There are several different ways to find your body’s calorie needs, but some are less accurate than others. If you want to lose fat then you need to know the proper amount. While it’s not absolutely necessary that you know the precise calorie number down to the decimal, it’s comforting to have as close an estimation as possible so that you can reliably plan your meals for the day. It’s always nice to know you can fit in an extra treat or if you should be reducing portions. I would like to share with you a few ways to determine your calorie needs.
Here’s a very simple equation. Some people judge their calorie intake by taking their current weight and multiplying it by ten. They then aim for that calorie amount each day and usually they will lose fat. This is very quick and easy to figure out, but unfortunately it’s not necessarily that accurate for everyone. In my case it’s not that far off. Multiplying my weight by ten would give me a calorie deficit, but not a very big one. I would only lose fat at a decent rate if I piled on the exercise in addition to eating that many calories. So, if you don’t feel like doing any math then this is a quick and easy way to determine how much you should be consuming each day.
If you want something that’s more accurate then you should use these equations. This is what’s known as Resting Metabolic Rate. Your weight is figured in kilograms and height is figured in centimeters. If you follow this you will have a fairly accurate number to work with. However, make sure you increase the result by about 20% to account for daily activity not counting exercise. In other words, if the result is 2,000 then increase it to 2,400 even if you have a desk job:
Men: (10 x weight in kg) + (6.25 x height in cm) – (5 x age) + 5
Women: (10 x weight in kg) + (6.25 x height in cm) – (5 x age) – 161
Frank Smith
