How many calories should I be eating?
That is always the golden question.
To figure this out, you, first need to figure out your Basal Metabolic Rate. You use energy no matter what you're doing, even when sleeping. Your Basal Metabolic Rate is the number of calories you'd burn if you stayed in bed all day. Your Basal Metabolic Rate decreases as you age. Likewise, depriving yourself of food in hopes of losing weight also decreases your BMR. A regular routine of cardiovascular exercise can increase your BMR, improving your health and fitness when your body's ability to burn energy gradually slows down.
An easy formula is the following:
BMR = (LBM*10) + 370
Example: let's say you weigh 150lbs and you have 30% body fat. Your calculation would be the following:
150lbs, 30% body fat = (150*.70*10) + 370 = 1420 cals
After you retrieve your BMR number, you need to calculate the following:
10% add for digesting your food - 1420*1.10 = 1562
Life Style - 400-600 calories - what kind of job do you have? Do you move a lot or sit a lot? 1562+400 = 1962
Exercise: How many additional calories are you burning when exercising? ex. if you worked out 3x a week and burned 400 calories each time. Then divide that by 7 days to spread it across the week (400*3)/7 = 171
1962+171 = 2133
So, a 150lb person with a 30% body fat, exercising three times a week needs approximately 2100 calories to MAINTAIN their weight.
For every 500 calories you cut out per day, you should lose approximately 1lb a week. One pound a week is a recommended, safe amount to lose. It is not to drastic and it makes it easier to maintain. The above example should be eating approximately 1600 calories a day.
Now, what are you eating during the day? Figure out your calories - are you eating enough? Not eating will delay your weight loss, not help it!
Credits: Shelly - Trainer at Lifetime, Health Discovery Website
