The following table enables calculation of an individuals Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR).
| BMR calculation for men | BMR = 66 + ( 13.7 x weight in kg ) + ( 5 x height in cm ) - ( 6.76 x age in years ) |
| BMR calculation for men | BMR = 66 + ( 6.23 x weight in pounds ) + ( 12.7 x height in inches ) - ( 6.76 x age in years ) |
| BMR calculation for women | BMR = 655 + ( 9.6 x weight in kg ) + ( 1.8 x height in cm ) - ( 4.7 x age in years ) |
| BMR calculation for women | BMR = 655 + ( 4.35 x weight in pounds ) + ( 4.7 x height in inches ) - ( 4.7 x age in years ) |
Step 2 - Applying the Harris-Benedict Principle
The following table enables calculation of an individuals recommended daily calorie intake to maintain current weight:
| Little to no exercise | Daily calories needed= BMR x 1.2 |
The Harris- Benedict Equation would have you multiply your BMR by a physical activity factor, such as 1.9 above, in order to find your daily caloric need to maintain your current weight. Personally, and again, I am no doctor, I would only use the top multiplication factor of 1.2 and add your exercise exertion to that number on a daily basis. I recommend this because our physical activity varies greatly from day to day and I think it would lead to inaccuracies.
For example:
A male who weights 230 pounds, is 5'7" and is 40 years old would have an equation that looks like this:
66 + ( 6.23 x weight in pounds ) + ( 12.7 x height in inches ) - ( 6.76 x age in years )
66 + (6.23 x 230) + (12.7 x 67) - (6.76 x 40)
66 + 1,432.9 + 850.9 - 270.4
2,079.4 (2,079)
2,079 x 1.2
2,494.8 (2,494)
If the male in this example was to sit around all day doing nothing he would need to consume 2,494 per day calories just to maintain his current weight.
Step 3- Creating a Deficit
In order to lose weight you must create a caloric deficit. Whether you are losing or gaining weight, it takes 3,500 calories which must either be a surplus or a deficit. In the case of weight loss you must consume less and/or exercise more in order to do so. In our example above, the man needed 2,494 calories just to maintain his current weight. For him to lose weight he could do one or a combination of three things. He could :
A.) Restrict his diet by 3,500 calories per week, per pound of desired weekly weight loss.
B.) Add 3,500 calories worth of physical exercise per week per pound of desired weekly weight loss.
C.) Do a combination of A and B to create the 3,500 calorie deficit per week per pound of desired weight loss.
A.) Restrict his diet by 3,500 calories per week, per pound of desired weekly weight loss.
B.) Add 3,500 calories worth of physical exercise per week per pound of desired weekly weight loss.
C.) Do a combination of A and B to create the 3,500 calorie deficit per week per pound of desired weight loss.
Warning- It is recommended to lose only 1-2 pounds per week for safe and effective weight loss.
Most people want to see results fast so I will show examples of loosing two pounds per week. A two pound loss per week is a 7,000 (3,500 x 2) calorie deficit per week which averages out to be 1,000 calories per day.
2,494 (maintenance calories) -1000 (deficit) = 1,494 calories per day
Warning- It is unsafe to drop below 1200 calories for females and 1500 calories for males.
Because men and women tend to drop into an unsafe threshold when creating a deficit in their diet above one pound per week, exercise becomes almost inevitable.
What I recommend doing is sitting down and figuring out a rough estimate of how many calories you think you could consume without feeling deprived (sample meal plans here). For me, a 1,200 calorie diet is a great plan for failure. And that's just it, don't set yourself up for failure. Beyond weight loss is weight maintenance and at that point there should be good solid habits that you are comfortable and happy to live with, with little to no effort.
So lets get back to our male example, let's say he decides (and can always be adjusted as needed) that a diet of 1800 calories is reasonable. Well, if he wants to eat 1,800 calories worth of food each day and also wants to lose 2 pounds per week he will have to make up the difference in exercise. So let's do the math:
2,494 (maintenance calories) -1000 (deficit) = 1,494 calories per day
1,800 calories (comfortable diet) - 1,494 (calories for a deficit) = 306 kcal/day
1,800 calories (comfortable diet) - 1,494 (calories for a deficit) = 306 kcal/day
Our male example has a difference of 306 calories per day that he will have to exert through exercise in order to reach his goal of a 2 pound per week weight loss. Click here, for examples of exercises.
Step 4- Putting It All Together
So you have figured out your maintenance calories and calculated your daily caloric intake after subtracting your deficit. You know how much movement your going to have to put in your day to reach that goal... So now you just need to make sure that you plan it all out. I can't stress enough that proper planning of not just exercise but meals is going to be the key to stay on track. So often our efforts can feel "sabotaged" when in reality it is just lack of planning. So get out some paper and make a menu for the entire payday. What will you eat? Once you know what you and/or your family will be eating, make a shopping list based off of the ingredients needed from your menu.
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