A problem for many people excess weight is the most relevant. In our search for miracle diets and fashionable weight loss techniques, we often forget that our body consumes a certain amount of calories every day. This is necessary to ensure its normal functioning. Proteins, carbohydrates and fats are the main elements that provide the main energy supply. Carbohydrates are broken down during digestion into glucose, which nourishes cells. They also provide 60% of your daily calorie intake. Protein is the main building material of our body. Our muscles, hair and nails are made of it. Protein takes Active participation in the functioning of the immune system. Fats are also very important element for a person. With their help, the body is provided with important microelements that participate in metabolic processes and perform protective function. They make up up to 30% of total number calories.
How to calculate how many calories you need to eat per day
For correct calculation daily kilocalorie consumption, it is important to know exactly your level of energy expenditure. It is necessary to calculate the metabolism in which calories are spent for the functioning of organs and performance various kinds loads This level is individual for each person. It depends on your lifestyle. For those who are sedentary, the basal metabolic rate will be less than for active people. When calculating calorie intake, the term kilocalories is often used. These two concepts can be considered similar, although the word "calories" has a narrower meaning, showing the amount of energy to heat one degree of water. However, it is used in calculations nutritional value products as well as “kilocalories”. The amount of calories depends on gender and age. This figure is higher for men than for women.
The simplest method of calculation is based on body weight. In order to start the fat burning mechanism, twenty-six calories must be consumed per kilogram of weight.
How many calories should a woman consume per day?
To establish the level of energy expenditure in women, the formula is used: 655 + (9.5 multiplied by body weight in kg.) + (1.8 multiplied by height in cm) – (4.7 multiplied by the number full years).
Women aged nineteen to twenty-five years are recommended to consume no more than 2,000 kilocalories for a sedentary lifestyle. From twenty-six to fifty years old, this figure will be 1800. For older women, no more than 1600. With moderate activity, these values are 2200, 2000 and 1800, respectively. Active women need 2400, 2200 and 2000 kilocalories per day.
How many calories should you consume per day when pregnant?
During pregnancy, a woman needs to maintain a balanced and nutritious diet. This is very important for the development of the child, childbirth and breastfeeding. Pregnancy is accompanied by monthly weight gain. In the first trimester this is up to one kilogram, in the second and third trimesters up to one and a half kilograms per month. The weight gain at the time of birth should be from ten to twelve kilograms. The daily diet must contain a ratio of 30% fat, 50% carbohydrates and up to 20% fat. At balanced diet the number of calories per day should be close to 2000-2500.
How many calories should a man consume per day?
For men, the calculation formula looks like this: 655 + (13.7 multiplied by body weight in kg) + (5 multiplied by your height in cm) – (6.8 multiplied by the number of full years). The figure will be more accurate if the resulting amount is multiplied by the activity coefficient. With active physical activity it will be 1.4, and with mental activity 1.6. For moderate loads, the total calories should be multiplied by 1.9. For heavy loads, by 2.2.
With a sedentary lifestyle young man up to thirty years of age you need up to 2400 calories. From thirty to fifty years, up to 2200. At older ages, up to 2000. With moderate vital activity, these values at a young age are 2800, on average - 2600, in adulthood - 2400. If a man is very active and mobile, then at a young age he needs up to 3000 calories, average - 2800, senior - 2400.
How many calories should a teenager consume per day?
During puberty, the body's need for calories increases. Boys aged fourteen to eighteen years need about 3130 kilocalories, for girls this value is 2760. Specific values are calculated taking into account age, weight and lifestyle.
To correctly calculate the number of calories for weight loss, you first need to calculate your costs to maintain the normal functioning of the body. Use the American Dietetic Association Muffin-Geor formula:
9.99 X for your weight + 6.25 X for height and 4.92 X for age and 161. Multiply the resulting number by energy expenditure:
With a sedentary and sedentary lifestyle - 1, 2;
Light exercise no more than three times a week – 1.37;
Five-day training - 1, 46;
Daily sports activities – 1.63;
Daily classes several times – 1, 72;
Intense exercise or heavy physical work – 1, 9.
Subtract 200-500 kilocalories from the total amount of energy.
How to count calories for weight loss
To count calories you need a scale, a calculator, and a weight loss diary. Kitchen scales will help you weigh food. It is best to use electronic scales for this. In your diary, number the pages by the day of the month and write down every day what you eat during the day. You can make tables with the corresponding columns:
Name of products;
Weight of one serving;
Calorie content per serving;
Total calories;
Your weight at the end of the day.
