How many calories you need to consume to lose weight

You can calculate the need for calories in different ways: if there is little excess weight, then count immediately on your ideal weight, if a lot, then count on an intermediate goal. You can also count on the current weight, taking into account the calorie deficit. These methods are used in dietetics and are good in their own way. Knowing your ideal weight, it is easier to control your own volumes and get rid of extra pounds, but the diet for the current weight is easier to adjust. Choose a more convenient option for calculating your daily calorie requirement.

Calorie calculation for target weight (if you are a little overweight)

So, in order to gain the ideal weight for you, you need to stick to the number of calories every day that is necessary to maintain exactly the ideal weight.

What’s your goal? ________ kg

Multiply this weight by:

• 27 – If you do not play sports at all and your work is not related to physical labor;
• 29 – If you occasionally play sports (maybe play tennis or swim in the pool on weekends);
• 34 – If you regularly play sports (swim, run or walk for half an hour to an hour at least 3-4 times a week);
• 37 – If you play sports almost every day and intensively enough;
• 42 – If you go in for sports every day and very intensively or are engaged in hard physical labor at work.

For example:

I want to weigh 70 kg. At the same time, I do not go in for sports. Then:

70 x 27 = 1890

That is, in order to weigh 70 kg, I need to consume no more than 1890 kcal per day, while it is advisable to move or do fitness every day.

Calorie calculation for intermediate target weight (if there is a lot of excess weight)

If you have a lot of excess weight, do not set yourself a final goal at once, set intermediate goals. If you weigh 80 kg, then when calculating your daily calorie intake, be guided by a target weight of 75 kg, even if your final goal is 50 kg. Accordingly, count the daily calorie intake by intermediate weight. Why do it this way? And so that there was where to reduce the calorie content further. Imagine you cut your calories down to your ideal weight right away. For the body, this is a great stress, starvation. Of course, at first he will give well, but very soon he will decide that he needs fat himself, and not only will he stop losing weight, but will also enter the economy mode. Therefore, you need to consume your daily calorie intake at the ideal intermediate weight.

Calorie calculation based on actual weight

There is also the option of consuming the calorie content of the diet for your current weight with a calorie deficit of 10-15%. That is, you calculate the calorie content of the diet for your current weight:

How long do you weigh now? ________ kg

Multiply this weight by:

• 30 – If you lead a sedentary lifestyle (home, office work, home again);
• 31-37 – If you train 3 to 5 times a week (workouts in the gym, group sessions). The more often and more intensely you train, the higher the number you choose;
• 38-40 – If you lead an active lifestyle (exercise daily or your work is related to physical activity);
• 41-50 – If you go in for sports 15-20 hours a week or your work is connected with hard physical labor.

The resulting figure must be adjusted for the purpose. If the goal is to lose weight, then subtract 10-15% from it.

For example:

I weigh 70 kg and go to group classes three times a week. Then:

70 x 31 = 2170

2170 – 10% = 1953

That is, if I now weigh 70 kg, then it is necessary to reduce my calorie intake by 10%, which will be no more than 1953 kcal per day.

Recommendations for calculating calories for current weight

Nutritionists advise first to focus on a deficit of 10%, but switch to proper nutrition, excluding sweet, fatty and flour foods from the diet. As mentioned above, at the beginning of losing weight, the body willingly gives up weight, but then the process slows down. By starting to lose weight with a 10% deficit, you leave yourself room to maneuver in case weight loss slows down.

Which way is better?

Each method has its supporters. Based on target weight, you can always stay focused on losing weight and not overeat. And the calorie content, calculated on the actual weight, is easier to adjust – you may not reach the target weight when the actual one allows you to more accurately determine the current needs of the body.

How to adjust the results

If, with the calculated amount of calories, you do not lose weight, reduce the daily diet by 100 calories and add the same amount of physical activity. Watch the weight in this mode for a week. If you have at least 100-200 grams of “plumb”, stay for another week in this mode and so on, until the weight will not stand still for 2 weeks in a row. Why two weeks and not one? Yes, because in the first week, maybe they just ate something extra and did not notice, or some other physiological factor influenced, etc.

Be honest with yourself, keep a weight loss diary, track your calorie intake and try to be more active than you are right now. Read food labels carefully. As a rule, information is given per 1 serving or per 100 grams. Compare with How long you actually consumed, possibly 2 or more servings.

After two weeks, you can reapply the “cut your daily diet by 100 calories and add the same amount of physical activity”.

Why can’t you lose weight quickly?

Remember that you cannot lose weight quickly, especially for those who are severely obese. Why? Yes, because with obesity, our internal organs are often also overlaid with fat, it supports them. If you lose weight slowly – 2-4 kg per month, then the organs will quietly get rid of fat and nothing terrible will happen, it will become easier for them. If you lose weight dramatically, fat support for your organs will disappear abruptly and you may have organ prolapse. It’s very scary. Don’t let this happen.