When trying to figure out how to diet properly and planning to restrict your calorie intake, you need to know how much energy you need every day. Counting your daily calorie requirement is easy. However, if you are following a low carb diet, you don’t necessarily have to keep an eye on the calories, just on what you eat.
What is your daily energy requirement?
Personal energy requirement = basic energy requirements (BMR) + extra energy requirements (activity factor)
Basic energy requirements includes your basal metabolic rate (BMR) and general daily activities. The BMR tells you how much energy your body needs at rest to keep all its functions going. The amount of energy is measured in calories. The BMR can be calculated with the following formula:
English BMR Formula Women: BMR = 655 + ( 4.35 x weight in pounds ) + ( 4.7 x height in inches ) – ( 4.7 x age in years )
Men: BMR = 66 + ( 6.23 x weight in pounds ) + ( 12.7 x height in inches ) – ( 6.8 x age in year )
Metric BMR Formula Women: BMR = 655 + ( 9.6 x weight in kilos ) + ( 1.8 x height in cm ) – ( 4.7 x age in years )
Men: BMR = 66 + ( 13.7 x weight in kilos ) + ( 5 x height in cm ) – ( 6.8 x age in years )
The next step is to determine your total daily calorie needs by multipling your BMR by the appropriate activity factor. This is called the Harris Benedict Formula.
1. If you are sedentary (little or no exercise) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.2
2. If you are lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.375
3. If you are moderately active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.55
4. If you are very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.725
5. If you are extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.9
Now you have an estimate of your daily calorie requirement. It is only an estimate, because there are big individual differences and because the BMR equation does not take into account the muscle-to-fat ratio your body has. Muscular people’s bodies use more calories (so the figure you got from the formula is too low) than less muscular people’s bodies (so the figure you got from the formula is too high). The body changes its activity level in response to variations in caloric intake too. Anyway, it is quite safe to say that most people will lose weight when they reduce their calories to around 1500 (females) or 2000 (males) a day.
If this sounds complicated, you might want to consider using a calorie counter software, which will help you to figure out how to diet by estimating your daily calorie requirement. The software will also let you set goals and follow your progress. The software is easy to use and instantly accessible. Keeping track on what you eat will help you stick to your diet and keep you motivated. Read more tips on how to lose weight!
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