How to Lose Pounds (lbs)
So how do you know and determine how much calories you need each day? Depending on your goals, below a general rule of thumb for figuring out your calorie needs:
- For fat loss - Your body weight x 11 to 13 = the range of your calorie intake
- For maintenance – Your body weight x 13 to 15 = the range of your calorie intake
- For weight gain – Your body weight x 16 to 18 = the range of your calorie intake.
So if you weighed 150 pounds and your goal is fat loss, the amount of calories you need would be:
150 x 11 = 1650 calories
150 x 13 = 1950 calories
Your daily calorie intake range should be between 1650 to 1950 calories. Of course, keep in mind that this is just a very general rule of thumb. With the above rule of thumb, you can easily figure out what your maintenance level of calorie intake is. Aside from this general way of determining your calorie needs, there are specific formulas and calculations that have been created to more accurately calculate your daily caloric needs. The Harris-Benedict formula was developed to determine your calorie needs (basal metabolic rate BMR) based on several factors such as your weight, height, and age. The formula is slightly different for men and women, and it looks something like this:
BMR for men = 66 + (13.7 x weight in kg) + (5 x height in cm) - (6.8 x age)
BMR for women = 655 + (9.6 x weight kg) + (1.8 x height cm) - (4.7 x age)
Obviously, it gets a bit tedious to plugin all the numbers and calculate your BMR, but there are calorie calculators online, that can do this for you instantly. All you need to do is fill in the required information such as your age, sex, height, and weight.
How do you use this information to help you lose weight? By knowing your total daily energy expenditure, you can adjust your calorie intake accordingly to produce a slight calorie deficit each day - having a negative calorie balance is a must if you want to lose weight. According to Tom Venuto, a natural bodybuilder and fat loss expert, you can figure out your level of calorie intake based on a percentage calorie deficit:
Conservative deficit: 15 to 20% below maintenance calories
Moderate deficit: 20 to 25% below maintenance calories
Aggressive deficit: 25 to 30% below
maintenance calories
Any calorie deficit greater than 30% below maintenance calories is considered too aggressive, and possibly risky. For any weight loss program, you do not want to make any drastic changes to your diet. You should plan to start with slow and moderate changes, for example, aim for 15% below maintenance calories. For a successful fat loss journey, make sure to start off on the right track, learn all you can about fat loss, and learn the real method behind true fat loss, and keep your fat loss permanent.
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Learn the fat loss methods to help you burn fat and keep it off. Click here for Tom's Burn the Fat program.
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