How to Calculate the Exact Calories You Need per Day

Many people do not know how to measure how many calories need to be consumed daily to maintain, lose, or gain weight. That's why we provide complete information here so you can master the topic and know exactly how much you need to eat to stay healthy and strong.   Gaining or losing weight is determined by how many calories you consume and how many you burn, that’s all there is to it. If one consumes more than they burn, they gain weight and vice versa. For the calculation of energy, we use kilocalories and these can be burned through different bodily activities such as basal metabolism (BM), which includes all vital functions of the body. There is also the thermogenic effect of food (TEF), which are the calories used to digest food, and finally, there is physical activity (PA) that we perform from the moment we wake up until we sleep. Now, there are several factors that influence your energy index, such as your age, weight, height, whether you are breastfeeding, sick, healthy, or even have burns. What you need to know is how many you should consume daily to stay fit or lose weight, and here we present this formula for you to figure it out: For women: 655 + (4.35 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) – (4.7 x age in years) The number you obtain from this formula needs to go through one more filter, your physical activity, as this will tell us how many calories you should consume compared to how many you burn. So, whatever number you obtained previously, you should multiply it by the number that best fits you from the following: Sedentary (little or no exercise)= 1.2 Lightly active (light exercise 1 to 3 days a week)= 1.375 Moderately active (3 to 5 days a week)= 1.55 Very active (constant exercise, 6 or 7 days a week)= 1.7 Extremely active (hard exercise daily)= 1.9 Now, the number you have obtained by multiplying the figure from the first formula by the number that best applies to your physical activity is the amount of calories you need to maintain your weight. Now, if what you want is to lose weight, you should subtract 500 calories from that last number; if, on the other hand, you want to gain weight, then add 500 calories to the number. We recommend that you divide those calories into five meals a day consisting of breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, and dinner. This way, you will have energy throughout your day. Also, try to eat an hour before exercising so you have the strength to perform at your best and achieve the best results. Remember that some foods provide more energy than others; for example, fat has 9 kcal per gram, and protein and carbohydrates have 4 kcal each per gram. To obtain the necessary energy for a day, it is recommended that 50% of your kcal come from carbohydrates, 30% from proteins, and 20% from fats. This way, you will obtain a healthy, balanced, and energetic diet.   Harris Benedict Formula   Women:BM= 655 + 9.5(Weight) + 1.8(Height) – 4.6(Age) Men: BM= 66.4 + 13.7(Weight) + 5(Height) – 6.7(Age)       Total Energy Formula   E= BM+PA+TEF E= 1379+(1379*0.3)+(1379*0.1) E= 1930.6   *TEF is always 10% of BM.   Energy by type of food 1g of protein 4 kcal 1g of fat 9 kcal 1g of carbohydrates 4 kcal   If I need 1930.6 kcal then I need:   96.53 g of protein 64.35 g of fat 241.33 g of carbohydrates   For more information about nutritional groups and calorie counting click here.   If you want to get recipes that help you distribute your meals in a balanced way, then visit www.kiwilimon.com and enjoy delicious recipes that will be good for your body. Check out the diet section here.   Did this tip work for you? Tell us the results.