How do you calculate your calorie requirement?

[Deleted]

Please use kilogram and other common EU scales, if you post. Thanks

Googled alot of not-so-accurate ways to calculate it, but most of the posts were 4-6 years old.

[Maglen]

My Google-Fu brought up:

1) First calculate your BMR, Basal metabolic rate:

Men: BMR = 66 + ( 13.7 x weight in kilos ) + ( 5 x height in cm ) - ( 6.8 x age in years )
Women: BMR = 655 + ( 9.6 x weight in kilos ) + ( 1.8 x height in cm ) - ( 4.7 x age in years )

Non-Metric
Men: BMR = 66 + ( 6.23 x weight in pounds ) + ( 12.7 x height in inches ) - ( 6.8 x age in year )
Women: BMR = 655 + ( 4.35 x weight in pounds ) + ( 4.7 x height in inches ) - ( 4.7 x age in years )


2) Then calculate your resting calorie rate using the HBE. The Harris Benedict Equation is a formula that uses your BMR and then applies an activity factor to determine your total daily energy expenditure (calories).

To determine your total daily calorie needs, multiply your BMR by the appropriate activity factor, as follows:

•If you are sedentary (little or no exercise) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.2
•If you are lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.375
•If you are moderatetely active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.55
•If you are very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.725
•If you are extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.9

Total Calorie Needs Example
If you are sedentary, multiply your BMR (1745) by 1.2 = 2094. This is the total number of calories you need in order to maintain your current weight.

Once you know the number of calories needed to maintain your weight, you can easily calculate the number of calories you need to eat in order to gain or lose weight.

Source:
http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/

[Deleted]

You should just experiment with your calories, some people have a higher / lower metabolism, so calculators arent that good

[Demonakat]

The calculator isn't meant for a baseline "this is always right"
It's meant as a guideline, your BMR will be within 100 calories of it, usually. But the calculator online doesn't take into consideration body fat. That's important to know your actual BMR, but depending on your size, you can get your basic BMR guideline.
Otherwise, you should go to a gym/personal trainer/dietitian to find out. (the gym is because trainers are usually plentiful in there)

[Deleted]

The calculator isn't meant for a baseline "this is always right"
It's meant as a guideline, your BMR will be within 100 calories of it, usually. But the calculator online doesn't take into consideration body fat. That's important to know your actual BMR, but depending on your size, you can get your basic BMR guideline.
Otherwise, you should go to a gym/personal trainer/dietitian to find out. (the gym is because trainers are usually plentiful in there)

What difference it'd be if my weight consists of more fat than muscles... >_> what are you trying to say? I know that its not a fix number, but a good start.

[Noomz]

Seems like I have around 4800 in BMR then. 176 cm's tall, 92 kilo's in weight, 27 years old and not that active. I might go for a walk some times but not daily exercise.

I've managed to lose 2 kilo's in about 2-3 months, so I must've been doing something right.

[Rukentuts]

Yeesh, about 3000?!? (In the summer)

[Reg]

You have a BMR of 2293.2.

I guess that's good to know, I've always just guessed lol

[Demonakat]

What difference it'd be if my weight consists of more fat than muscles... >_> what are you trying to say? I know that its not a fix number, but a good start.

The more muscle mass you have, the more calories your body is going to burn at rest. That means it needs more calories for daily maintenance.
There are studies that say it's like 50 calories more per pound of muscle at rest and 1 calorie per pound of fat.

[Deleted]

Going to the gym or a personal trainer is terrible advice, they cannot do anything you wont be able to do yourself. They most likely use som weight calculator that is as inaccurate as anything else on the web.

If you want to be precise, it will take about a week to estimate it closely. Calculate your BMR online, most calculators are fine the science haven't really changed at all, now try and count your calories to the amount the calculator estimated. Did you lose weight, then its too low and if you gained its too high, from here you experiment until your weight is stable and voila you have it. Thats the most precise you'll ever get, and then its free.

Of course its not really that easy for many to do, so if your goal is to know it to drop weight then i recommend just going on the day basis, if your losing weight, great, if not eat less. If you just count your calories in the process you'll end up knowing when your below or above your maintenence levels.

