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Our body needs a properly balanced set of proteins, carbohydrates and fats to function properly. Every day, along with the food we eat, we should provide ourselves with macronutrients in the form of low-processed, good quality food products. But what if our goal is to get rid of excess weight? In other words: how many calories should we eat to lose weight (preferably healthily and effectively)? What should we watch out for when planning to reduce body fat, and what can be our greatest ally? Here is a short guide.
Calculate your calorie needs
You've probably heard of "BMR," or basal metabolic rate. Your BMR value represents the amount of energy your body needs to maintain basic life functions. This is the minimum amount of energy your body requires to function. BMR does not take into account the physical and mental activity we undertake during the day. A more complete picture of our energy needs is provided by the "BMR," or total daily calorie requirement.
To calculate CPM, you must first know the minimum energy value appropriate for your gender, age, height and body weight. Several calculation models are used for this purpose.
- Let's start with the Harris-Benedict formula , which is as follows:
- Women: 655.1 + (9.563 x body weight [kg]) + (1.85 x height [cm]) – (4.676 x [age])
- Men: 66.5 + (13.75 x body weight [kg]) + (5.003 x height [cm]) – (6.775 x [age])
- Another way to know your BMR is the Mifflin formula :
- Women: (10 x body weight [kg]) + (6.25 x height [cm]) - (5 x [age]) – 161
- Men: (10 x body weight [kg]) + (6.25 x height [cm]) - (5 x [age]) + 5
- Yet another method is proposed by the Cunningham model : 500 + (22 x LBM), where LBM stands for “Lean Body Mass”, or the so-called lean body mass expressed in kilograms. To use the Cunningham formula, you must first know the detailed composition of your body.
The next step that will bring you closer to your CPM value is to determine the intensity of your physical activity. The so-called “PAL” (Physical Activity Level) indicator, created for this purpose, will be helpful. Think about what activities you undertake during the day (consider everything you do) and look at the following guidelines:
- 1.1 – 1.2 low physical activity, sedentary lifestyle, no exercise;
- 1.3 – 1.4 low activity, sedentary lifestyle, approx. 3 training sessions per week;
- 1.5 – 1.7 moderate activity, sedentary lifestyle, up to 4 training sessions per week/physical work;
- 1.8 – 1.9 very high activity/physical work, up to 4 training sessions a week;
- 2.0 – 2.4 professional sports.
Once you know the correct PPM and PAL indicator, you can finally move on to CPM:
CPM= PPM x PAL
Know your calorie deficit
The golden rule when fighting for a healthy figure, which we repeat endlessly, is: take in as many calories during the day as your body actually needs for daily functioning. So, if your goal is to get rid of kilograms, you should reduce the amount of calories in your diet to a level that will create a so-called negative energy balance. What are we talking about?
A calorie deficit is necessary for the body to switch from “external” nutrition to “internal” nutrition, i.e. to reach for the energy reserves stored, among others, in unwanted fat tissue.
Since you already know how your body works and have calculated how many calories you burn by doing your daily activities and taking up (or not!) additional physical activity, you can now determine the right calorie deficit for you. Even a small difference between the energy your body requires and what you provide it with in food is enough to start losing weight. Of course, the smaller the calorie deficit, the slower the weight loss will be, and the bigger the deficit, the faster you will lose weight.
It is assumed that a healthy rate of weight loss is 0.5-1 kg per week. If your calorie deficit is too radical, your body will start losing weight faster, which may later result in the yo-yo effect, as well as serious weakening of the body.
Professional support
Do you have the impression that the above models are complicated and that counting calories is a risky undertaking? We are not surprised at all. It is true that the models provided can be discouraging and cause your enthusiasm for weight loss to vanish before you can say “I give up!” That is why we strongly encourage you to trust professionals in your fight for a slimmer figure: dieticians, personal trainers, doctors. Especially if your excess weight is much more than “a few” extra pounds.
An effective weight loss program should take into account all the factors that determine its healthy course: your starting weight, body type, gender, age, individual history and health status, lifestyle, physical activity and nutritional preferences. Professional help means comprehensive care for the entire weight loss process, meticulous assessment of progress, support with knowledge in the field of supplementation and physiology, possible correction of the program course, better ongoing motivation, and, as a result, more satisfying - and probably more lasting - effects.
Take advantage of ready-made solutions
If you are facing a more modest challenge and your “excess baggage” does not require a long weight loss process, be sure to use the convenient calorie requirement calculators available online. This way, you will save yourself time and complicated calculations on the previously mentioned formulas.
In addition, we highly recommend all gadgets and applications that help monitor physical activity throughout the day, measure energy expenditure, and count calories consumed. Smartwatches, so popular today, are perfect as “motivators” for a healthier life and trackers of progress in weight loss. Let’s get to work!
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