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Calorie Calculators & Calorie Calculations By Tom Venuto
The first step in designing a personal nutrition plan for yourself is
to calculate how many calories you burn in a day; your total daily
energy expenditure (TDEE). TDEE is the total number of calories that
your body expends in 24 hours, including all activities. TDEE is
also known as your "maintenance level". Knowing your maintenance level
will give you a starting reference point from which to begin your diet.
According to exercise physiologists William McArdle and Frank Katch, the
average maintenance level for women in the United States is 2000-2100
calories per day and the average for men is 2700-2900 per day. These are
only averages; caloric expenditure can vary widely and is much higher
for athletes or extremely active individuals. Some triathletes and
ultra-endurance athletes may require as many as 6000 calories per day or
more just to maintain their weight! Calorie requirements may also vary
among otherwise identical individuals due to differences in inherited
metabolic rates.
Methods of determining caloric needs
There are many different formulas you can use to determine your caloric
maintenance level by taking into account the factors of age, sex,
height, weight, lean body mass, and activity level. Any formula that
takes into account your lean body mass (LBM) will give you the most
accurate determination of your energy expenditure, but even without LBM
you can still get a reasonably close estimate.
The "quick" method (based on total bodyweight)
A fast and easy method to determine calorie needs is to use total
current body weight times a multiplier.
Fat loss = 12 - 13 calories per lb. of bodyweight
Maintenance (TDEE) = 15 - 16 calories per lb. of bodyweight
Weight gain: = 18 - 19 calories per lb. of bodyweight
This is a very easy way to estimate caloric needs, but there are obvious
drawbacks to this method because it doesn't take into account activity
levels or body composition. Extremely active individuals may require far
more calories than this formula indicates. In addition, the more lean
body mass one has, the higher the TDEE will be. Because body fatness is
not accounted for, this formula may greatly overestimate the caloric
needs if someone is extremely overfat. For example, a lightly active 50
year old woman who weighs 235 lbs. and has 34% body fat will not lose
weight on 3000 calories per day (255 X 13 as per the "quick" formula for
fat loss).
Equations based on BMR.
A much more accurate method for calculating TDEE is to determine basal
metabolic rate (BMR) using multiple factors, including height, weight,
age and sex, then multiply the BMR by an activity factor to determine
TDEE. BMR is the total number of calories your body requires for normal
bodily functions (excluding activity factors). This includes keeping
your heart beating, inhaling and exhaling air, digesting food, making
new blood cells, maintaining your body temperature and every other
metabolic process in your body. In other words, your BMR is all the
energy used for the basic processes of life itself. BMR usually accounts
for about two-thirds of total daily energy expenditure. BMR may vary
dramatically from person to person depending on genetic factors. If you
know someone who claims they can eat anything they want and never gain
an ounce of fat, they have inherited a naturally high BMR. BMR is at
it's lowest when you are sleeping undisturbed and you are not digesting
anything. It is very important to note that the higher your lean body
mass is, the higher your BMR will be. This is very significant if you
want to lose body fat because it means that the more muscle you have,
the more calories you will burn. Muscle is metabolically active tissue,
and it requires a great deal of energy just to sustain it. It is obvious
then that one way to increase your BMR is to engage in weight training
in order to increase and/or maintain lean body mass. In this manner it
could be said that weight training helps you lose body fat, albeit
indirectly.
The Harris-Benedict formula (BMR based on total body weight)
The Harris Benedict equation is a calorie formula using the factors of
height, weight, age, and sex to determine basal metabolic rate (BMR).
This makes it more accurate than determining calorie needs based on
total bodyweight alone. The only variable it does not take into
consideration is lean body mass. Therefore, this equation will be very
accurate in all but the extremely muscular (will underestimate caloric
needs) and the extremely overfat (will overestimate caloric needs).
Men: BMR = 66 + (13.7 X wt in kg) + (5 X ht in cm) - (6.8 X age in
years)
Women: BMR = 655 + (9.6 X wt in kg) + (1.8 X ht in cm) - (4.7 X age in
years)
Note: 1 inch = 2.54 cm.
