How to Calculate Calorie Intake to Lose Weight

A man checks his weight.

Calculating your caloric intake is one of the best ways to lose weight. Counting calories to lose weight is effective and can be as simple as forgoing one or two high-calorie food items per day. How is this possible? One pound of fat is approximately equivalent to 3,500 calories. This means that your body has to burn 3,500 more calories than you consume to drop 1 pound. So, for example, if for one week you skip your daily grand caffe latte (190 calories) and large glazed doughnut (299 calories), you could lose nearly 1 pound a week. Here is the calculation: 489 calories X 7 days = 3,489 calories. That's nearly one pound.

Things You'll Need

• Scale
• Calculator, or pen and paper
• Diet plan
• Fitday.com account (free)

Instructions

Calories Required

1. Estimate your daily caloric needs. Generally speaking, you should lose weight eating around 1,500 calories per day.

2. Calculate your basal metabolic rate (BMR) with the following formulas. BMR is the amount of energy your body needs to function. We use about 60 percent of the calories we consume each day for basic bodily functions such as breathing.

   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 years)

3. Account for your daily activity level. Depending on how active you are, you will need more or less than what the BMR calculation gives you.

   Multiply your BMR by 20 (BMR X .20) percent if you have a sedentary lifestyle.

   Multiply your BMR by 30 percent (BMR X .30) if you have a lightly active lifestyle.

   Multiply your BMR by 40 percent (BMR X .40) if you lead moderately active lifestyle. Moderately active means you follow a regular exercise program.

   Multiply your BMR by 50 percent (BMR X .50) if you are very active, exercising intensely on a daily basis for long periods of time.

   Multiply your BMR by 60 percent (BMR X .60) if you regularly do hard labor or athletic training.

   Add the result of this calculation back to your BMR calculation to determine your daily caloric requirement.

Losing the Weight

1. Begin tracking the number of calories you consume daily. Tracking your calories requires that you read ingredient labels for caloric content and serving sizes.

2. Learn the caloric content of your favorite snacks and beverages. There are many Internet sites and books that contain this information. The site nutritiondata.com has information on many food items.

3. Compare the amount of calories you're eating to your daily caloric requirement.

4. Begin eliminating high-calorie foods from your diet on a daily basis. Lower your daily caloric intake until it is less than your daily caloric requirement. This should not be done too drastically, however, but rather slowly over the course of a few weeks.

   You must reach a calorie deficit to begin losing weight. How much of a deficit depends on your situation, but remember that 3,500 calories equals 1 pound. A deficit of 500 calories daily should allow you to lose a pound a week (7 X 500 = 3,500).

5. Weigh yourself on the same day of every week or every two weeks. Use your diary or an online journal such as fitday.com to track your caloric intake and weight loss. If there is no progress or your progress is slower than what you would like after reaching a 500-calorie deficit, eliminate an additional 250 calories per day from your diet so that your daily deficit is 750 calories.

6. Increase the number of calories you consume once you have reached your desired weight. This should be done gradually until you are consuming the number of calories dictated by your daily caloric requirement.

   You will be healthier and maintain your weight loss if you increase your caloric intake by eating healthier foods and drinking plenty of water.

Tips & Warnings

• Get advice from your family physician about your diet and nutrition regarding weight loss. Also, discuss your ideal weight with your doctor. Any weight loss plan would be remiss if it didn't include healthy eating. Losing weight is great, but being healthy is the real goal. So, along with counting calories, begin switching out unhealthy foods for healthier foods, and add variety to your diet. Be sure to drink plenty of water. Eat smaller meals, but increase the number of meals you eat to four or five per day. Your body needs nutrients and minerals on a timely basis. Don't eat at abnormal times such as early in the morning or late at night. These are normal periods of inactivity. Get adequate sleep. Lack of sleep or an irregular sleep pattern disturbs your body's metabolism. Try to get an average of eight hours of sleep per night. Proper sleep increases blood flow to vital parts of your body such as your heart and brain. The www.fitday.com site is a great way to begin counting calories and tracking your eating habits and weight loss. Setting up an account is free.

• Never try quick-fix weight-loss drugs advertised by many companies. Losing weight is a slow process and should be done with a proper routine. Check with your doctor to be sure you have no health issues that will be affected by a change in your diet. If you are severely obese or suffer from sleep apnea, you may have additional health concerns that require professional medical attention. Being underweight is also unhealthy, so monitor you progress carefully and be patient. Weight lost too quickly usually returns quickly.

References

• Counting calories: Getting back to weight-loss basics
• Weight loss
• BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate)