The question of ‘how to burn 2000 calories a day’ is one that some people in the fitness community or someone new to fitness might be wondering about. When it comes to weight loss, weight gain or just maintenance, calories play a much bigger role than some like to give them credit for. If you are looking to lose those quarantine pounds then figuring out how to burn the most amount of food energy fast and effectively is your best bet.
Has the question of ‘how to burn 2000 calories in a day for faster weight loss’ been on your mind for a while now? If so, then keep reading to find out how to burn 2000 calories in a day, how to go on a calorie deficit to lose weight, how many squats a day to burn 2000 calories in a day, and much more.
What Is The Average Calories Per Day That A Person Can Burn?
Before determining the average calories per day burned by an individual, it is important to realize that working out is not the only thing that burns food energy. Your body naturally burns them off through simple everyday bodily functions like blinking, breathing, digestion, circulating blood and more. Basically, if you exist, you continuously burn food energy even if all you are doing is sitting on your couch and binging on Netflix.
To calculate how many calories you burn on average in a day, experts have long used the Harris-Benedict Formula or Harris-Benedict equation. This formula was first created in 1918 but has since undergone some fine-tuning to make it perfect. The Harris-Benedict equation requires you to multiply your basal metabolic rate (BMR) by your average daily activity level (1).
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To Calculate Your BMR
- For men: 66 + (6.2 x weight in pounds) + (12.7 x height in inches) – (6.76 x age)
- For women: 655.1 + (4.35 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) – (4.7 x age)
To Calculate Your Daily Activity Level
Your activity level depends on a point system. I.e.,
- Sedentary lifestyle of little to no exercise = 1.2 points
- Slight active person who does some light exercises 1 to 3 times a week = 1.37 points
- A moderately active person who does some moderate exercises 3 to 5 days a week = 1.55 points
- A very active person who works out hard 6 to 7 days a week = 1.725 points
- A person with a grueling workout routine or one who has a physically demanding job = 1.9 points
To Calculate Average Calories Burned Per Day By An Individual
You’ll have to multiply their BMR and their daily activity level. For example:
- A 35-year-old, 6-foot-tall, and 180-pound man who is moderately active
- 66 + (6.2 x 180) + (12.7 x 72) – (6.76 x 35) x 1.55 = 2882.69 cals burned in a day
- A 30-year-old, 5-foot 5-inches, and 150 pound who leads a sedentary lifestyle
- 655.1 + (4.35 x150) + (4.7 x 5.146) – (4.7 x 30) x 1.2 = 1428.94 cals burned in a day
An important fact to note is that not only does this equation tell you how many calories you burn in a day, but it is also useful in letting you know your intake of calories to maintain weight. remember the key to maintaining your weight lies in your ability to maintain a constant energy balance. I.e., food energy consumed should equal energy burned through BMR and through physical activity (3).
Ps. If these calculations are too complicated and time-consuming for you, using a reputable and highly recommended app like the BetterMe Calorie Tracker can make the process that much easier for you.
How To Go On A Calorie Deficit To Lose Weight?
As previously mentioned, your food energy intake matters just as much, if not more than your daily workouts in terms of weight loss. Going on a calorie deficit to lose weight is a sure-fire way to help you shed those extra pounds even without considering going to the gym.
According to the MayoClinic, a deficit of 500 to 1000 calories a day is enough to help you lose 1 to 2 pounds a week. As a beginner to cutting calories, you may be tempted to cut the highest amount possible, however, we recommend cutting just 500 calories a day as it is more manageable.
Going higher than this, especially higher than 1000 cals can make your body go into starvation mode and can lead to issues such as hair loss, poor sleep, lowered immunity, and more. You can achieve a 500 calorie deficit to lose weight through simple tricks such as
- Quitting alcohol or swapping your favorite drink for lower calorie options
- Drinking more water
- Stop drinking your cals through energy drinks, sodas, and more
- Eating healthier snacks and more
Read More: How Many Sit Ups To Burn 1000 Calories: Get Ready To Fire Up Every Inch Of Your Core!
How Many Squats A Day To Burn 2000 Calories In A Day?
Squats are among the most popular types of workouts today. While many of us think of them as the perfect workout to get a rounder, perkier booty, they are more than just great butt exercises. When you squat, you are working out more than just the muscles in your glutes. Squats are a type of calisthenics workout that exercises several large muscle groups at a go and can help you lose weight faster among other incredible benefits.
As previously mentioned, they target the muscles in your glutes, quads, as well as the hamstrings and they go even further to help improve your balance and mobility and increase your strength. But how many squats do you need to burn 2000 calories a day? This is difficult to gauge as there isn’t really an answer to ‘how many calories does one squat burn.’
