These two numbers are repeated by a large number of people, so often, that they are considered fact. However, both numbers are wrong and simplistic. Creating a weight loss program based on these numbers can create a problem for you. The number of calories that the average American woman burns is close to 2400, and the American man 3100, although even more precise measurements can deceive us.
How to think more adequately about the energy needs of men and women, he writes stethoscope.info.
Instead of formulas and definitions from a textbook, data on the recommended daily intake provided by the Institute of Medicine is used, after research in which 382 women and 264 men aged 20 - 70 years participated.
Daily calorie consumption in women
Calorie needs are like the number of shoes. Some wear a small number, some wear a large number, but most are somewhere in the middle. The number of shoes follows a "normal" distribution that has a bell shape. The caloric needs of women have a similar distribution, depending on height.
So, after examining the calories burned in 382 women, the following was observed:
- 20% burn less than 2000 calories per day (low needs)
- 65% burn between 2000 and 2800 calories (average needs)
- 16% burn more than 2800 calories per day (high needs)
- the average represents 2365 calories
No woman needs exactly 2000 calories a day. Moreover, the average number of calories burned by a woman in this sample is closer to 2400.
Daily consumption of calories in men
Men are lucky. They, even if they have a similar weight, have more muscles, less fat and larger organs (liver, kidneys and heart) which makes their metabolism faster. This is how the distribution of calories in 264 surveyed men looks like:
- 19% burn less than 2600 calories per day (low needs)
- 59% burn between 2600 and 3600 calories per day (average needs)
- 20% consume more than 3600 calories per day (high needs)
- men burn an average of 3076 calories per day
From these data, we see that there is not a single man whose caloric needs are exactly 2500 per day. The average number of calories a man burns in a day is closer to 3100.
Assuming your energy needs are average is an oversimplification. Your energy needs can vary greatly from average and will decrease as you lose weight and increase as you gain weight.
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