Calories are units of measurement for energy that your body uses to run your body systems. When you consume food and beverages, you take in calories to fuel your body. To lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you consume, and that is best done with physical activity. However, there are other benefits to burning calories besides weight loss. A report from Harvard Health Publications notes "Scientists say burning at least 700 to 1,000 calories a week through exercise lessens the odds for many chronic diseases and helps extend life."
Step 1
Weigh yourself on an accurate scale. You must know your body weight to determine how many calories your activities burn.
Step 2
Calculate your basal metabolic rate (BMR). This will tell you the average number of calories you burn, even if you're doing no activity. There are several BMR calculators available online, or you can use the following common Harris-Benedict formula to figure yours:
Men: BMR = 66 + (13.7 X weight in kg) + (5 X height in cm) - (6.8 X age in years)
Women: BMR = 655 + (9.6 X weight in kg) + (1.8 X height in cm) - (4.7 X age in years)
1 inch = 2.54cm and 1kg = 2.2 lbs.
Step 3
Calculate your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE). This will tell you the average number of calories your burn based on your BMR and your level of daily activity. Find yours based on how much you move and work out:
Sedentary = BMR X 1.2 (little or no exercise and a desk or still standing job)
Lightly active = BMR X 1.375 (light exercise or sports one to three times per week)
Moderately active = BMR X 1.55 (moderate exercise or sports three to five times per week)
Very active = BMR X 1.725 (hard exercise or sports six to seven times per week)
Extremely active = BMR X 1.9 (hard daily exercise or sports and a physical job, or twice a day training for an athletic event such as for a marathon or intense competition)
Step 4
Determine the calories burned for the type, duration and intensity of physical activities you perform, beyond your TDEE. To add calories burned for activities that are not included in your TDEE calculations, there are a number of free sources online listing charts for calories burned. Harvard Medical Publications provides a chart based on body weight, and another popular calculator is on LiveStrong.com at the Daily Plate (see Resources).
Step 5
Add your TDEE calories burned to the extra calories burned by any additional physical activities in one day to figure your total calories burned in any one day.
Tips and Warnings
- Another option for figuring your calories burned is purchasing an electronic activity monitor that you wear on your waist, thigh or arm each day.
Things You'll Need
- Scales
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