[Demonakat]

Going to the gym or a personal trainer is terrible advice, they cannot do anything you wont be able to do yourself. They most likely use som weight calculator that is as inaccurate as anything else on the web.

If you want to be precise, it will take about a week to estimate it closely. Calculate your BMR online, most calculators are fine the science haven't really changed at all, now try and count your calories to the amount the calculator estimated. Did you lose weight, then its too low and if you gained its too high, from here you experiment until your weight is stable and voila you have it. Thats the most precise you'll ever get, and then its free.

Of course its not really that easy for many to do, so if your goal is to know it to drop weight then i recommend just going on the day basis, if your losing weight, great, if not eat less. If you just count your calories in the process you'll end up knowing when your below or above your maintenence levels.

Actually, going to a gym/personal trainer and having them pull out their calipers and test your body fat for free happens to be very good advice.
They give an accurate test to the .1% of your body fat and then they can calculate your BMR or you can calculate it yourself using an online calculator.

Thanks though, I mean, you obviously know more about how to calculate BMR more than I do, even though your advice was terrible.
My advice gives your your BMR, not just "oh well, i'm going to eat less than 1400 and see if I lose weight" or "i'm going to eat 2000 calories a day and see if i gain weight".

---------- Post added 2013-02-05 at 02:37 AM ----------

Seems like I have around 4800 in BMR then. 176 cm's tall, 92 kilo's in weight, 27 years old and not that active. I might go for a walk some times but not daily exercise.

I've managed to lose 2 kilo's in about 2-3 months, so I must've been doing something right.

I don't know the conversions for those, but 4800 BMR is outrageous. The only way you would actually have that high is if you're a body builder the size of Ronnie Coleman.

[Xerra]

I had like a 4 month spell or so of 900 calories or so 90% of the time... I lost a lot of weight being poor >>

[Cybran]

I had like a 4 month spell or so of 900 calories or so 90% of the time... I lost a lot of weight being poor >>

This sounds sad.

[Xerra]

Life ain't rainbows and gummy bears?

[Cybran]

Life ain't rainbows and gummy bears?

Yes. But 900 is a case of heavy malnutrition.

[Adamas102]

Seems like I have around 4800 in BMR then. 176 cm's tall, 92 kilo's in weight, 27 years old and not that active.

Your math skills are terrible...

655 + ( 9.6 x 92 ) + ( 1.8 x 176 ) - ( 4.7 x 27 ) = 1728.1 BMR

[Deleted]

Actually, going to a gym/personal trainer and having them pull out their calipers and test your body fat for free happens to be very good advice.
They give an accurate test to the .1% of your body fat and then they can calculate your BMR or you can calculate it yourself using an online calculator.

Thanks though, I mean, you obviously know more about how to calculate BMR more than I do, even though your advice was terrible.
My advice gives your your BMR, not just "oh well, i'm going to eat less than 1400 and see if I lose weight" or "i'm going to eat 2000 calories a day and see if i gain weight".[COLOR="red"]

Sorry but no, unless they do a DEXA scan (which is quite expensive), there is no way they can estimate your body fat that close. I don't know if your going to any special gym, but the only thing i experienced is that they have some fancy weight that 'estimates' your bodyfat just like any online calculator will do.

There is no accurate way to meassure your BMR other than trial and error, your height, weight and body fat that give an estimation, but you can have 2 persons with identical mass but have over 500 calories in difference.

[Xl House lX]

My calorie requirement = 4965.89. No, I didn't do the math wrong, I am a big guy.

Well on a 1700 calorie per day diet I should lose weight fairly quick.. hmm :s

[Deleted]

My calorie requirement = 4965.89. No, I didn't do the math wrong, I am a big guy.

Well on a 1700 calorie per day diet I should lose weight fairly quick.. hmm :s

Which is exactly what you should not do.
Dont lose the weight just to lose it.

[Xl House lX]

Which is exactly what you should not do.
Dont lose the weight just to lose it.

Right, lose the weight so I don't die at the age of 40, or obtain the ability to attract a woman, or make my joints better, or reduce my risk of health problems, or making everyday life easier.

Don't think anyone ever loses weight just to lose it.