The balance between the calories you eat and use each day is the main determinant of whether you gain, maintain or lose weight. While a game of basketball helps you to burn calories, your diet and other activities throughout the day determine whether or not you burn stored fat. Because your weight, the intensity of play and the duration of the game all affect how many calories you burn, a game of basketball has varying effects on your body's ability to burn fat.
Burning Fat
While your body may burn small amounts of fat during a single game of basketball, one game does not have much of an impact on your body-fat percentage. A pound of fat is approximately equivalent to 3,500 calories; thus, you must burn approximately 3,500 more calories than you consume to lose 1 lb. of body fat. By reducing your caloric intake or increasing your activity level to burn an extra 500 calories per day, you can lose approximately 1 lb. of fat per week.
Calories and Basketball
Leisurely shooting baskets, playing half-court basketball against a friend or taking part in a full-court team game burn different amounts of calories. In an hour of leisurely play, a 150-lb. person burns approximately 306 calories. Increasing the intensity level and playing a half-court game boosts the number of calories you burn to 558 in an hour. Due to the great amount of running and fast pace, a full-court basketball game helps a 150-lb. person to burn 747 calories in an hour, the HealthStatus website calculates.
Fat Burned Per Game
If the number of calories you eat perfectly meets your daily needs, adding a game of basketball helps you to burn small amounts of fat. The 306 calories that a 150-lb. person burns in an hour of shooting baskets is approximately 8.7 percent of the 3,500 calories in 1 lb. of fat. With 454 g in 1 lb., this works out to be approximately 40 g of fat burned per hour of shooting baskets. Thus, if you shoot baskets an hour each day, it will take approximately 11.5 days to burn 1 lb. of fat. Using similar calculations, an hour of half-court basketball burns approximately 72 g of fat, meaning that a 150-lb. person will lose 1 lb. of fat after a little more than six days of playing basketball for this amount time each day. An hour of full-court basketball burns approximately 97 g of fat, leading to a loss of 1 lb. of fat in slightly less than five days.
Considerations
While a game of basketball helps you to burn small amounts of fat, decreasing your daily caloric intake and increasing your overall activity level provides a boost to your daily fat burn. Playing for a longer period of time and at a greater intensity level further boosts your body's ability to burn fat. Due to the high-impact nature of the sport, however, basketball might not be your best choice for a fat-burning activity. For less stress on bones and joints, the University of Maryland Medical Center recommends cycling, swimming and exercising in water. All of these low-impact activities are effective at helping you to burn calories without placing much stress on your joints. For example, an hour of cycling at 12 to 14 mph helps a 150-lb. person to burn 594 calories, while an hour of swimming at a moderate pace burns 414 calories. Varying your exercise routine also staves off boredom and makes you more likely to stick with your regimen. Check with your doctor before beginning any new fitness plan.
References
- MayoClinic.com; Counting Calories: Get Back to Weight-Loss Basics; Dec. 19, 2009
- HealthStatus: The Most Accurate Calories Burned Calculator
- "Creative Fitness: Applying Health Psychology and Exercise Science to Everyday Life"; Henry B. Biller; 2002
- AskNumbers: Pounds to Grams Conversion
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Exercise — Exercise's Effects on Bones and Muscles
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