Posted on May 15, 2015 by Kate Halsall
If you’re wondering how many calories should you eat each day we need to make sure it is specific to YOU. Let’s get this straight from the start – you need to ignore the many sites which tell you it’s 2500 calories for men and 2000 calories for women – if only it were that simple!
To look at how many calories you should eat per day you need to remember that our bodies have set energy requirements just to maintain the normal functions like sleeping and brain activity. You then need to consider that each one of us is different: different sexes, different activity levels and lifestyles, different heights and ages, different lean body weight and so on and so on. How can an estimated number based on an “average individual” (whatever that is) be correct? If you’re looking to maintain, lose or gain weight, this blog should help you to understand how many calories you should you eat each day?
Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)
Ever had a duvet day? Obviously if you’re a personal training client of ours the answer would be no – but in essence your BMR is the number of calories you would expend just lying in bed and doing nothing. This is dependant on age, height, weight and sex. A great online calculator to use is here:
http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/
So using me as an example, I need to consume 1,440.7 calories a day to just wake up and do nothing (other than eat!)
Daily Calorie Needs
So now we have your basic daily calorie intake (BMR), we need to look at your activity levels. Without trying to be too obvious, the more activity you do, the more calories you need. One great way to do this is to use the Harris Benedict Equation. One such calculator is here: http://www.globalrph.com/harris-benedict-equation.htm
So I’d class myself as very active (I do hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week). This means I multiply my daily BMR calories by 1.725 (1400.7×1.725) = 2,485 calories. Of course this doesn’t take into consideration my body mass – a leaner body will need more calories than a less leaner one.
Weight Maintenance
So if I want to stay the same weight I am now, with the same physique, I would need to maintain the same level of activity and eat 2485 calories a day. If my exercise changes, so it gets less for example, I would need to reduce my calorie intake. If I start doing any more more calorie intake would go up.
Weight Loss
If you’ve ever read any of our previous blogs you will know that there are 3500 calories in 1lb of fat. So if I’m looking to lose 1lb a week, I would need to create a calorie deficit of 500 calories a day, 2lb would be 1,000 calories a day. On average we would say 1-2lbs a week is good weight loss. So I would need to be eating around 1985 calories a day to lose 1lb a week, or 1485 calories per day to lose 2lb per week. However, we need to be sensible about how many calories you are eating as significantly going under your BMR on a daily basis will slow your metabolism as you will go into starvation mode and this will slow your weight loss.
Weight Gain
Rather than creating a calorie deficit, you need to consume more calories. The same rule as above applies. 500 additional calories a day will see a gain of 1lb a week or 1000 for 2lb per week.
The key with weight maintenance, loss or gain is not just how many calories we eat – it’s the quality of calories. You also need to keep in mind that as your weight changes, so will your daily calorie intake. If you have any questions about calorie requirements, just speak to a member of the Motive8 team or book a nutritional consultation.