Understanding Your Caloric Needs
Calories are like fuel for your body, just like gas is for a car.
Everyone needs a different amount of calories depending on a variety of factors from your age to your height and weight, and your physical activity.
So this calculator approximates your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE).
Once you know your TDEE, you know how many calories you burn on a daily basis and depending upon your goals you can make caloric and dietary changes to meet your needs:
- To lose weight, you will need to eat fewer calories than your body uses.
- To gain weight, you will need to eat more calories.
- To maintain weight, simply meet, but don't exceed your daily TDEE.
No matter what you are doing, we highly recommend that you accurately track your daily calories, so that you can get a better idea if you are on track to reach your goals or not.
Some of our personal favorites include the MyFitnessPal App and the Wahoo Fitness Apps in conjunction with this armband.
How This Calculation Works
To figure out how many calories a person should eat to lose 1 pound per week, you need to understand a few key points:
- Calories in a Pound: There are 3,500 calories in a pound of body weight. This means to lose 1 pound, you need to burn 3,500 more calories than you consume.
- Daily Caloric Deficit: Since there are 7 days in a week, you would divide 3,500 by 7 days. This gives you a daily deficit of 500 calories.
- Calculating Your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE): Your TDEE is the total number of calories you burn each day, including all activities. To find this, you typically start by calculating your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), which is the number of calories your body needs to function at rest. Then, you multiply your BMR by an activity factor that represents your lifestyle (e.g., sedentary, moderately active, very active).
Finally, once you have calculated your TDEE and decided on your weight loss or gain goal, you can determine how many calories you should eat each day to lose your per-week goal.
In our calculator, we display a table with the caloric goals, so that you can determine what is best for you.
Breaking Through Weight Loss Plateaus
Depending on your goals, you may need to make periodic caloric adjustments along your weight loss journey. Here's why:
- Weight loss slows down: As you lose weight, your body requires fewer calories to maintain its new weight. If you keep consuming the same calorie-deficient amount, weight loss will slow down.
- Metabolism changes: Your resting metabolic rate (RMR) decreases as you lose weight, meaning your body burns fewer calories at rest.
- Body composition changes: As you lose fat and gain muscle, your body composition changes, affecting your calorie needs.
To avoid plateaus, you'll need to adjust your calorie deficit every 4-6 weeks or when you've lost around 5-10 pounds. You can:
- Recalculate your calorie deficit: Revisit this calculator and/or consult a registered dietitian to determine a new calorie deficit based on your updated weight and body composition.
- Gradually reduce calorie intake: Decrease your daily calorie intake by 100-200 calories every 4-6 weeks to maintain weight loss momentum.
Remember, losing weight too quickly is not healthy, so aim for a slow and steady weight loss of 1-2 pounds per week.
Stay consistent, be persistent, and you'll reach your goals!
Leave a Reply