Excess body weight worries a huge number of people - they just can’t figure out how to deal with the problem. The vast majority do not even imagine how many calories a person spends per day, but this is precisely the very criterion, a beacon that can be used to guide you in the difficult task of losing weight and getting in shape. Let's figure out together how much energy we need, how much we get from food, and how to organize a deficit that allows you to lose extra pounds.
How many calories does the average person burn in one day?
It is believed that the most effective way to reduce body weight is to reduce the amount of calories consumed to a level below that absorbed per day. This is how a deficit is created, which is the main task of anyone who wants to lose weight.
Exercise levels: how many calories does a person burn per day?
When a person is actively engaged in physical labor, walks a lot, devotes time to active recreation and engages in argument, then it is clear how the energy consumed through nutrition is spent. However, if he gets to work by car, and then sits all day at a desk in a dusty office, in the evening he continues to sit idle in front of the TV or with his favorite gadget in his hands, a legitimate question arises - how many calories per day does the average man or woman who leads a similar lifestyle spend? Is it really possible to create at least some kind of calorie deficit in this case?
First of all, you need to figure out how much a person spends just lying on the couch, find out your activity level, which is often used by nutritionists and athletes. To do this, you need to correctly calculate the required number of calories for basic metabolism (BMR) using a special formula, taking into account body weight. Weight in kilograms is multiplied by 20 and the desired result is obtained . For example, a girl weighing 65 kilograms spends at least 1,300 kilocalories per day on breathing, thermoregulation, brain activity, heartbeat and other physiological needs of the body. The resulting amount must be multiplied by a special activity coefficient.
- First type: 1.5 – increased.
- Second type: 1.4 – moderate.
- Third type: 1.3 – average.
- Fourth type: 1.2 – low.
What type you consider yourself to be and how many calories you need to burn per day, everyone must figure out for themselves. So the first and second usually refer to people who regularly engage in sports or physical labor, the third are those who often walk and occasionally exercise and do exercises. The fourth type usually refers to people who lead a sedentary lifestyle and move little.
It is important to understand that when losing weight, your calorie intake calculation must be constantly recalculated, so you can know exactly how many calories to burn per day to lose weight. It is optimal to make new calculations every time you lose 4-5 kilograms.
How much is burned under different types of load?
In addition to ensuring vital functions, everyone performs some kind of movement, be it cooking or cleaning. All these manipulations also consume energy, which cannot be ignored. Here is an approximate table for a person weighing 70 kilograms; more detailed data can be found on our website.
Kind of activity | Calorie consumption per hour |
Making the bed | 70 |
Washing windows, mirrors | 180 |
Running, games | 175 |
Ironing | 74 |
Mopping floors | 170 |
Washing dishes | 67 |
Walking with an animal (walking the dog) | 102 |
Cooking | 210 |
Watering indoor plants | 88 |
Shopping in a store (shopping) | 105 |
Carrying shopping | 178 |
Cleaning the yard, garage, shed | 140 |
Active games with children and animals | 170 |
Jogging | 380 |
A ride on the bicycle | 220 |
Handwash | 110 |
Dream | 46 |
Reading | 84 |
Dancing | 300 |
Snow removal | 500 |
There is a large separate material on how to correctly calculate calorie consumption while walking.
How many calories do you need to burn per day to lose weight?
The norms we have identified cannot be reduced under any circumstances, otherwise this will negatively affect the functioning of the body. Therefore, you need to understand how to correctly calculate the safe minimum and not make a mistake. There are two versions of the formula:
- For men: 9.99 x body weight in kilograms + 6.25 x height in centimeters – 4.92 x age – 156.
- For women: 9.99 x body weight in kilograms + 6.25 x height in centimeters – 5 x age – 156.
The calorie content of the diet for any mode of activity cannot be less than 1600 kilocalories for boys and 1200 for girls, otherwise it will become dangerous to health.
Cold speeds up calorie burning by 10-15%
Brown (or brown) fat is an integral element of every human body, at the time of its birth, contained in the area of the shoulder blades. Not long ago, science believed that this substance is produced in humans upon reaching the age of 5, but studies conducted 2 years ago showed that it is also present in adults, in greater quantities in women.
The uniqueness of brown fat lies in its ability to burn calories and excess fat resources in the human body, but in older age its work slows down significantly. “But the proper level of functioning of this substance could certainly become an excellent ally for a woman in the fight against excess weight, but how to activate it?” — this is exactly the thought that scientists from the Royal Medical University of Nottingham asked themselves, and, as I found out, it was not in vain.
It turned out that brown fat can actually work very effectively for the benefit of a woman's figure. All that is needed to activate it is just a low temperature.
So, specialists from Nottingham conducted a small experiment, in which several representatives of the fair sex took part. Temperature sensors were attached to their bodies in places where brown fat is found, namely the neck, the space between the collarbone and shoulder, the upper back and the entire spine. When a woman lowered her arm or leg into a container of cold water, within 5 minutes the measuring instruments began to record a rapid increase in body temperature in the places where they were placed. This spoke only of one thing - brown fat, being under the influence of cold, tries to increase the temperature of the human body, thereby using up a significant part of the energy for this, which is used as calories.