In order to calculate the calorie content of cooked dishes, leave a few free pages.
Calculation of calories burned for weight loss
In the process of losing weight, select dishes at your discretion. By counting calories, you can regulate your diet throughout the day. To reduce body weight, you need to spend 7700 kilocalories for every kilogram. Write down all the results obtained, as well as the amount of food eaten. This will help you better control your diet. You also need to keep a notebook where you write down all the loads. Make a table for the results of weight lost. To count calories, use the food calorie table. It can be found and printed from the Internet. Pay attention to food labels that contain information about the calorie content of dry or cooked foods.
How to burn calories for weight loss
You can burn calories by doing everyday activities. Any physical activity requires certain energy expenditure. Young mothers don’t even think about the fact that walking with a child in a stroller consumes 2.2 kilocalories per kilogram of weight. Dressing and feeding a child takes 2 calories per kilogram per hour. Driving a car consumes 2.1 calories per kilogram of body weight.
Physical activity is the most effective way losing weight. Hoop and jump rope are the best way burning fat. In fifteen minutes you can burn up to 200 calories.
How many calories do you need per day to lose weight quickly? The less, the better - many believe. Better yet, don’t eat at all, you’ll lose weight even faster. But we should not forget that we need calories to maintain the vital functions of the body - the functioning of the cardiovascular system, respiratory, excretory, etc. Even with complete rest, the body consumes calories. We have decided on this, now about the safe minimum.
There is an opinion that a woman needs to consume about 2000 kcal per day, and men at least 500 more. However, for women, especially those with a sedentary lifestyle, this figure is overestimated. So, in order to find out how many calories you need to maintain your weight at the same level and to lose weight, you need to carry out calculations. Measure your height and weight and have a calculator ready.
One of the most accurate formulas is as follows:
- for the fair sex 9.99 x weight (in kg) + 6.25 x height (in cm) - 4.92 x age – 161
- for the stronger sex it’s the same, but only 5 is added.
Using this formula, we calculate how many calories we need to live in a complete state of rest.
And in order to find out how many calories a person needs to consume per day in order to lose weight, you must first find out how much energy you need during your physical activity.
For a person with low physical activity (leading sedentary image life and not involved in any kind of sport, even amateur ones), you need to multiply the number obtained from the above formula by 1.2. For those who do 1-2 times a week, for example, fitness, you need to multiply by 1.375. For average activity (sports up to 5 times a week) - multiply by 1.55. With even higher activity - by 1.725, and for professional athletes by 1.9.
Our example will be a 38-year-old woman, weight 65 kg, height 158 cm. Physical activity is low. 9.99 x 65 + 6.25 x 158 - 4.92 x 38 - 161 = 1289 kcal per day - this is so that the body does not die, but in order to live a full life and not gain weight - 1289 x 1.2 = 1547 kcal. But there is excess weight, so calorie intake needs to be reduced. To lose weight, it is recommended to reduce your calorie intake by 1/5. This means 309 kcal. Thus, the calorie intake for weight loss for the woman in our example will be 1238 kcal. Remember that under no circumstances should you reduce caloric intake to less than 1000-1200 kcal per day, as many strict diets prescribe. As a last resort, you can spend such a fasting day, but it is unlikely to have a clear effect on your figure. In addition, it has been proven that with a sharp decrease in calorie intake, a person not only begins to feel unwell, immunity drops, but weight loss occurs much more slowly, since the body simply reduces its energy needs, lethargy, drowsiness appear, and external characteristics deteriorate. It is much more effective to add physical activity to an adequate reduction in the nutritional value of your food. The main thing is that they are regular, and the intensity can be increased over time if there are no contraindications.
Diet is determined by various factors. The most important are age, gender, level of physical and intellectual activity, lifestyle, temperament, the presence of certain diseases, financial capabilities, and goals. Therefore, the answers to the questions - how many calories to consume per day to lose weight or increase body weight - have different people differ considerably.
An easy way to determine your base calorie intake
Food supplies the body, first of all, with energy. After consuming a product, a certain amount of heat is released in the body, which is measured in calories. One gram of carbohydrates produces 4.1 calories, one gram of fat produces 9.3 calories.
To calculate how many calories enter the body every day, just look at the corresponding table of calorie content (energy value) of foods. In addition, calorie content is usually indicated on the packaging.
Body weight correction should begin with determining the basic calorie content of the daily diet, at which the body does not lose weight or gain weight. Then, depending on your goal - to lose weight or gain weight - adjust it according to the menu.
