How Are Calories Burned?

In simple terms, we burn calories to support three main types of activity.

A. Our Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)
On average this accounts for about 60 percent of all energy expenditure, and is the amount of energy or calories our body consumes on basic body processes, while at rest.

BMR varies according to several factors, especially the fat-muscle ratio of our body and the amount of exercise we take, but on average, our basal metabolic rate typically burns about 11 calories of energy per pound of body weight (women), or 12.2 calories per pound of body weight (men).

B. Physical Activity
On average this accounts for about 30 percent of energy expenditure.

C. Dietary Thermogenesis
This is the energy or calories we burn as we eat and digest food. It accounts for about 10 percent of the total energy we expend.

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