How Many Calories Should You Eat to Lose Weight?

This question is probably the best one you should be asking. Without a pretty good idea of how many calories you should eat to lose weight, a lot of your weight loss efforts can be wasted.

Your needed calorie intake is based on a few main factors: your weight, body fat percentage, and activity level. The biggest contributors to your caloric need are your weight and your activity level and as these change your caloric need will change pretty significantly.

One thing you should not do is rely on fixed calorie suggestions made by and for other people. Everyone has a different caloric need and what works for your friend, may not work for you.

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The number of calories you need comes from a long drawn out mathematical equation. There are different equations used by different health and fitness institutions so the numbers may vary a bit from one source to another. The one I have used with my clients has proven to be pretty effective and comes very close to the results from an oxygen mask based metabolic rate test.

First, select your body fat multiplier from the chart below:

Once you have selected the appropriate body fat multiplier simply place it into the equation below to find out your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR):

This equation simply tells me what your body needs at a minimum to carry out it’s most basic functions (breathing, regulating heart beat, processing thoughts, etc.).

The next step is to factor in your daily activity. Use these general guidelines and select the appropriate modifier for your lifestyle.

• Sedentary - Sitting, studying, talking, little walking or other activities throughout the day
• Low – Typing, teaching, lab/shop work, some walking throughout the day
• Medium – Walking, jogging, gardening type job with activities such as cycling, tennis, dancing or weight training 1-2 hours per day
• Very Active – Heavy manual labor such as digging, climbing with activities such as football, soccer or intense weight training 2-4 hours per day

Using your BMR we previously calculated and the activity multiplier from above, calculate your body’s caloric need:

From here you must begin your calorie reduction. If you take 500 calories away from what your body needs, you will be left with the maximum number of calories you need to eat every day to lose weight.

Why 500?

There are 3500 calories in a single pound of fat. To create a deficit in your body totalling this amount it is best to do so over a week time period, thus 3500 divided by 7 days.

If you wanted to get a little more aggressive with your weight loss, you can take away more than 500 calories, but you must be careful not to go below your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). Your BMR is the minimum amount of calories your body can get by on to carry out essential functions like breathing, thinking and keeping your heart beating. If you eat calories fewer than this number then your body’s metabolism will slow down in an effort to conserve the fuel you are providing it by eating.

So basically your BMR and your caloric need minus the 500 or more calories (we will call this the adjusted caloric need) provide you with a window of opportunity for weight loss. If you eat less than what you have figured up here, then your metabolism slows and you store fat and lose no weight. If you eat more than what you have adjusted, then you simply will not lose any weight.

The next step is to figure how many of these calories you’re allotted every day should come from proteins, carbohydrates and fats. Different studies will recommend slightly different ratios, but a good healthy breakdown for you to follow is 50% of your calorie total coming from carbohydrates, 30% from proteins and 20% from fats. Depending on what resource you run across these numbers may vary some (i.e. 40% carbs, 40% proteins, 20% fats), but they should not vary much from the one I listed here. Now that you have a percentage to work with you need to convert those percentages into the calories you take in daily. If your daily intake to lose weight is 2000 calories, then 50% of that is 1000 calories for your carbohydrates. 30% of your 2000 calorie diet comes out to 600 calories for your proteins and the remaining 20% is 400 calories for fats.

400 calories for fats may sound like a lot, but I assure you it’s not as much as you think. There are 9 calories for each gram of fat. Meaning those 400 calories you are allowed per day for fat end up being just 44 grams.

Does all of this seem a bit overwhelming?

Not sure how to really get a grasp on how many calories you should eat to lose weight even with the info above?

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