First way. For a week or two, leading your usual lifestyle, write down the amount of food you eat every day. Then, using the calorie tables, determine the average daily amount of calories.
Second way. It is believed that approximately 30 kcal is required for every kilogram of body weight. Thus, to determine how many calories you need to consume per day, you need to multiply 30 kcal by your body weight in kilograms.
The resulting figure will allow you to adjust your daily diet depending on your goal:
- if body weight remains constant, nothing needs to be changed: the body spends as many calories as it consumes;
- when overweight, the tendency to increase it is worth reducing the calorie content of the daily diet, but not completely giving up food;
- if excessive it is worth increasing energy value daily diet.
Even with a slight imbalance of calories - for example, taking in just 100 extra calories each day - 4.5 kg of body fat accumulates over the year. That is why it is so important to return not only optimal body weight, but also to maintain it at this level, completely expending all calories, preventing them from turning into fat.
Having determined basic calorie content nutrition, to lose weight you can reduce your daily diet by 200-300 kcal. In any case, you should not lose weight faster than 100g per day. Otherwise, the body will not have time to adapt to changes, and malfunctions may occur. internal organs and systems.
Formula for calculating calorie intake per day
Even at rest, the body requires energy for metabolic reactions, the functioning of the heart muscle, kidneys, stomach, liver, brain, and the functioning of internal organs and systems.
It is believed that basal metabolism requires about 70% of the energy supplied with food. On average, 1 kcal of energy is required per kilogram of weight every hour. Digestion and assimilation of food requires another 10% of basal metabolic energy.
Thus, every day with a weight of 80 kg it is required
80 kg x 1.1 x 24 hours = 2112 kcal.
The resulting figure for the body’s unregulated expenses shows approximately how many calories should be consumed per day to prevent a malfunction of the internal organs.
These costs are called unregulated, since they are determined by the metabolic rate, temperament, and the characteristics of food absorption, i.e. are quite constant and practically impossible to change.
The relevant literature uses a more precise formula to determine how many calories you need to consume per day to cover your basal metabolic costs:
655 + (9.6 x weight, kg) + (1.8 x height, cm) - (4.7 x age, years)
For example, with a weight of 80 kg, a height of 180 cm, and an age of 30 years, the basal metabolic rate requires
655 + (9.6 x 80) + (1.8 * 180) - (4.7 x 30) = 1606 kcal
To the resulting figure it is necessary to add the costs of performing this or that work during the day. These costs are called adjustable because they can be increased or decreased.
Calorie consumption tables
When compiling a daily diet, it is necessary to take into account both the calorie content of foods and physical activity, consuming the incoming energy.
The costs of some household chores are presented in Table 1:
To calculate it is necessary to determine the duration of one or another homework how many calories per day were spent on its implementation, add the resulting figure to the result of the basal metabolic rate.
For example, if during the day 0.5 hours are spent on dusting, 1.5 hours on washing floors, an hour on ironing, an hour on washing dishes, two hours on sewing, an hour on reading, then to the main exchange you need to add:
(0.5 x 100) + (1.5 x 270) + (1 x 60) + (1 x 60) + (2 x 30) + (1 x 30) = 665 kcal
Execution costs physical exercise, other cases are presented in Table 2:
| Kind of activity | Energy expenditure (kcal per hour) |
|---|---|
| Running fast | 950 |
| Running slow | 490 |
| Ice skating | 480 |
| Driving a car | 80 |
| Rowing | 820 |
| Riding in transport | 50 |
| A ride on the bicycle | 500 |
| Charger | 270 |
| Swimming | 500 |
| Weight lifting | 190 |
| Working while standing | 30 |
| Brainwork | 8 |
| Walking (fast) | 530 |
| Walking (medium pace) | 200 |
| Skiing | 800 |
To correctly calculate how many calories you need to consume per day, it is worth further increasing the figure of regulated costs depending on individual life activity:
- by 20-30% with a sedentary, home lifestyle;
- by 30-40% with average activity (washing, cleaning, cooking, etc.);
- 50% high activity (regular exercise).
To lose weight, it is necessary to reduce the calorie content of the daily diet to the level of basal metabolism and at the same time increase energy expenditure for physical activity. Otherwise, the excess energy received is stored in the form of fat reserves.
Modified: 08/11/2018Let us explain how we calculated How many calories does a person need per day?. For some reason, there is a strong opinion that for an ordinary woman the norm is 2000-2500 kcal per day, for a man even more. Well, if a woman is short, or, on the contrary, very tall, do they really need the same amount of calories to maintain their vital functions? Let's do the math.
