How Many Calories Do I Need to Lose Weight?

Calorie is the measurement of energy. Every humanYou are 5'8" tall (177 cm)
being needs a certain amount of calories to survive.You are 154 lbs (70 kgs)
Calories play a vital role in determining the body weightYour BMR = 66 + 959 + 885 - 204 = 1706 calories per
of an individual. People strive hard to lose weight byday
consuming fewer calories. But there is no need to tryNow you know your BMR, but BMR does not include
anything hard; you can achieve weight loss just bythe amount of calorie from activity level. You have to
understanding your daily calorie need and how muchdetermine your total energy expenditure (amount of
calorie you intake every day. You need to get an ideacalories you burn every day) by multiplying BMR with
of your daily food requirement based on your lifestyledifferent activity levels.
and eating habits.There are several activity levels as follows:
It is recommended to take 1200 to 1500 calories perSedentary
day to lose weight. This amount of calorie intake is- No exercise or no physical activity involved. This is
very much necessary to maintain a healthy body andcalculated as BMR x 1.2
it works well for weight loss. You may continue thisLightly active
diet plan for few months but it becomes really difficult- Very light exercise. This is calculated as BMR x 1.375
to follow the procedure forever. The only key is toModerately active
maintain take highly nutritious foods and maintain a- Moderate exercise. This is calculated as BMR x 1.55
healthy diet.Very active
People never eat the same amount of calories they-- Hard core exercise. This is calculated as BMR x
burn. They may have fewer calories because of not1.725
eating enough or more calories by eating too much. IfExtremely active
you really want to lose weight, try to eat less calories-- Involved in sports, hard daily work outs etc. This is
that you burn so that your body will burn stored fatcalculated as BMR x 1.9
resulting in weight loss. If you wish to maintain yourNow as per the above example, your BMR is 1706
weight, try to figure out the amount of calorie you cancalories per day. If your activity level is "Moderately
burn and eat the same amount every day.active", Your Total Energy expenditure is calculated as
Estimate your Daily Energy requirements1.55 x 1706 = 2644.3 calories per day.
The calorie calculator helps you to understand howKatch-McArdle formula:
many calories you need each day. You can findThis calculates BMR based on lean body Mass and
calorie calculators online and make use of them tohence it is more accurate. This doesn't have separate
estimate your daily calorie needs. You need to burnformulas for Men and Women.
the extra calories to lose weight.BMR = 370 + (21.6 X Lean Mass in KG)
Calculate your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)** This formula applies to both Men and Women***
BMR is very important in determining the amount ofFor Example,
calories you need to maintain, lose or gain weight. ItYou are a male,
helps in estimating overall metabolic rate and is usuallyYou are 30 years old
determined by various factors like genetics, gender,You are 5'8" tall (177 cm)
age, height, weight and your physical activity level.You are 154 lbs (70 kgs)
The very simple formulae for calculating BMR is toYour BMR = 370 + (21.6 X 70) = 1882 calories per day
multiply your total body weight by 10. For example, ifMultiply the activity level factor with BMR to determine
your weight is 120 lbs, your BMR is 1200 calories perTotal Energy expenditure
day.If your activity level is "Moderately active", Your Total
There are some other formulas as well to calculateEnergy Expenditure is 1.55 x 1882 = 2917.1 calories per
BMRday.
Harris - Benedict formula:Activity diary
This calculates BMR based on total body weight,Use an activity diary to track your weight loss
height, age and gender. But, this formula mayprogram results. Keep a goal and monitor the results
underestimate the daily calorie needs for highlyperiodically. As an example, If you are 75 kgs (approx
muscular people and it may over estimate calorie165.3 lbs) in June month and you want to shed 10 kgs
needs for over fat people.(approx 22 lbs) in 2 months (i.e., by August), track the
The standard formula to calculate BMR for men isprogress of your goal in activity diary. Make a note of
BMR = 66 + (13.7 X wt in kg) + (5 X ht in cm) - (6.8 Xall the activities you do during this period. Include the
age in years)details of food you eat, drink, exercise etc and analyse
The standard formula to calculate BMR for women isthe results every week. You can definitely feel the
BMR = 655 + (9.6 X wt in kg) + (1.8 X ht in cm) - (4.7difference in two months. Activity diary is very useful
X age in years)for weight management.
For Example,Do not hurt yourself to burn the calories that are
You are a male,already stored in your body. Practise light exercises
You are 30 years oldlike jogging, walking etc to burn extra fat.