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Home » How to lose weight safely » PERRY BUCHANAN: An easy way to calculate your caloric needs – The Albany Herald

Im always amazed how easily we are led to believe in magic when it comes to losing bodyfat. The only scientifically proven method for losing weight involves burning more calories than are consumed. This fact, known as the law of thermodynamics, has been proven through rigorous studies. Pretty much all weight-loss diets cause a reduction in calorie intake. Many people get frustrated, though, because they get the math wrong when calculating their individual needs.

Calories are simply a way to measure energy. Your metabolism is the number of calories your body burns. Whether you want to maintain, gain or lose weight, you need to start by determining your caloric maintenance. To determine your daily calorie needs, you only need to calculate your basal metabolic rate (BMR), and factor in your activity levels. To find your maintenance caloric need, you just need to follow these two steps:

Step 1 Calculate your basal metabolic rate (BMR). BMR is the number of calories your body burns at rest to maintain vital functions of all organs and cells in the body. There are several formulas used for calculating BMR. Regardless of the formula you use, realize all formulas are merely educated guesses and give us a point to start. The most popular and oldest formula is the Harris Benedict formula. This formula estimates your BMR based on gender, age, weight and height. I wont bore you with the equation. Google Harris Benedict formula and try the math. Im going to give you a much easier formula if you want to simplify things. Just multiply 10 calories per pound of bodyweight for women or 11 for men. This quick estimate will most likely be within range of the Harris Benedict formula.

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We all have different energy needs, and those needs are influenced mostly by our body size, especially fat free mass and activity, not genetics. Two people identical in total weight, lean body mass, and activity levels will usually have close to the same BMR and total calorie expenditure. Most studies show a variance of only 3-8%, meaning our metabolism is not normally attributable to genetics.

Step 2 Calculate your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE). This is the total number of calories you expend each day when your activity levels are factored in and added to your BMR. Use the following appropriate multiplier:

Sedentary (desk job or no/light activity) BMR x 1.2

Lightly active (light exercise or sports 1-3 days/week) BMR x 1.375

Moderately active (moderate exercise or sports 3-5 days/week) BMR x 1.55

Very active (hard exercise or sports 6-7 days/week) BMR x 1.725

Extremely active (very intense exercise or sports daily and physical job) BMR x 1.9

It is usually better to start with a higher activity multiplier. You can always adjust down if need be, based on your progress.

Now that you have determined how many calories you need to maintain your bodyweight, you can determine your exact caloric need based on your individual weight goal. If your goal is to maintain your weight, youre done. With the two steps above, you have calculated the number of calories you need to maintain your bodyweight.

If your goal is to gain weight, you will need to consume additional calories. It is imperative that you do not increase your caloric intake too drastically, and that you incorporate strength training into your routine. This way, you will be more assured of putting on lean muscle weight, not just additional body fat.

If your goal is to lose weight, subtract 250 calories/day from your intake and burn an additional 250 calories per day with additional exercise. Since there are 3,500 calories in a pound of fat, this should assure you of an average of one pound of fat loss per week. If you have 25 pounds or more to lose, you can be more aggressive with your daily deficit, shooting for a two-pound-per-week loss. Once you lose 10 pounds or hit a plateau, it is a good idea to recalculate your caloric needs.

Keep in mind, the drop in calories will have an impact on your metabolic rate, energy and workout recovery. Its best to maintain your workout intensity to maintain your strength and lean muscle as you burn fat. Unless you have a lot of body fat to lose, a small or moderate calorie deficit will work best to allow a good rate of fat loss while maintaining lean muscle mass and workout performance.

Perry Buchanan, owner of PT Gym, is certified as an exercise physiologist through the American College of Sports Medicine, and fitness nutrition specialist through the National Academy of Sports Medicine. Email him at perry@ptgym.com. Follow @ptgym on Twitter.

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PERRY BUCHANAN: An easy way to calculate your caloric needs - The Albany Herald

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Home » How to lose weight safely » PERRY BUCHANAN: An easy way to calculate your caloric needs – The Albany Herald