Ever wonder why two people who follow the same exercise routine and have the same diet still lose weight differently? According to experts, it’s because there are unique factors that affect calorie burning. What are these factors? Find out here.
Factors That Influence Calorie Burning
If you want to maximize your efforts in losing weight, take note of the following factors:
1. Body Weight and Muscle Mass
Two of the factors that affect calorie burning are body weight and muscle mass.
In general, the higher your weight is, the more calories you burn. This is because it takes more calories to move your body. Moreover, people with bigger builds often have larger internal organs, which also influence calorie burning.
Are you familiar with the weight loss plateau or the moment when you no longer lose weight despite not changing anything in your routine? Experts say that plateau sometimes happens after you’ve already lost significant weight.
At the same time, however, you have to consider muscle mass. Reports say the more muscle mass you have, the more calories you burn. The reason is that muscle burns more calories than fats.
2. Age
Did you know that age is also a factor in weight loss and calorie burning?
Reports say as you advance in age, your muscle mass also decreases. The connection is still vague, but some suspect that it’s due to our growing “immunity” to the protein for muscle maintenance2.
This means you might be burning fewer calories as you grow older.
3. Gender
Experts say men have more calorie burning ability than women simply because they are usually larger in size. Men likewise have more muscle mass.
4. Physical Activity
Generally, the more you move – and the more intense the exercise is – the more you’ll burn calories. But there’s one thing you have to take into account: adaptation.
Perhaps you’ve already observed that the more you do something, the easier it gets to do it. Hence, if you always run, over time, you’ll realize that you can run longer or faster than you can before.
But, there’s a catch. The more you become accustomed to a particular activity, the less calories you burn.
5. Thermogenesis
Thermogenesis refers to the energy you need to digest, absorb, and dispose of ingested nutrients. Experts say thermogenesis accounts for about 5% to 10 % of energy use.
Of course, thermogenesis is different for each person.
How to Maximize Your Calorie Burning
As you noticed, some of the factors for calorie burning are non-modifiable: you cannot do anything about your age, gender, and thermogenesis. But, you can do some things for the other factors. Here are some tips:
1. Consider building muscle while losing weight
It may not be the easiest thing to do, but it’s possible for you to lose weight while building muscle. The key, according to some experts, is to incorporate strength training (weight training) into your cardio workouts.
2. Don’t get frustrated over weight loss plateau
If you experience a weight loss plateau, don’t get frustrated and certainly try not to quit your diet and workout. Talking to a dietitian or fitness expert will help. You just might need to change some things in your routine.
3. Have variety in your physical activity
If you’re getting used to your current physical workout, consider increasing their intensity or choosing another activity.
However, please do not do this without the guidance of a doctor, especially if your exercise routine is based on your current health status.
Key Takeaways
Bodyweight, muscle mass, age, gender, physical activity, and thermogenesis affect calorie burning. While some factor are non-modifiable, you can still do some things to maximize your calorie burning.
Learn more about Diet and Weight Loss here.
[embed-health-tool-bmi]