1 kilogram = 2.2 lbs.
Example:
You are female
You are 30 yrs old
You are 5' 6 " tall (167.6 cm)
You weigh 120 lbs. (54.5 kilos)
Your BMR = 655 + 523 + 302 - 141 = 1339 calories/day
Now that you know your BMR, you can calculate TDEE by multiplying your
BMR by your activity multiplier from the chart below:
Activity Multiplier
Sedentary = BMR X 1.2 (little or no exercise, desk job)
Lightly active = BMR X 1.375 (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/wk)
Mod. active = BMR X 1.55 (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/wk)
Very active = BMR X 1.725 (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days/wk)
Extr. active = BMR X 1.9 (hard daily exercise/sports & physical job or
2X day training, i.e marathon, contest etc.)
Example:
Your BMR is 1339 calories per day
Your activity level is moderately active (work out 3-4 times per week)
Your activity factor is 1.55
Your TDEE = 1.55 X 1339 = 2075 calories/day
Katch-McArdle formula (BMR based on lean body weight)
If you have had your body composition tested and you know your lean body
mass, then you can get the most accurate BMR estimate of all. This
formula from Katch & McArdle takes into account lean mass and therefore
is more accurate than a formula based on total body weight. The Harris
Benedict equation has separate formulas for men and women because men
generally have a higher LBM and this is factored into the men's formula.
Since the Katch-McArdle formula accounts for LBM, this single formula
applies equally to both men and women.
BMR (men and women) = 370 + (21.6 X lean mass in kg)
Example:
You are female
You weigh 120 lbs. (54.5 kilos)
Your body fat percentage is 20% (24 lbs. fat, 96 lbs. lean)
Your lean mass is 96 lbs. (43.6 kilos)
Your BMR = 370 + (21.6 X 43.6) = 1312 calories
To determine TDEE from BMR, you simply multiply BMR by the activity
multiplier:
Example:
Your BMR is 1312
Your activity level is moderately active (work out 3-4 times per week)
Your activity factor is 1.55
Your TDEE = 1.55 X 1312 = 2033 calories
As you can see, the difference in the TDEE as determined by both
formulas is statistically insignificant (2075 calories vs. 2033
calories) because the person we used as an example is average in body
size and body composition. The primary benefit of factoring lean body
mass into the equation is increased accuracy when your body composition
leans to either end of the spectrum (very muscular or very obese).
Adjust your caloric intake according to your goal
Once you know your TDEE (maintenance level), the next step is to adjust
your calories according to your primary goal. The mathematics of calorie
balance are simple: To keep your weight at its current level, you should
remain at your daily caloric maintenance level. To lose weight, you need
to create a calorie deficit by reducing your calories slightly below
your maintenance level (or keeping your calories the same and increasing
your activity above your current level). To gain weight you need to
increase your calories above your maintenance level. The only difference
between weight gain programs and weight loss programs is the total
number of calories required.
Negative calorie balance is essential to lose body fat.
Calories not only count, they are the bottom line when it comes to fat
loss. If you are eating more calories than you expend, you simply will
not lose fat, no matter what type of foods or food combinations you eat.
Some foods do get stored as fat more easily than others, but always bear
in mind that too much of anything, even "healthy food," will get stored
as fat. You cannot override the laws of thermodynamics and energy
balance. You must be in a calorie deficit to burn fat. This will force
your body to use stored body fat to make up for the energy deficit.
There are 3500 calories in a pound of stored body fat. If you create a
3500-calorie deficit in a week through diet, exercise or a combination
of both, you will lose one pound. If you create a 7000 calories deficit
in a week you will lose two pounds. The calorie deficit can be created
through diet, exercise or preferably, with a combination of both.
Because we already factored in the exercise deficit by using an activity
multiplier, the deficit we are concerned with here is the dietary
deficit.
Calorie deficit thresholds: How low is too low?
It is well known that cutting calories too much slows down the metabolic
rate, decreases thyroid output and causes loss of lean mass, so the
question is how much of a deficit do you need? There definitely seems to
be a specific cutoff or threshold where further reductions in calories
will have detrimental effects. The most common guideline for calorie
deficits for fat loss is to reduce your calories by at least 500, but
not more than 1000 below your maintenance level. For some, especially
lighter people, 1000 calories may be too much of a deficit. The American
College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends that calorie levels never
drop below 1200 calories per day for women or 1800 per day for men. Even
these calorie levels are extremely low. A more individualized way to
determine the safe calorie deficit would be to account for one's
bodyweight or TDEE. Reducing calories by 15-20% below TDEE is a good
place to start. A larger deficit may be necessary in some cases, but the
best approach would be to keep the calorie deficit through diet small
while increasing activity level.
Example 1:
Your weight is 120 lbs.
Your TDEE is 2033 calories
Your calorie deficit to lose weight is 500 calories
Your optimal caloric intake for weight loss is 2033 - 500 = 1533
calories
Example 2: Your calorie deficit to lose weight is 20% of TDEE
(.20% X 2033 = 406 calories)
Your optimal caloric intake for weight loss = 1627 calories
Positive calorie balance is essential to gain lean bodyweight
If you want to gain lean bodyweight and become more muscular, you must
consume more calories than you burn up in a day. Provided that you are
participating in a weight-training program of a sufficient intensity,
frequency and volume, the caloric surplus will be used to create new
muscle tissue. Once you've determined your TDEE, the next step is to
increase your calories high enough above your TDEE that you can gain
weight. It is a basic law of energy balance that you must be on a
positive calorie balance diet to gain muscular bodyweight. A general
guideline for a starting point for gaining weight is to add
approximately 300-500 calories per day onto your TDEE. An alternate
method is to add an additional 15 - 20% onto your TDEE.
Example:
Your weight is 120 lbs.
Your TDEE is 2033 calories
Your additional calorie requirement for weight gain is + 15 - 20% = 305
- 406 calories
Your optimal caloric intake for weight gain is 2033 + 305 - 406 =
2338 - 2439 calories
Adjust your caloric intake gradually
It is not advisable to make any drastic changes to your diet all at
once. After calculating your own total daily energy expenditure and
adjusting it according to your goal, if the amount is substantially
higher or lower than your current intake, then you may need to adjust
your calories gradually. For example, if your determine that your
optimal caloric intake is 1900 calories per day, but you have only been
eating 900 calories per day, your metabolism may be sluggish. An
immediate jump to 1900 calories per day might actually cause a fat gain
because your body has adapted to a lower caloric intake and the sudden
jump up would create a surplus. The best approach would be to gradually
increase your calories from 900 to 1900 over a period of a few weeks to
allow your metabolism to speed up and acclimatize.
Measure your results and adjust calories accordingly
These calculations for finding your correct caloric intake are quite
simplistic and are just estimates to give you a starting point. You will
have to monitor your progress closely to make sure that this is the
proper level for you. You will know if you’re at the correct level of
calories by keeping track of your caloric intake, your bodyweight, and
your body fat percentage. You need to observe your bodyweight and body
fat percentage to see how you respond. If you don't see the results you
expect, then you can adjust your caloric intake and exercise levels
accordingly. The bottom line is that it’s not effective to reduce
calories to very low levels in order to lose fat. In fact, the more
calories you consume the better, as long as a deficit is created through
diet and exercise. The best approach is to reduce calories only slightly
and raise your daily calorie expenditure by increasing your frequency,
duration and or intensity of exercise.
References:
1. Katch, Frank, Katch, Victor, McArdle, William. Exercise
Physiology: Energy, Nutrition, and Human Performance, 4th edition.
Williams & Wilkins, 1996.
2. Whitney, Eleanor, Rolfes, Sharon. Understanding Nutrition, 8th
Edition, Wadsworth Publishing, 1999.
3. American College of Sports Medicine. Position Statement on proper and
improper weight loss programs. Medicine and Science in Sports and
Exercise 15: ix - xiii, 1983.
4. McDonald, Lyle. The Ketogenic Diet. Morris Publishing. 1998
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