To determine your caloric intake to lose weight, you must first establish your basal metabolic rate, or BMR. This caloric amount represents your body's daily caloric needs at rest. Once your BMR is established, daily activity must be taken into account. After this figure is determined, determining your needed intake to lose weight is easily established by decreasing your caloric intake by about 500 calories per day. After one week, your caloric loss will equal 3,500 calories, or one pound.
Step 1
Determine your BMR using this process, provided by the text "Personal Fitness." Convert your weight in pounds to kilograms by dividing your weight by 2.2. For example, if you weigh 245 pounds your equation will look like this: 245 / 2.2 = 111.8. Your weight in kilograms is 112 kg.
Step 2
Multiply your new weight by 24 hours to determine your BMR. Your equation will look like this: 112 X 24 = 2688. You BMR is approximately 2,688 calories. This means your body needs about 2,688 calories each day.
Step 3
Use the Harris-Benedict Equation, which according to BMI-Calculator.net is a formula that uses your BMR and an activity factor to determine your overall daily caloric expenditure. According to BMI-Calculator.net, the activity factors are as follows: sedentary is 1.2, lightly active is 1.375, moderately active is 1.55, very active is 1.725 and extra active is 1.9. For example, if you are sedentary and your BMR is 2,688, your equation will look like this: 2688 X 1.2 = 3225.6. This means that every day you need about 3,226 calories to maintain your current weight.
Step 4
Subtract 500 calories from your overall daily caloric needs. If you need 3,226 calories to maintain your weight, your equation will look like this: 3226 - 500 = 2726. To lose one pound per week, you need to take in about 2,726 calories per day.
Tips and Warnings
- The equation used to determine your BMR is but one calculation that can be used, some being more accurate and others, less accurate. Whichever equation you use, does not really matter. Always write each step on paper to ensure you do not make any mistakes on your calculations.
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Things You'll Need
- Calculator
References
- "Personal Fitness: Looking Good, Feeling Good"; Charles Williams et al.; 2000
- BMI-Calculator.net - Harris-Benedict Equation
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