How Many Calories Should You Burn Each Day?

Looking to slim down, tone up, or just stay in good shape? If so, calories definitely need to weigh on your mind at least some of the time.

While you may have once felt that diet and exercise was an uphill battle, once you know many calories should you burn each day and understand the concept of calories in-calories out, things get a lot easier.

Free Report: Top 5 Exercise Mistakes

How Many Calories Should You Burn To Stay In Shape?

If you’re trying to stay in good shape, you’re probably watching what you’re eating and how much of it you’re consuming. You may also be looking at your activity levels and trying to determine if you need to be working out more. Here’s how you can figure that out.

Calculate Your BMR

Your BMR is your Basal Metabolic Rate. It can be calculated using multiple formulas, and there are lots of free online calculators to help you do it in a snap. Basically, it will determine how many calories you are likely burning each day by simply living your life.

Even as you sleep, your body is burning calories in order to fuel basic functions like breathing, cell rebuilding, and so on. Throughout the 24 hours in a day, these things can really add up, especially when coupled with movements you carry out in your daily routine.

For example’s sake, let’s say your BMR is 1,600 calories. To maintain your current body, you’d need to match this need every day. In other words, 1,600 calories is your maintenance level. You’d need to eat 1,600 calories each day to replenish what your body has used up, thus resulting in a net result of 0. You haven’t taken in anything more or anything less than what you need. You should stay in the same shape you’re in so long as you maintain the same activity level.

Calculate Your Goals

Now, if you’re looking to lose weight or slim down, how many calories should you burn each day? Essentially, you’re going to have to burn more calories than you are netting each day. Using the above example, you need to either eat less and/or exercise more so that the end result is a negative number. That means that your body is required to take some calories out of reserves (in other words your extra fat) in order to maintain your activity levels.

In general, about 3,500 calories is equal to one pound. If you burn off 100 calories extra each day, it would take you 35 days to burn one pound of fat based on these numbers.

Stop Using Food As A Reward

Using food as a reward is a very common habit among dieters and fitness enthusiasts. Therefore, it’s no surprise that quite a number of people who exercise regularly feel that it is okay to indulge in some heavy eating after a grueling workout. After all, it stands to reason that filling up on food to replenish energy would be fitting after burning hundreds of calories during intense workouts.

While there’s nothing wrong with a little snacking after a workout, overdoing it can send you into a workout plateau or worse, see you gain weight despite all your hard work. So, if you want to get the most out of your workouts, it’s essential that you stop using food as a reward.

 Keep Full on Less Food

A full stomach will not crave for food. Consequently, you’ll not feel the need to treat yourself to a massive post-workout feast. A good way of staying full is to include foods that have a satiating (filling) effect into your diet. Examples include protein packed, fiber-rich, and whole grain foods. Drinking plenty of water throughout the day is another way that will help keep your belly full and cravings under control.

Avoid keeping a stockpile of sweets, chocolates, ice cream, and other sugary treats in your refrigerator or kitchen pantry. The presence of these treats increases the chances of falling victim to using food as a reward.

Free Report: Top 5 Exercise Mistakes

You’ve probably heard “you are what you eat” so many times that it may be going in one ear and out the other. Even so, that tired old saying is definitely true. Nutrition plays a huge part in overall health and well-being, and in reaching and maintaining a healthy body weight. Aside from being smart about what you eat, exercise plays a huge role in your weight loss journey.

But there are certain exercise mistakes that are easy to make which can keep you from losing as much weight as possible, and even cause you to gain unhealthy weight. Download my free report, Top 5 Exercise Mistakes to help you get the results you want and deserve.