The number of calories that you should consume each day to lose weight rapidly depends on your calorie expenditure rate and your desired weight loss rate. Your calorie expenditure rate depends on your activity level and certain physical factors. You must keep your weight loss rate to specific limits to maintain good health.
Basal Metabolic Rate
Your basal metabolic rate (BMR) is the rate at which you expend calories when you're not performing any activity. This includes digestion. A direct measurement of your BMR generally requires you to fast for 12 hours. You can also estimate your BMR from your height, weight, age and gender.
Activity Factor
Heavy exercise will help you lose weight more quickly. An activity factor of 1 represents your BMR. A person who engages in heavy exercise every day has an activity factor of 1.725, according to the Multi Vitamin UK website.
Formula
The Harris-Benedict equations are a pair of equations that estimate your BMR. Women use the following Harris-Benedict equation: BMR = (Height x 4.699) + (Weight x 4.347) - (Age x 4.676) + 655.1. The following Harris-Benedict equation is for men: BMR = (Height x 12.708) + (Weight x 6.25) - (Age x 6.775) + 66.5.
Calculation
This example assumes you're a 42-year-old female who is 68 in. tall and weighs 163 lb. You have a BMR of (68 x 4.699) + (163 x 4.347) - (42 x 4.676) + 655.1 = 1,487 calories per day. You engage in heavy exercise every day, so your activity factor is 1.725. Multiply your BMR by your activity factor to obtain your daily calorie expenditure. Your daily calorie expenditure is therefore 1,487 x 1.725 = 2,565 calories per day.
Weight Loss Rate
The National Institutes of Health recommend you lose no more than 2 lb. per week. A pound of fat contains 3,500 calories, so a weight loss rate of 2 lb. per week is equivalent to a calorie deficit of 7,000 calories per week. This is equal to a calorie deficit of 1,000 calories per day. You should therefore consume at least 1,562 calories per day if your daily calorie expenditure is 2,562 calories.
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