Take the mystery out of losing weight. Instead of trying to eat less and exercise as much as possible, be more precise in your weight loss goals. It is possible to figure out exactly how many calories you need to eat every day to maintain your current weight. Fine-tune this number to determine how many calories you need to eat to meet your goal weight, if your doctor approves.
Significance
Eating a variety of healthy foods in moderation and getting regular exercise are the best ways to maintain a healthy weight, according to MayoClinic.com. By exercising and doing daily activities, like cleaning your house and walking to the store, you may burn off most of the calories you consume. Any calories that do not burn off will be stored in the body and may cause you to gain weight.
Identification
To calculate how many calories you would need to eat every day to maintain your current weight if you did not burn any calories through exercise or daily activities, use the Harris-Benedict Equation. According to the nutrition website CaloriesPerHour.com, the equation for women is: (9.56 x weight) + (1.85 x height) - (4.68 x age) + 655. To calculate how many calories you would need to eat per day to lose weight, enter your goal weight instead of your current weight into the equation.
Considerations
Factor the amount of calories you burn while exercising each day into the Harris-Benedict equation by multiplying your final answer by your activity factor number. Multiply your final answer by 1.2 if you lead a sedentary lifestyle with very little or no exercise and work a desk job. Multiply your answer by 1.375 if you exercise between one and three days per week. Multiply by 1.55 if you exercise between three and five days a week. Multiply by 1.725 if you participate in strenuous exercise almost every day. Multiply your answer by 1.9 if you participate in strenuous exercise almost every day and have a highly physical job.
Expert Insight
According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, extra calories can really add up. By eating 100 calories more than your body needs every day, you may gain 10 pounds by the end of the year. Getting more exercise will help burn any unused calories that are taken into the body throughout the day.
Warning
Consult your doctor before starting any exercise or diet regimen, particularly if you have health problems. If you are obese, your doctor may recommend weight loss surgery instead of suggesting you try to lose the weight yourself. Talk to your doctor about your goal weight. Together, you can decide whether this is an obtainable and healthy weight for your body.
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