In the course of several more experiments, scientists were able to find out that during a 5-minute exposure to low temperatures on a woman’s body, the burning of calories in it begins to occur 10-15% faster than when the body is in a normal relaxed state.
Thus, based on the results of the study, experts came to the conclusion that women who want to get in shape for a more visible and effective result, in addition to training on exercise machines, should also pay attention to some other methods. “Walking in the fresh air in cool weather, drinking cold drinks, taking a cold shower and many other methods in which the body is exposed to low temperatures - all this can soon become the key to an elegant and beautiful figure,” assures one of the leading specialists of the Medical University of Nottingham, Professor Michael Symonds.
Useful links:
How to burn 1000 calories a day
From all that has been said above, we can conclude that to get results it is not at all necessary to destroy mountains and swim across oceans. It is enough to slightly adjust your diet and physical activity for weight loss to begin. Let's figure out how to spend more than you consume using simple tips that will have virtually no impact on your usual schedule and routine.
Oatmeal, sir!
An English breakfast with oatmeal is very healthy if there are no contraindications. But, if you replace two tablespoons of porridge with bran, then its usefulness will increase due to an increase in the amount of fiber that can cleanse the stomach, absorb and remove toxins. Read more about wheat and oat bran on the website.
More protein in the morning
If your breakfast consists of only porridge, you should add some protein to it, which will give you more energy and allow you to “survive” until lunch without much effort. It could be boiled chicken, an egg, a piece of mozzarella cheese.
Dance while you brush your teeth
Many people complain that they don’t have time for a morning jog, gymnastics, or exercises. However, physical activity can be increased completely “painlessly”. This way you can arrange impromptu dances during hygiene procedures; you can turn on music to set the mood. While your morning coffee is brewing, you can squat or do lunges, bends, stretching exercises, and jump on the spot.
Drink clean water
The main champion in calorie content among food products is store-bought juices or sweet carbonated drinks. They contain simply a colossal amount of sugar, which can be considered calories in its pure form. Even those that do not contain sugar contain sugar substitutes, which often causes insulin spikes, disrupting the body’s natural balance. To reduce calorie content and increase consumption, it makes sense to replace all this with ordinary clean water. Additionally, it will saturate the fabrics with moisture, make the skin cleaner, nails and hair stronger.
Proper healthy snacks
For many people, their work schedule does not allow them to eat properly and on time, which can also lead to problems with calorie consumption. After all, people often arrange quick tea parties with the same tasty treats, and in the evening they gorge themselves “to their fullest.” It’s worth giving up buns, cakes, and sandwiches by preparing a healthy snack in advance; recipes are in a separate article.
Active telephone conversation
If you often receive phone calls, especially at work, this can be used to burn calories more actively during the day. Never talk while sitting still. Get up and walk around your office, study, or even go out into the hallway. It may not be much, but it will definitely help.
Good sex is the key to health
It's no joke; having sex more frequently and for longer will help you burn an extra 3.1 calories per minute for women and 4.2 for men. Scientists even calculated that in about 25 minutes you will burn the same amount of energy as you get from eating 100 grams of French fries.
On foot always and always
If you can get to work, school, educational institutions or child care on foot, then be sure to walk. If necessary, adjust your schedule to allow for a few extra minutes so you can be on time everywhere. If this is not possible, you can walk to the store, cinema, or refuse the elevator or escalator.
What burns extra calories in the cold
In cold conditions, additional energy is spent on thermogenesis - maintaining body temperature. The human body uses two types of thermogenesis: contractile, in which the body warms itself by contracting skeletal muscles - shivering, and non-contractile, in which the body is warmed by burning brown fat and other metabolic processes.
Harvard Medical School researcher Dr. Aaron M. Cypess explains to Aaron M. Cypess, MD, Ph.D., MMSc how brown adipose tissue works.
Brown fat cells contain the protein UCP1, which converts fatty acids into heat, bypassing the phase of ATP synthesis (adenosine triphosphate - the source of energy for all processes occurring in the body).
So brown fat produces heat, but what does it use as fuel? The 2020 Brown Adipose Tissue Exhibits a Glucose-Responsive Thermogenic Biorhythm in Humans study found that people with high amounts of brown fat have lower blood sugar levels during periods of activity of this tissue, but the rest of the time they are very stable, without sudden spikes. At the same time, people with low amounts of brown fat experienced spikes in blood sugar levels.
Scientists have concluded that brown fat consumes glucose and acts as a buffer, helping to maintain stable blood sugar levels, which greatly reduces the risk of diabetes.
However, in most studies of brown fat, people were at rest: asleep or passively in a cold room. Even in the Oktobok study, people were walking rather than, say, running or doing some kind of exercise that greatly increases their heart rate.