So I feel like all I ever talk about is how we all should be eating healthy and that it’s the real key to any success in losing weight and getting fit. I know I’ve said in the past to worry more about proper portion control and getting rid of foods that are bad for you, but for some people calorie count is an all encompassing number. So I suppose I should get around to how many calories do you really need?

There is a quick way and a long way, lets start with the quick one:

First decide if you are non active, moderately active, or very active (moderately would be working out 3 time a week)
• Non active: Bodyweight ( in lbs) X 14 = approx calories per day (cal/day)
• Moderate: Bodyweight X 17 = approx cal/day
• Active: Bodyweight X 20 = approx cal/day

For those that want to be more accurate, we are going to have to find 3 numbers and add them together:
1. BMR
2. Energy spent during exercising or physical activity
3. TEF (Thermic Effect of Food) the energy your body uses to digest your food

1. BMR changes from person to person depending on their build. But a good estimation is:

Men: Bodyweight X 10, and then add double the body weight to the number
Women: Bodyweight X 10, and then add the body weight to the number

For example: 180 lb man = 180×10= 1800+2*180 = 2160 cal/day

2. The level of activity can change day by day, but you can determine what yours should be using this calculator , created by the fitness jump site.

3. Finally you TEF is 10% of the amount of calories you eat.

For example: 200 cal apple = 20 cal TEF

Sum these 3 numbers together and you will get the total number of calories you will burn in one day.

Now, in order to lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you consume. 1 pound of fat is made up of 3500 calories. If you’re feeling fancy, go ahead and figure out how many calories you need to burn in order to lose the weight you want to. Next divide that over the period of time you want to lose it in, and find out how much exactly you need to eat and burn!

Final Example: A man is 180 lbs and wants to lose 15 lbs. If he runs for 30 minutes every day at 5 miles per hour, and eats only 2000 calories, how long will it take to lose the weight?

We already know from the first example that the man’s BMR equals 2160 cal/day.

We also know he is sticking to a 2000 cal a day, including the TEF, this means he is eating 1800 cal/day.

Using the calculator I linked to, he is burning 327.2 calories.

This means his total amount of calories coming in and going out is:
1800 – 2160 – 327.2 = -687.5 calories he is burning every day!

Since he wants to burn 3500 X 15 = 52500 calories total, it will take
52500/687.5 = approx 76 days to lose the weight!

I know math may not be everyone’s strong point, so I include this calculator, all you need to do is download it, save it, then enter in what it asks, and it will crunch all the numbers for you! (Aren’t I awesome?)