Dieters who reach their weight loss goal often think the journey is over. Unfortunately, returning to the same eating habits that necessitated your weight loss program in the first place can lead to steady weight gain and a perpetual cycle of dieting and binging. Once you've reached your ideal weight, the work of maintaining that weight begins, and the easiest way to do that is to know exactly how many calories you consume each day compared with how many calories you actually need.
Step 1
Estimate the number of calories you must consume each day to satisfy your body's energy needs. You can accomplish this by using either an online basal metabolic rate, or BMR, calculator or by using the averages published by health organizations like the American Heart Association.
Step 2
Find your age and gender on the chart of daily caloric averages provided by the American Heart Association. For example, a moderately active male who is 30 years old burns an average of 2,600 to 2,800 calories per day. A 20-year-old female who is active uses approximately 2,400 calories per day.
Step 3
Calculate a closer estimate using a free online BMR calculator like the one provided by the American Cancer Society. The calculator uses variables like age, height, weight and gender to determine your minimum calorie needs to sustain life. Then, it uses the Harris Benedict equation, which includes five activity levels: sedentary, lightly active, moderately active, active and extra active. Each of these activity levels is assigned a standard multiplier. When you multiply your BMR by the factor associated with your activity level, you get an accurate picture of what your daily calorie needs are.
Step 4
Plan a daily diet that falls in the range of your target caloric intake to maintain your weight. Use the U.S. Department of Agriculture's recommendations from the Food Pyramid to get ideas about macronutrient ratios and recommended servings of each food group. For instance, the above example of a 30-year-old, moderately active male should eat 8 oz. of grains, 3 cups of vegetables, 2 cups of fruit, 3 cups of dairy and 6.5 oz. of meat or beans per day, according to the USDA.
Step 5
Use a system that assigns numeric values to foods to simplify calorie counting overall. Weight Watchers is an example of a plan that assigns point values to food items based on calories, fat grams and fiber grams. The Health Management Resources calorie system, or HMR, assigns a value between the numbers one and 10 to food types, one representing the lowest calorie items and 10 being the highest. The HMR system also teaches you how to estimate portion sizes and caloric value of unknown items, according to a study published in the August 2007 issue of British Journal of Nutrition.
Step 6
Measure or weigh your food portions whenever possible to keep an accurate calorie count of each meal. One impediment to accurate calorie counting is your overestimation of portion sizes. Get a food scale and keep measuring spoons and cups handy.
References
- Mayo Clinic: Counting Calories --- Get Back to Weight-Loss Basics
- Health Management Resources: The Simplified HMR Calorie System
- American Heart Association: Know How Many Calories You Should Eat
- "British Journal of Nutrition"; Empirical Evaluation of the Ability to Learn a Calorie Counting System; C.K. Martin, et al; August 2007
Member Comments