The first thing we do when starting a diet to lose weight is to count calories like crazy. But do you know how many daily calories you need? Accounting for everything we put in our mouths can become an obsession, especially if we discard foods due to their high calorie number instead of looking at their nutritional value.
Has a nutritionist
If you are trying to lose weight, the most advisable thing is to go to a dietitian-nutritionist so that he can make a recognition of your body. The scale can say that you are overweight and a regular athlete; This is because your muscles also weigh even if you do not have a high amount of fat. The dietitian-nutritionist will measure your body fat to be able to define exactly how many daily calories you need.
It should also take into account your sex, your age, your height and your level of sedentary lifestyle. Forget about following your neighbor's diet because surely you will not have the same caloric expenditure.
What is the basal metabolism?
We don't just waste calories when we exercise or walk to work; Breathing, thinking, moving blood through the veins, sleeping, or digesting also cause an energy drain. 60-70% of the total calories that our body spends daily come from this type of involuntary process . This is determined by basal metabolism.
To know for sure how many calories we are spending a day, we must also add those we burn when training. And be careful, even if we do the same activity as our partner, we will surely spend a different number of calories.
How can I lose weight?
If you are looking to lose weight, the main thing you should do is consume fewer calories than you spend. You will only lose weight if there is a caloric deficit . If you consume the same that you spend, you will be able to maintain your weight without any discomfort; and if you eat more, you will gain weight.
Depending on the training we do and the macronutrients (carbohydrates, proteins and fats) that we ingest, we will notice changes in the percentage of fat in the body or in the muscles. It is not necessary to decrease the number of total calories in food, it is a better option to stay active throughout the day and increase caloric expenditure with physical exercise.
So how many calories a day do I need?
As we have mentioned before, it is necessary to know the percentage of body fat we have to determine exactly the number. Still, there are several formulas that will give us an estimated result.
- Harris Benedict's formula : It is one of the most used, but takes into account the percentage of body fat. So the more overweight a person is, the greater the margin of error.
Men: 66,473 + (13,751 x weight in kg) + (5,0033 x height in cm) – (6.7550 x age in years)
Women: 655.1 + (9.463 x weight in kg) + (1.8 x height in cm) – (4.6756 x age in years) - The Katch-McArdle formula : in this we do take into account the fat percentage and lean body mass. It will be difficult to determine if we do not have a lipocaliber or a bioimpedance scale.
370 + (21.6 x lean body mass in kg)
Basal expenditure = 370 + (21.6 x 53.82)
Consider your lifestyle
Once the basal expenditure is defined, there are other formulas to adapt the number of calories to your lifestyle:
- Sedentary: a person who does little or no exercise. GB x 1.2
- Mild: sport 1-3 times a week. GB x 1,375
- Moderate: sport 3-5 times a week. GB x 1.55
- Strong: sport 6-7 days a week. GB x 1,725
- Very strong: 2 workouts a day intense physical activity: GB x 1.9
We must take into account other facts such as: pregnancy (+ 150-300Kcal / day), lactation status (+ 750kcal / day), age (over 50 -200kcal / day, over 75 -500Kcal men and – 400Kcal / day if they are women).
