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Do you know how much we lose as we age? You will be amazed to know these:
So you loss your bones, muscle, strength, lung function capacity, heart rate and even joint flexibility.
Let us dive deeper and deal with some more numbers… 😊
The following are the calories equivalent to various macros: (kcal / gm of individual macro)
Protein – 4
Carbohydrate – 4
Fat – 9
Alcohol – 7
Anyway, forget about the alcohol part. No dietician in the world will prescribe alcohol to you for weight loss. Lol
Now, the million dollar question everybody wants to ask…
“How many Total no. of calories should I eat daily to lose weight?”
There are 3 main steps to the calculation…
Step 1: Calculate your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR).
What is BMR? Having read it in school life, let us just recapitulate… Basal metabolic rate (BMR) is the amount of energy required to maintain the body’s normal metabolic activity, such as respiration, maintenance of body temperature (thermogenesis), and digestion.
As per strict strict definition, BMR is “the rate at which energy is used by an organism at complete rest, measured in humans by the heat given off per unit time, and expressed as the calories released per kilogram of body weight or per square meter of body surface per hour.”
But, can you measure it? Yes of course. There are a few equations to measure it.
Harris Benedict’s equation is most popular one, which is as follows:
BMR calculation for men (metric)
BMR = 66.47 + ( 13.75 x weight in kg ) + ( 5.003 x height in cm ) – ( 6.755 x age in years )
BMR calculation for women (metric)
BMR = 655.1 + ( 9.563 x weight in kg ) + ( 1.850 x height in cm ) – ( 4.676 x age in years )
There is another equation known as Mifflin St. Jeor Equation to calculate BMR (less popular though) which is as follows:
For men: BMR = 10 x weight (kg) + 6.25 x height (cm) – 5 x age (years) + 5For women: BMR = 10 x weight (kg) + 6.25 x height (cm) – 5 x age (years) – 161
The difference between Harris–Benedict and Mifflin St Jeor equations is around 5 %, the second one being more accurate. It is said that the Harris-Benedict equation overcalculates.
But this hardly matters. What you need is a basis on which further calculations are to be done. Little variations will hardly affect your long-term fat loss goals.
By the way, if those calculations seem too complex, there are several online calculators for similar purpose. For example, just click on this link and voila…
Step 2: Determine your activity factor.
Once you have figured out your BMR, the next step is to calculate TDEE i.e. total daily energy expenditure. To calculate it, multiply it with the number that corresponds with your activity level per day to determine your maintenance calories.
But TDEE depends on four factors:
TDEE = BMR + TEF + NEAT + TEA
BMR – Basal Metabolic Rate (The number of calories your body burns at rest, with zero activity)
TEF – Thermic Effect of Food (The no. of calories you burn while digesting and assimilating the food you eat)
NEAT – Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (The no. of calories burned in all activity other than exercise)
TEA – Thermic Effect of Activity (The no. calories you burn during exercise)
We have already determined BMR. Now is the time to calculate TEF.
As per strict definition…
“Specific dynamic action (SDA), also known as Thermic effect of food (TEF) or dietary induced thermogenesis (DIT), is the amount of energy expenditure above the basal metabolic rate due to the cost of processing food for use and storage.”
Actually TEF varies with different macros. It is highest for proteins and least for fat. This is an important factor to be kept in mind while preparing your diet.
TEF for the 3 macros are approx:
(The thermic effect of food varies with macros but the multiplication factors to calculate TDEE are simplified for standard diet.)
To calculate NEAT is not easy. Our daily activity levels as well their intensities and durations vary a lot. For 30 minutes a person who weighs 150 pounds can burn the following number of calories:
* Raking leaves = 147 calories
* Gardening or weeding = 153 calories
* Moving (packing and unpacking) = 191 calories
* Cleaning the house = 102 calories
* Playing with the kids (moderate activity level) = 136 calories
* Mowing the lawn = 205 calories
* Strolling or easy walking = 103 calories
* Sitting on a chair and working on laptop = 40 calories
* Biking on a flat surface = 220 calories
Regarding exercises (TEA values) read the chart for calorie burn per hour of various common aerobic exercise for a 150 lb person (average values):
| Walking | 250 Kcal |
| Jogging | 500 Kcal |
| Running | 600 to 700 Kcal |
| Bicycling | 400 to 450 kcal |
| Circuit training | 550 to 600 kcal |
| Martial arts/kickboxing | 700 kcal |
The NEAT and TEA values vary a lot. Moreover calculations are inclusive of BMR. You have to subtract BMR values for the activities periods and sum up your activities and exercises. Such an accurate calculation is not required. For simplicity of calculation, experts recommend an easier calculation considering all factors for various activity levels where there are factors to multiply with the BMR value…
* Sedentary (Doing nothing strenuous all day. No exercise) BMR × 1.2
* Lightly Active (Desk job, works out 1-3 times a week) BMR × 1.375
* Moderate (Desk job, works out 3-5 times a week) BMR × 1.55
* Active (Desk job, works out 6-7 times a week) BMR × 1.725
* Very Active (Physical job (e.g. labour) + works out 6-7 times a week) BMR × 1.9
Again, if the above calculations seem too cumbersome for you, use online calculators like this to calculate TDEE:
Step 3: Determine how many calories you need to subtract.
To burn off 1 pound of fat, you need to burn 3500 calories. Therefore, by decreasing 500 calories from your calorie intake per day, you can burn off 1 pound of fat in 1 week (500 x 7 = 3500).
Thus,
THAT IS YOUR DAILY CALORIE INTAKE TO LOSE 1 POUND OF FAT PER WEEK.
By maintaining a deficit of 500 Kcal for 7 days a week, you will create a total deficit of 3500 calories (500 kcal ×7). The above calculation may be over simplified science but this is the basic way to do it. Diet and fitness consultants had been doing this for years and you can jolly well calculate yours too.
But remember one important point. Just do not try too hard. Weight loss in a long term goal and cannkt be achieved overnight. Standard recommendation is not to go below 1200 kcal for women and below 1500 kcal for men. Try not to lose more than 1 kg per week.
All the best for your fitness goals…
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