At the moment, one of the most accurate formulas is considered to be the Muffin-Jeor formula, developed in 1990 (the Harris-Benedict formula is also widely used - but it has been proven that it is less accurate)
For women: OO = 10 * weight (kg) + 6.25 * height (cm) - 5 * age - 161
For men: OO = 10 * weight (kg) + 6.25 * height (cm) - 5 * age + 5
2. To obtain the total calorie consumption per day it is necessary to multiply the basal metabolic rate by the following coefficients:
- Sedentary lifestyle: GS x 1.2
- Light activity (sports 1-3 days a week): OO x 1.375
- Average activity (sports 3-5 days a week): OO x 1.55
- High activity (sport 6-7 days a week): OO x 1.725
- Very high activity (very active sports every day, high physical activity at work, training twice a day): OO x 1.9
We consider a woman height 160 cm, weight 70 kg, age 30 years, office worker.
OO = 10*70kg + 6.25*160 - 5*30 - 161 =1389 kcal
Calorie consumption: OO*1.2 = 1389*1.2 = 1667 kcal.
It turns out that in order not to gain weight, a 30-year-old woman, 160 cm tall, weighing 70 kg, busy with office work, needs to consume no more than 1667 kcal daily, and not the mythical 2000 kcal. Moreover, with age and weight loss, calorie consumption further decreases (see the formula).
Let's calculate how many calories you need per day to lose weight
Now you can determine how many calories you need to lose weight. Purely theoretically, you need to receive fewer calories than the total daily consumption calculated by the formula. How much less?
To safely lose weight, experts advise reducing daily calories by 20%, i.e. daily calorie content multiplied by 0.8. You can, of course, also reduce your caloric intake (and many people who count calories do this), losing weight will be faster, but here it is important to find a balance between speed (and when you immediately see the result, you will gain strength) and the safety of losing weight (without slowing down your metabolism, which can happen if you reduce calories too much).
For very fast weight loss the deficit is created at 40%. That is, for our example, 0.6 * 1667 = 1000 kcal.
But you should remember: Safe calorie limit without medical supervision - 1200 kcal (for women) and 1800 kcal (for men).
For our woman - 0.8 * 1667 kcal = 1334 kcal is necessary for safe and comfortable weight loss
Why do we need a zigzag (or rollercoaster) of calories?
This uneven calorie intake throughout the week does not allow metabolism to decrease. The zigzag method is also used to overcome the plateau effect. In addition, there are days with increased calorie content (for example, Saturday). It is convenient to use such days for various events: holidays, picnics, barbecues, and so on.
In fact, everyone understands that this concept is quite ambiguous and depends on many factors, such as weight, height, age, and degree of activity. This norm can be calculated for each person.
Minimum daily calorie requirement
There are several formulas for accurate calculation. The first of them is presented for women:
- weight in kilograms should be multiplied by 10;
- height in centimeters multiplied by 6.25;
- age multiplied by 5;
- Next, you should add the second to the first number, then subtract the third and minus 161.
For example, for a woman aged 25 years, weighing 70 kg and height 170 cm, the calculations will look like this:
70*10+170*6,25-5*25-161=700+1062,5-125-161=1476,5.
This is the minimum amount of calories a woman should consume per day. That is, this energy is spent on metabolic processes in the body, which means that the daily norm should not be lower than this figure for the healthy functioning of the body.
For men, the calculations are with the exception that in the end you do not need to subtract 161, but add 5. For example, for a man aged 35 years, weighing 110 kg and height 180 cm, the calculations will look like this:
110*10+180*6,25-5*35+5=1100+1125-175+5=2055.
Accordingly, each of us can calculate at home how much energy is spent on servicing his body, even if the person is at rest. These calculations answer the question of how many calories a person should consume per day. Daily norm- this is metabolism, which is calculated using the formula presented above, and the level of physical activity, and everyone has their own.
depending on lifestyle
Now you need to determine how much energy a person spends on metabolism and physical activity. This will help you roughly calculate how many calories a person should consume per day to maintain their weight at the same level.
So, the previous calculations should be multiplied by the coefficient:
- 1,2 - for ;
- 1,375 - for those whose activities are not active, but sports take place up to 3 times a week;
- 1.55 - with average activity, for example, playing sports 5 times a week and office work;
- 1.725 - for athletes and those whose work involves physical activity;
- 1.9 - with heavy physical daily work.
Thus, the basal metabolic rate should be multiplied by the coefficient that most accurately characterizes the current lifestyle. The resulting amount of kilocalories is necessary to maintain weight.
