So you're counting calories...how many do you need?

Over the years I’ve seen many different, and often conflicting, numbers for daily calorie requirements. Unfortunately, one size does not fit all. A flat number of calories for all women or all men cannot be accurate.

If you don’t know the goal you are shooting for how can you reach it? Let’s take a minute and figure out a more reliable number for your personal caloric intake per day. I like the following equation from Jim Kara’s because it factors in several important variables.

Working the numbers

To maintain your current weight start with this first equation:

Women: resting metabolic rate = 655 + (4.35 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) – (4.7 x age in years)

Men: resting metabolic rate = 66 + (6.23 x weight in pounds) + (12.7 x height in inches) – (6.8 x age in years)

Then multiply your results by:

Activity Factor Category Definition
1.2 Sedentary Little or no exercise
1.375 Lightly Active Light exercise 1 to 3 days a week
1.55 Moderately Active Moderate exercise 3-5 days a week
1.725 Very Active Hard exercise 6-7 days a week
1.9 Extremely Active Hard daily exercise and physical job

You now have the number of calories required to maintain your present weight.

Loosing weight

3,500 calories equals one pound. The most effective weight loss is a blend of increased exercise to burn more calories and decreased intake of calories. To target loosing one pound in a week, you would need to reduce your net calories by 500 per day. Please don’t reduce your net intake below 1200 calories per day.

A slow weight loss accompanied by lifestyle changes is usually the most effective long-term plan to reach and maintain your ideal weight.