 So why do amputees burn more energy? Wouldn't it stand to reason that there's less body parts, less body mass, and less calories needed? That is also what I used to think. Until becoming an amputee, I was like way hungrier than I used to be all the time. I looked into the science behind it and realized that because our bodies have to do so much compensating and adjusting, if I'm walking on a prosthetic leg, if I'm using a wheelchair, there are so many more muscles that are being engaged to help you balance, to compensate so you can actually walk, those muscles take a lot of energy. So as a below-the-knee amputee, I burn anywhere from like 20 to 30 percent more energy than I did when I had two legs. If you're missing your leg above the knee, that number goes way up. I think it's super interesting because it kind of defied all of my expectations. Less body, more food.