Another way to calculate
There are several other methods to calculate how many calories a person should consume per day to maintain weight. For example, on average, each person expends approximately 1 kcal per kilogram of body weight every hour. Accordingly, to calculate the daily minimum, the weight should be multiplied by 24.
For example, a woman weighing 70 kg should consume about 1680 kcal. But the degree is not taken into account here physical activity, therefore the first method is more accurate and objective.
Journaling
But there is the surest way to determine how many calories a person should consume per day individually. This can be done through observation, that is, you should keep a food diary for several days.
For example, for 10 days you need to record all foods consumed, their calorie content and volume. This is provided that the weight stays the same. After the scheduled time, you need to calculate on average how many calories a person should consume per day. The calculation according to this scheme can be considered as accurate as possible, because the body is individual, and everyone’s metabolic rate is different.
How many calories do you need to lose weight?
Since the problem of excess weight is acute today, you should pay attention to this issue. Really, how many calories should a person consume per day to lose weight? If you know for sure your basic metabolism, that is, the amount of energy that currently comes in with food and helps maintain weight.
Nutritionists do not recommend sharply reducing the calorie content of the daily diet, by a maximum of 10%. If you do not adhere to this rule, you can cause serious damage to your health and your health will deteriorate. That is, the body goes into energy saving mode, metabolism slows down, and ultimately this can lead to weight gain.
The issue of losing weight should be approached wisely. Do it the easier it is, who leads to determine how many calories a person should consume per day. Here you can clearly see what can be easily excluded from the diet or replaced with lower-calorie foods.
How to properly distribute calories
First we need to understand that energy comes from three main elements - proteins, fats and carbohydrates. You absolutely cannot refuse any of them, because each element plays its own important role in the functioning of the human body, and healthy weight loss is impossible without them.
For example, fats not only provide energy, but are also essential for transporting nutrients to cells in the body. Protein is construction material, without it it is impossible to form muscle tissue and losing weight, respectively, too. Carbohydrates are processed into energy, which is necessary for normal human performance.
The daily diet should contain proteins, fats and carbohydrates in the following percentage ratio of 20/50/30. But here it is important to know which ones nutrients We need it every day, because some foods will have to be eliminated completely in order to lose weight.
Useful and harmful calories
The most important thing is not only how many calories a person should consume per day to lose weight, but where they come from. We are talking about “bad” and “good” calories. This is, of course, a figurative definition; in fact, you need to correctly understand which products contain energy, which is consumed immediately, and which are stored in reserve.
For example, carbohydrates can be simple and complex. Simple carbohydrates are sugar and all foods that contain it, including fruits. They are not satiating, but are necessary for brain function, in reasonable quantities. That is, people engaged in intellectual activity should consume simple carbohydrates in in kind- honey, fruits. Complex carbohydrates are vegetables and cereals; they fill you up for a long time and bring maximum benefits, so it is recommended to eat them daily.
The same goes for fats, the most beneficial of which are vegetable fats, while animal fats do not provide any benefit to the body. Therefore, the diet must contain vegetable oils, they are found in nuts, seeds, and avocados.
What calories should you consume for health and a beautiful figure?
Now key moment- how many calories a person should consume per day to lose weight and where they should come from. After all, you can, for example, eat 1500 kcal with vegetables, fruits and cereals and still feel great and lose weight, or eat less calorie fast food, baked goods and others harmful products and at the same time gain weight and increase body fat.
The moral is that it is important not only to correctly calculate the caloric content of the diet, but also to remove from it unnecessary foods that do not provide any benefit. This can only be done if you clearly see everything that has been eaten recently. Many people complain that they eat very little and still don’t lose weight. Refusing to eat is not a way out of the situation; you need to eat enough so as not to experience stress but not to overeat.
How to lose weight without sacrifice
So, if you determine as accurately as possible how many calories a person should consume per day, then you can easily create a program for yourself healthy eating. It is not difficult to find the calorie content of each product, or this information can be found on the packaging. There is no need to go on diets and limit yourself in nutrition, just switch to healthy and healthy foods: vegetables, fruits, low-fat dairy products, meat and fish, seafood.
Now we can conclude how many calories a person should consume per day. Everyone’s daily requirement is individual; it’s enough to determine it yourself, after which you can adjust your menu. And there is no need to consult a specialist, unless, of course, the cause of excess weight is related to poor nutrition. But you should not sharply and significantly reduce your caloric intake; the process of losing weight is long and should not exceed 1.5 - 2 kg per week.
