Calculation Caloric Expenditure

[Carl Elder]

I recently learned how to calculate how many calories you burn in a normal day not considering exercise. Note that this is an estimate and will be higher or lower depending on your body fat percentage.

1st: Multiply your weight in lbs by 4.3
2nd: Multiply your Height in inches by 4.7
3rd: Add these together plus 655
4th: Multiply your age in years by 4.3
5th: Subtract you result of your age calculation from step 3.

You can also use your lean body mass as your weight for a more accurate number. Unless you are severely overweight as fat does burn calories but at about 1/3 the rate as muscle. The most accurate way to determine lean body mass is a hydrostatic chamber, but a skin fold test can be fairly accurate as well.

In class the other day we did skinfold tests and I determined my fat percentage was 16% which is a tad above desired percentage for men. So my lean body mass is 195. With an ideal body fat percentage of 7% I got the following results.

Resting Metabolic Rate
Lean Body Mass x 7% x 4.3
(195 X .07) = 208.65 X 4.3 = 897

Height (in) x 4.7
73 x 4.3 = 343

Sum of Ht. & Wt. Totals plus 655
Subtotal 1 1895

Age x 4.7
29 X 4.3 = 136

Subtotal 1 - Age
Total RMR* 1759 calories per day
*This number is if I did nothing but lay in bed all day.

To find the number of calories you would expend in a average unactive day add 30% of your RMR: 1759 + 30% = 2287

[ninjamessiah]

1. 165 x 4.3 = 709.5
2. 75 x 4.7 = 352.5
3. 709.5 + 352.5 + 655 = 1717
4. 24 x 4.3 = 103.2
5. 1717 - 103.2 = 1613.8

1613.8 x 30% = 2097.94

Interesting, I wish I had means of doing a skinfold test or one of those electronic thingies. Last year around this time my job had hired a health and wellness guy for everyone, he did some measurements and used one of those electronic thingies and I was sporting an impressive 6% body fat(probably closer to 10 or 12 now).

So, is it really as simple as burning more calories than you consume on a daily basis to lose fat? Or would that sacrifice muscle mass as well if you're not getting the proper amino acids?

[Carl Elder]

Yeah to lose weight (Fat) you just want to burn more calories than you intake. However you dont want to intake to few calories, if you really cut back on you diet you will slow your metabolism down because your body goes into survival mode. So you will burn fat less efficently. The trick is to eat between your resting metabolic rate and you figure for a normal day.

Also by a strength training program will help burn fat as it will increase lean body mass which is more efficient at burning fat so it will increase metabolism. You wont necessarily lose weight though as muscle weighs more than fat you probably wont see much change in the scale. A strength training program and cardio program is the best way to burn fat. So unless your trying to maintain a certain weight or get down to a certain weight for competition that is what I would recommend.

Im trying to get down to 198 by this fall. After my last injury i got lazy and put on some weight and it needs to come off. So im planing on just doing cardio and eating more healthy.

[ninjamessiah]

I just read that it takes roughly 3500 calories burned to lose a pound of body fat. Hey, with all this calorie info, it's gonna be pretty easy to gauge my diet and exercise to cut off the excess flub.