How To Calculate?
However, determining how many calories can be burned by squats in a predetermined amount of time is slightly easier. But even then, there is no a ‘one size fits all’ answer to this as the exact number is determined by:
- Your body weight in kilograms
- The number of minutes you spend exercising
- The level of intensity of your squats workout session (Metabolic equivalent value (MET)) – The higher your workout intensity/MET the more calories you burn.
For example; How many calories can a 78 kg person doing a round of HIIT squats burn for 5 minutes?
- Step 1: Start by calculating calories burned per minute
- 0.0175 x 8(MET) x 78 (Kgs) = 10.92 cals per minute
- Step 2: Multiply calories burned per minute by minutes spent exercising
- 10.92 x 5 = 54.6 cals in 5 minute
- Step 3: How much time will this person take to burn 2000 calories in a day
- (2000 cals x 5 mins)/54.6 cals = 183.15 minutes
The above 78 kg person will need to do approximately 3 hours of straight-up HIIT squats for them to burn 2000 calories a day, a feat that is quite impossible for the average person, let alone a seasoned athlete.
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How To Burn 2000 Calories A Day At Home?
Now that most of us are working from home and are perhaps back in lockdown, home workouts have become one of the only options that many of us have been left with. So what are some tricks on how to burn 2000 calories a day?
Before going into what type of workouts can help you burn 2000 calories in a day at home, we must first realize that you can only burn the amount of calories you consume. What do we mean by this? Under the ‘to calculate your daily activity level’ section, we showed you two examples of people burning two different amounts of calories a day.
The woman, in that case, needs about 1430 cals a day while the man needs about 2883 cals. The latter, if he works hard enough, can burn 2000 calories a day because he consumes that and more but the former cannot, no matter how much work she puts in the gym. Burning 2000 calories is possible but only for moderately active people and even then, it is not a feat that you should be attempted everyday, unless the person(s) in question is an athlete.
If you are an athlete wondering how to burn 2000 calories a day -or an average person looking to see how far you can push your body-, some recommended workouts that could help you achieve this goal include jumping rope, swimming, Zumba dance classes, aerobics (including water aerobics), cycling, HIIT and more. An important factor to remember is that to hit this goal, you will have to workout for longer than usual (probably more than an hour), and your intensity will have to be high throughout the session.
How To Burn 2000 Calories A Day Walking?
Walking is another popular workout that many people especially people with weaker or painful joints as well as the elderly prefer. Even younger people who are in good health love this form of workout as they get to enjoy the outdoors more.
But can walking help you burn 2000 calories a day? How much energy do you expend walking a mile? According to VeryWellFit, the calories burned walking a mile differs from person to person. Weigh and walking speed play a huge role in this. The faster you walk the more food energy you burn and the heavier you are the more cals you burn.
However, the rule of thumb states that a 180-pound person burns about 100 cals per mile while a 120-pound person will burn only 65 cals while walking the same distance. With this in mind, how can you decipher how to burn 2000 calories a day by walking? Verywellfit again shows us that burning this much energy in a day by just walking can be quite impossible even if you were to make an effort to walk up to 20,000 steps a day. To even get close to this number, you will have to walk at a very fast pace of more than 4 miles per hour.
How To Burn 2000 Calories A Day By Running?
If you are a moderately active person looking for how to burn 2000 calories a day, then running could be a good option for you. Depending on how much you weigh and your running speeds you can burn anywhere from 400 to as much as 1300 calories in an hour (2). Pushing yourself more could help you achieve this goal, just make sure that you are being safe during the workout.
The Bottom Line: How To Burn 2000 Calories A Day?
Burning 2000 calories a day, especially through working out is generally not something that many people can be able to do. Even moderately active people are advised not to try and achieve this goal everyday. While making this your fitness goal could seem as a quick way to lose weight, we must warn you that it could lead to over-exercising which is not only bad for your muscles, but could affect your immunity, sleep, and even your mental health. Remember that losing just 500 calories a day through your workout of choice creates a negative energy balance which will result in weight loss. You do not need to push yourself this hard.
DISCLAIMER:
This article is intended for general informational purposes only and does not address individual circumstances. It is not a substitute for professional advice or help and should not be relied on to make decisions of any kind. A licensed physician should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any medical conditions. Any action you take upon the information presented in this article is strictly at your own risk and responsibility!
SOURCES:
- Basal metabolic rate studies in humans: measurement and development of new equations (2005, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
- Calories burned in 30 minutes for people of three different weights (health.harvard.edu, 2021)
- Examining Variations of Resting Metabolic Rate of Adults: A Public Health Perspective (2014, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
