BF% question...

iwantniceabs
iwantniceabs Posts: 357 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I see a lot that "muscle burns more calories" - can anyone give me a better idea of just how much? Does that mean that if I am at 15% body fat, I will burn more calories per day than if I am at 25% body fat...and how would you figure out the difference?

Replies

  • MoJokes
    MoJokes Posts: 691
    good question... hopefully someone comes up with a good answer.
    But yes if you were the same weight in both cases, you would burn more with 15% bodyfat.
    I'm guessing, that you could put the lean body mass (ie mass without fat) through some calculators in both cases and that would show you the difference....
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,219 Member
    I've seen statistics that 1 pound of muscle burns 10-15 additional calories a day.

    If you have 130 pounds of lean mass and are 15% you'll burn almost the same as you would being 130 pounds with 25% body fat. You may burn a bit more at the higher body fat because you'll weigh more and it takes more energy to move a heavier body.

    So, it has nothing to do with body fat and everything to do with lean mass.
  • billsica
    billsica Posts: 4,741 Member
    I'm 100% BF material.
    oh wait..

    If you want just to find out your TDEE with body fat %
    http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/

    Now how do you know your bf% accurately?
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    It is not that much more - about 6 cals per lb of muscle more.



    ETA: depends on what your weight is at those % as actual mass matters.
  • dsimmons107
    dsimmons107 Posts: 387 Member
    Much less than half of your "lean weight" (scale weight minus fat) is active, skeletal muscle. But that muscle accounts for the majority of the energy you use daily. A pound of pure muscle burns up to about 50 calories a day (though less at sedentary activity levels). To put that in perspective, a pound of fat is 3500 calories. The more lean muscle you have, the easier it is to burn fat.

    Edited to add source. Good idea.: www.hussmanfitness.org/theGym.html
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    Fat burns approx 2 cals per pound per day.
    Muscle burns approx 6 cals per pound per day.

    The big burners (per pound) are your organs including your brain - so if you want to become a "fat burning machine" graft on an extra liver, kidney or brain..... :smile:

    Edit to add source link:
    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/research-review/dissecting-the-energy-needs-of-the-body-research-review.html

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