By Dayne Hudson
I've told you before about how many calories muscle burns but what really blows people away is when they learn just how many calories their organs burn!
But the focus is never really is on these, as people are generally more worried about their muscle mass.
However the numbers in this article might surprise you!
HOW MANY CALORIES DOES FAT BURN?
Some are of the belief that fat is dead and therefore doesn't cost many calories to run, but this simply isn't true.
Fat secretes proteins, with leptin being one of them, which plays a role in how manly calories we burn (1).
However, it's not a lot, with fat burning 0.9 calories per kilogram or 2 calories per pound (2).
But have you ever stopped and thought about your heart, kidneys or other organs and how many calories they burn?
Well it's quite interesting!
Would you believe the heart and kidneys have the largest resting metabolic rate, both burning around 90 calories per kilogram or 200 calories per pound?!
Your liver burns 41 calories per kilogram (or 91 calories per pound) whilst your brains burns about 50 calories per kilogram or 109 calories per pound!
And as I've told you before, muscle burns about 2.7 calories per kilogram or 6 calories per pound....leaving them well behind your heart and kidneys.
In fact muscle runs second last!
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| Tissue or organ | Metabolic rate (per day) |
| Heart | 440 calories per kilogram (or 200 calories per pound) |
| Kidneys | 440 calories per kilogram (or 200 calories per pound) |
| Brain | 240 calories per kilogram (or 109 calories per pound) |
| Liver | 200 calories per kilogram (or 91 calories per pound) |
| Muscle | 13 calories per kilogram (or 6 calories per pound) |
| Fat | 9 calories per kilogram (or 2 calories per pound) |
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So there we have it!
Increasing muscle mass is always a good idea for extra calories burnt, but it's not what some people will have you believe.
For the greater good of how your physique looks, don't stop weight lifting!
But remember, it's a calorie deficit that will ultimately determine fat loss, not how much more muscle you've gained!
"Stay Fit, Stay Flexed!"
REFERENCES
(1) Wajchenberg, B.L. (2000). Subcutaneous and visceral adipose tissue: their relation to the metabolic syndrome. Endocrine Reviews. 21, 697-738
(2) Wang, Z., Heshka, S., Zhang, K., Boozer, C.N., & Heymsfield, S.B. (2001). Resting energy expenditure: systematic organization and critique of prediction methods. Obesity Research. 9, 331-336
