Energy expenditure charts
Should I gain weight? Am I eating too much? How do I know if I am having my required calories for good athletic performance? These are the questions doctors and dieticians face very often.
In order to understand the reasons behind, we need to have the basic knowledge regarding how we take our food, calorie content as well as content of the different ingredients (carbohydrate, fat, protein, mineral, vitamins) present in different foodstuffs. The different processe by which our body captures nutrients from our digestive system. The calories we burn in our day-to day activities (through energy expenditure charts). In addition, how much of that calorie our body assimilates in our system.
A definite amount of body fat is required for everyone. Researchers say that percent body fat amount for men should be about 15 percent, 20 percent for men. Men with more than 25 percent fat and women with more than 30 percent body fat and are recognized as obese.
Our energy requirement varies depending upon our age, gender, race, body weight, body composition, and level of exercise. We can have an idea from the energy expenditure charts. The amount of fat in our gross weight can be assessed by an array of methods including underwater (hydrostatic) weighing, measurements of skin fold thickness and mid arm circumference estimation.From the numbers obtained, a body fat percentage is determined. Assessing body composition has an advantage over the standard height-weight tables because it can help distinguish between "overweight" and "over fat."
The easiest way to pinpointing our daily calorie need is
Monitor and measure our Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR).
Add the calorie amount of our daily energy expenditure through exercise, (see the energy expenditure charts below)and
Add the calorie amount of our daily energy expenditure through our regular routine work.
It should be kept in mind that, by this process, we can gat the near approximate value- not the exact value.
To elaborate a bit-
Men- body weight in pounds multiplied by 20= baseline calorie needs.
Women- body weight in pounds multiplied by 10 or 15= baseline calorie needs (Some researchers say to use 10, some say use 15).
Add number of calories from the exercises one does.
Add percentage of BMR activity level
Total= daily calories needed to maintain current weight.
Here is an energy expenditure chart having the various daily exercises we do and the expenditure of calories by the individual item. (For an healthy adult having 65 Kg/ 150 pounds of body weight)
Sedentary activities: - Energy costs – Calories /hour
Lying down or sleeping |
90 |
Sitting quietly |
84 |
Sitting and writing, playing cards etc |
114 |
Moderate activities
Bicycling (5Mph) |
174 |
Canoeing (2.5 mph) |
174 |
Dancing ( ballroom) |
210 |
Golf, carrying clubs |
324 |
Horse riding, sitting to trot |
246 |
Light house work, cleaning, dusting etc |
246 |
Swimming, crawl, 20 yards/min |
288 |
Tennis, recreational doubles |
312 |
Volleyball recreational |
264 |
Walking (2mph) |
198 |
Hiking, hilly |
216 |
Light farming |
138 |
Gardening, hoe, dig |
192 |
Jogging (6mph) |
252 |
Painting outside |
132 |
Scrubbing floors |
132 |
Mopping |
102 |
Modern dancing |
156 |
Vigorous activities
Aerobic dancing |
546 |
Basketball recreational |
450 |
Bicycling (13 mph) |
612 |
Circuit weight training |
756 |
Football, touch vigorous |
498 |
Ice skating (9mph) |
384 |
Racquetball |
388 |
Roller skating (9mph) |
384 |
Jogging (10 minute mile, 6mph) |
654 |
Swimming( crawl, 45 yards/min) |
522 |
Tennis, recreational, singles |
450 |
Cross country skiing (5mph) |
690 |
Snowshoe walking |
270 |
Squash or handball |
600 |
Running (10 mph) |
900 |
