| 1. |
How do I calculate calories
burned for weight loss? |
| |
Every body gets curious to calculate
the amount of calories they burn in a day or an hour.
It is easy to find out calories burnt while jogging
or dancing. But when it comes to shedding your calories
by going for a walk instead of sitting and watching
TV, then the normal calorie count is not right. |
| |
You want to know the amount of calories
you have lost after your walk. But the amount of calories
lost will not be equal to the calories you have lost
while walking. Because if you were not walking, you
would have been watching TV and sitting there would
have made you lose a certain amount of calories. To
calculate the calories lost you have to subtract the
calories burned by the old activity from the calories
burned by the new one. |
| |
Recalculating weight loss |
| |
As you get used to a particular activity,
you will require lesser energy to work out. So the energy
lost during walking or jogging will decrease unless
you extend your time. In such cases, you will have to
balance it by proper eating habits. You eat healthy
food and stay away from red meat. The good news about
calorie burning is that you will lose
weight, look good and lead a healthy life. |
| 2. |
What does BMI stand for? |
| |
Obesity and Over weight are the growing
problem of today's population. It is the main cause
of certain diseases and health problems. |
| |
Obesity ranges are calculated
by using weight and height to calculate a number called
the Body Mass Index [BMI]. It is used for most of the
people because it correlates with their amount of body
fat. |
| |
| Height |
Weight Range |
BMI |
Considered |
| |
124lbs or less |
Below 18.5 |
Under Weight |
| 5'9 |
Below 18.5 |
18.5 to 24.9 |
Healthy Weight |
| |
169 lbs to 202 lbs |
25.0 to 29.9 |
Over Weight |
| |
203 lbs or more |
30 or higher |
Obese |
|
| |
Although BMI correlates with the amount
of body fat, it does not directly measure body fat.
In addition, so many athletes may have a BMI, which
identifies them as overweight though they don't have
excess body fat. |
| |
Other significant methods
to estimate body fat includes measurements of skin fold
thickness and waist circumference, ultra sounds, compound
tomography, waist to hip circumference ratios and magnetic
resonance imaging. |
| 3. |
What do BMR and RMR stand for? |
| |
BMR and RMR are guesstimates of how many
calories you would burn if you were to do nothing but
rest through out the day. It is the minimum amount of
energy required to keep the body active or functioning
which includes your heart beating, lungs breathing and
body temperature normal. |
| |
BMR is the metabolic rate calculated
when an individual is at rest in a warm environment
and has not eaten at all for at least 12 hours. The
release of energy is sufficient only to keep the organs
functioning. |
|
RMR is Resting Metabolic Rate. It is
synonymous with Resting Energy Expenditure or REE. These
measurements are taken under less restricted conditions
than BMR. |
| |
When ever you make a calculation with
the calories burned, BMI, BMR and RMR calculator, your
BMR AND RMR will be calculated automatically. |
| |
A few observations |
| |
- When your weight goes down, your BMR and RMR
will go down
- When your height decreases, your BMR and RMR
reduces
- As you age your BMR and RMR goes down
|
| |
As you age, you become shorter and lose
weight- the BMR and RMR will go down, you will need
to eat less, and do more work outs to balance your current
weight. |
| |
When the testing is not practical, equations
have been developed to calculate BMR and RMR. The Harris-Benedict
equation has been the standard for a long time. It is
still the popular one. |
| |
Equation for BMR [Harris - Benedict] |
| |
For men: [13.75*w] + [5.0*h] - [6.76*a]
+66 |
| |
For women: [9.56*w] + [1.85*h]-[4.68*a]
+ 655 |
| |
The Muffin equation for RMR |
| |
For Men: [10*w] + [6.25*h]-[5*a] +5 |
| |
For women: [10*w] + [6.25*h] - [5*a]
-161 |
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W= weight in kg |
| |
H= height |
| |
A = age |
| |
Criticisms |
| |
- The Harris - Benedict equation does not calculate
BMR but mainly RMR
- The test subjects used in Harry- Benedict's equation
did not have adequate obese people
|
| 4. |
How does the activity calculator
work? |
| |
The calorie burned calculators use data
collected by measuring amount of oxygen consumed while
performing different activities. A number called MET
[Metabolic Equivalent] is assigned to each activity
in order to point out its level of intensity. An activity
with a MET of one corresponds to a person's RMR [Resting
Metabolic Rate] |
| |
The best way to calculate the calories
burned will be to use the number of MET'S assigned to
the activity you select, your RMR and the length of
the time you performed the activity. |
| |
The calories burned calculations are
based on your weight rather than your RMR. So you will
see that a change in the parameters for your age, sex
and height- your RMR and BMR calculations will change
but the calories burned calculations will not be affected.
|
| 5. |
How accurate is the activity calculator? |
| |
Usually the MET, body weight and duration
of activity are used to calculate the number of calories
burned. A fourth important parameter is level of intensity,
the intensity at which the activity is performed. |
| |
If we take examples, running is specific
and is listed at different speeds; light, moderate and
vigorous. Activities like attending class are general. |
| |
The number of calories burned can be
determined by the level of intensity. One method to
find out the accuracy is by taking a group of people
and ask them to perform activity at light, moderate
and vigorous levels of intensity and take measurements.
The participants will feel the level of intensity and
measurements are saved. It is not a scientific method.
But it is a more practical one. |
| |
The very heavy individuals may need extra
energy to carry out weight bearing activities. But that
is not counted here. It is the same for lightweight
individuals. They will not take the estimated calories
to do weight bearing activities. And the actual calories
burned will be much lower. This also applies to individuals
who are very strong and very weak. Very strong individuals
take more calories to do their activities where as very
weak individuals with below average amount of muscles
will burn fewer calories while performing a task. |
| |
Other factors not accounted include: |
| |
- age
- efficiency of movement
- geography
- environment
|
| |
So, the accurate way to calculate calories
burned is to measure the RMR and multiply the number
by MET value. |
| 6. |
What is the source of the activity
data? |
| |
METs used to calculate the number of
calories burned is adapted from Ainsworth BE, Haskell
WL, Whitt MC, Irwin ML, Swartz AM, Strath SJ, O Brien
WL, Bassett DR Jr, Schmitz KH, Emplaincourt PO, Jacobs
DR Jr, Leon AS. Compendium of Physical Activities: An
update of activity codes and MET intensities. Med Sci
Sports Exerc 2000;32 (Suppl):S498-S516. |
| |
Snow boarding: METs
were estimated based on the results of self.com |
| |
Pilates:
METs were estimated by Kevin Bowen, President and co
founder of Pilates Method Alliance |
| |
In - Line skating: These
are not based on MET's. The calculator uses Bob Kailashs'
equation. |
| |
Tread mill: MET's were
taken from the console of a popular treadmill |
| 7. |
Why are some activities missing
from the list? |
| |
All the activities are based on the compendium
of physical activities. Newer activities like Elliptical
trainer will be missing here. But it will be added as
soon as reliable data will be collected. The best solution
is to calculate calories burned using an activity on
the list that feels. |
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