BMR Calculator

HOW MANY CALORIES DO I NEED?

A calorie is a unit of energy we get from food and drink. If we take in more calories to that being burned through daily actions and exercise we will put on excess weight and/or body fat. If we take in less calories to that being burned we lose excess weight and/or body fat. We can also consume just enough to maintain our weight.

In order to establish how many calories we require for our goals we need to work out our Basal Metabolic Rate.

BASAL METABOLIC RATE (BMR)

The Basal Metabolic Rate is the amount of energy (calories) your body needs while resting. This accounts for about 60 to 70 percent of calories burned in a day. In general, men have a higher BMR than women. One of the most accurate methods of estimating your basal metabolic rate is the Harris-Benedict formula. The calculator is here for your convenience.

But we need more than just your BMR to establish daily calorie intake for your goals.

Determine Your Calorie Goals

To determine your total daily calorie needs, multiply your BMR by the appropriate activity factor, as follows:

If you are sedentary (little or no exercise) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.2

If you are lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.375

If you are moderately active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.55

If you are very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.725

If you are extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.9

TOTAL CALORIE NEEDS EXAMPLE

If you are very active like me, multiply your BMR (Mine is 1745) by 1.725= 3010 calories. This is the total number of calories I need in order to maintain my current weight.

CALORIES NEEDS TO LOSE EXCESS WEIGHT

There are approximately 3500 calories in a pound of stored body fat. If you subtract 3500 calories each week through diet, exercise or a combination of both, you will lose one pound of body weight.) If you create a 7000 calorie deficit you will lose two pounds and so on. The calorie deficit can be achieved either by calorie reduction alone, or by a combination of eating less and doing more. This combination of healthy eating and physical activity is best for achieving and maintaining a healthy weight.

If you want to lose fat, a useful guideline for lowering your calorie intake is to reduce your calories by at least 500 a day from the total calories calculated, but not more than 1000 daily below your maintenance level. For people with only a small amount of weight to lose, 1000 calories is too much. As a guide, the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends that calorie levels never drop below 1200 calories per day for women or 1800 calories per day for men. Even these calorie levels are quite low.

If I take 500 from my daily caloric intake I would be consuming 2510 calories daily on order to lose a pound of weight a week.

There are some exceptions for this such as PCOS, Menopause etc however, if you establish your caloric intake for your goals and play around with the numbers until you see changes.

Remember it takes more than a week or two to change so please be patient.

My 1-1 and online coaching teaches you a whole lot more allowing you to achieve your goals with ease.

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