fat weighs less than actual muscles.. However if you keep on excercising for a couple of weeks you’ll start to see the benifits of your hard work and the scale going down.
The theory is that as long as you burn off more calories than you consume in a day then you’ll lose weight.. However never eating or eating very small amounts will backfire. So be sure to eat very small portions often (between 2-3 hour periods) in order to keep you metabolism up and look out for the small “wolf in sheep clothing” snacks. An example of these are; Diet Coke (studies show they are just as unhealthy as regular coke), Weight losing cereals (like Fitness K which contains sugars), weight loss protein bars (unless the protein bar consist off 80% – 90% + protein then it’s often just a huge calorie bar). Also look out for bad habits like eating big meals before bedtime, skipping one of the 3 big meals in a day, drinking alot of coffee, etc.
A combination of these things, with regular daily excercise, determination and a good and healthy diet and you’ll feel and look 20 years younger in due time.
I hope this helps and remember that its all about persistence and determination. Results will first start to show up to 2 months after you begin your routines.
regards,
alex
March 2, 2010 at 4:29 am
hey, spring is cooming! good post there, tnx for weightlosssuccess.wordpress.com
February 10, 2010 at 7:36 am
Very informative. everyone should have an understanding of them for themselves. expend more than you consume = weight loss
February 2, 2010 at 2:46 pm
could you plese say how much you burned in one day without excercise and how u calculated it cause im very interested..?
May 31, 2010 at 3:13 pm
if you read the original post it says:
how many calories you burn =
weight in pounds x 10.
not moving around much = an extra 20%.
for me: 196 pounds (how much i weigh)
196 x 10 = 1960 calaries burnt.
(no exercise = added 20%)
20% of 1960 = 392 (do this by 1960 x 0.2) or (divide by 100 then x 20)
so that (for me) would be equal to:
1960 + 392 = 2352 calories burnt.
now if i ate as advised for a male 2500 calories then i would have a calorie intake of about 150.
meaning i’d pile on one pound in weight every 10 days.
hope that helps
AD
December 7, 2009 at 12:16 am
Hello, I’m searching for diet related blogs like mine http://www.chiefdietician.com and I stumbled your site, nice blog!. I hope you could also include me in your blogroll.
By the way, you have a very good writing skills here. Keep up the good work.
October 22, 2009 at 9:14 am
my weight is 73k and im 163 cm high i want to lose 3k. per week .
September 2, 2009 at 3:26 pm
If you go to fitday.com and create a free account you have the option of recording all of your food intake (includes recording of calories, fat, etc), excercises, weight, goals, etc. It is a fabulous site, check it out!
July 8, 2009 at 10:28 pm
This logic is pretty good. I did rough calculations based on the above & could match my weight loose of 4 KG or 8 Pounds in a months time i.e. 1 KG per week. I started at 97 KG & am right now around 93 and my target is 86 in another 4-6 weeks. I think i should be able to make it.
June 2, 2009 at 11:12 am
Hi,
I am bit confused. I am 170 lbs, and moderately active; and adding all that according to this I get the following. 1)170*10=1700 2)1700*.40=680 3)(1700+680)*.10=238 4)1700+680+238= 2618 calories. That means I am burning a total of 2618 a day but this has nothing to do with what I am intaking. This would be a total calories I burn in a day regardless. Basicly, I need to eat 2118 caloires in a day to have a negative of 500 calories to loss weight? I just want to make sure I am on the correct pace because I have to be 140 again and I need as much help as possilbe. Thanks so much.
March 24, 2010 at 2:23 pm
You’re correct in how you are interpreting the information
May 11, 2009 at 12:23 pm
I play Dance Dance Revolution every morning for about 30 minutes. It has a work out mode, its fun, and in that time I lose about 230 calories.
January 26, 2009 at 2:10 pm
All great stuff but there’s a lot to take in. I’m trying to loose weight for a job i have applied for, it requires me to pass a medical where my BMI needs to be below 30. I weigh 18 stone i’m 23 (too much drink and kebabs at the weekend) i’m nearly 6ft so my BMI is over. I need to loose at least 3 stone ASAP! My doctor said i can safely loose 2 lbs a week, however that would require loosing 1000 calories a day (from the above equation) and as Mr bowers comments, if you try to loose to many calories your body goes into survival mode and tries to store as many as it can when you eat normally again.
Am i missing something?
how fast could i loose 3 stone from swmming for 30 mins 3 times a week and cycling (home excersise bike) for 30 mins a day? Assuming i’m eating around 2500 calories a day max!!
January 7, 2009 at 6:43 pm
Thanks! I’m always wondering the exact scientfic way to do this. I don’t like guessing and fad diets. I just count my calories! But I have a difficult time figuring out how many I burn a day. Thanks
August 28, 2008 at 10:55 pm
Good calculator but it doesnt take in consideration your percentage of body fat, also for those of you looking at this thinking your going to cut out one thousand calories a day, think again. When you deprive your body of massive amounts of calories you will lose weight but the momment you start to consume a normal amount of calories(say going from 1000 cal. a day back to 2000 cal. a day) your body will start storing excess. Cut at most five hundred if your a big fellow and follow an excersize program. This will help speed your metabolic rate and increase calories burned in a day. Also stick to high protein, high fiber, low fat foods. This ensures your body has something to work with. Remember, if your body is burning sugar, your not burning fat, so put down the candy bar.
August 27, 2008 at 12:17 pm
Doesn’t this have to be refigured over and over again? If it is based on your weight, and that continues to go down you will not be burning as many calories each week without increasing your workout or lowering your food intake. Just a thought.
August 22, 2008 at 1:27 am
Thank you! Ive been an athlete from age 6 through my final year playing collegiate soccer, but have stopped due to a few major injuries and 2 surgeries. Now, a few years later im trying to get back my muscle andd loose the fat I took on a long the way. Your site here has given me great information! The more I know about my body, the more I care, and inspired to take care of it! I appreciate the help I received here. It is one of my many stops on my journey. Get healthy, Feel healthy, Stay healthy!
June 26, 2008 at 3:43 pm
It seems like a really helpful tool, but I don’t think there’s any consideration given to the individual’s ratio of lean mass to adipose tissue. Unless I completely missed something.
September 13, 2007 at 5:14 pm
Wow! Jacqueline you are an inspiration. I think you have the right approach to use whatever available time you have to exercise. Too often we feel if we can’t get to the gym then we can’t exercise. There’s no reason why we can’t break up our workout into smaller chunks of time, and there are certainly things we can do at home or in a hotel room.
September 13, 2007 at 1:14 pm
Hi Lori:
Thank you for the tips. In response to your questions I have a very busy life style so I have to do whatever I can fit in to my schedule for example: On football practices days I will walk the track – 3miles in 50 minutes. On football game days I add in 45 minutes at the gym 20 minutes on the elipitical machine for cardio. 15 minutes of weight lifting (only one body part 15 reps 3 times) 100 situps, then strecthing. Yesterday I was not able to do either so I jumped roped about 5 minutes and 25 minutes on a video then 100 sit-ups. I plan to exercise 6 days a week. I have never calculated my caloric intake. With the tips you have given me I am going to begin and will update you next time.