In this article, I am going to show you how many calories you need to eat on a diet.
I will give you the EXACT formula you need to follow to find your activity level adjusted caloric needs in order to lose 1lb per week.
This will let you sustainably lose weight at a consistent rate.
It may seem complicated but I promise you it is NOT.
Be forewarned, there are some formulas but simply read slow and follow the steps in order and it will give you the exact amount of calories you need to eat on your diet.
But first, how do you lose weight the healthy way?
You need to be in an energy deficit which means burning more calories than you are consuming.
The best way to do this is through a combination of diet and exercise.
Check out these hacks to diet and exercise.
Eat less, move more. But you need to have a certain number of calories to eat on a diet right? That’s right. You need a deficit number.
Step One: Find Your BMR
This is the number of calories it takes to run all of the physiological functions in your body at rest.
- Adult male: 66 + (6.3 x body weight in lb) + (12.9 x height in inches) – (6.8 x age in years) = BMR
- Adult female: 655 + (4.3 x weight in lb) + (4.7 x height in inches) – (4.7 x age in years) = BMR
Step Two: Add Activity
The next step is to account for your activity level because moving around will ultimately cause you to burn more calories.
Remember, your BMR is just a resting metric.
Take your calculated BMR from above and perform the following below:
- Minimally active: 1–3 days per week of exercise or activity = BMR x 1.375
- Moderately active: 3–5 days per week of moderate activity or sports = BMR x 1.55
- Very active: 6–7 days per week of hard exercise = BMR x 1.725
Step Three: Create The Deficit
Now that you have your activity adjusted BMR, you need to create the calorie deficit which will ultimately cause you to lose weight.
This is the final step to finding out how many calories you need to eat on a diet.
- Subtract 500 from your calculated activity adjusted BMR and that will give you how many calories you need to eat in order to lose 1lb per week, which is the sustainable way to lose weight.
It can be hard to lose weight without the right foods. Try these breakfast foods to start the day off right on your diet.
Overview: How Many Calories Should You Eat a Day to Lose Weight?
1.) You need to find your BMR (basal metabolic rate). This gives you the calories you burn at rest.
2.) Then you need to account for your activity level. This adds calories to your BMR.
3.) Next you create the deficit to lose weight. This subtracts calories from your activity level adjusted BMR.
Common Questions:
But, how many calories should a woman eat to lose weight?
The calculated deficit is the same for men and women.
Subtract 500.
The only thing that differs is the calculation for BMR which you calculated above depending on what your gender was (man or woman).
All of the other steps are the same.
How many calories should I eat a day, by age?
The number of calories you should eat a day, by age comes from step one: find your BMR.
Age is an accounted for variable meaning that it is included in the formula.
Revisit it again above to see that age is in fact included.
How many calories do I need to burn to lose weight?
The amount of calories you need to burn to lose weight comes from your calorie deficit.
If you want to lose weight at a rate of 1lb per week, then subtract 500 from your BMR-adjusted activity level.
How many calories to lose weight? Calculator
If you don’t want to do the math by hand, download myfitnesspal on your smartphone and it will give you the exact calories you should eat to lose weight depending on your goals.
It is also a food diary and has a huge database of foods that you can search for when you add up your calories!
Where does the calorie formula you gave us come from?
The formula is called the Harris-Benedict formula which came from a paper published by the two geniuses James Arthur Harris and Francis Gano Benedict in 1919.
The formula still holds true today! You can read the original study here.
What’s Next?
After reading this article and you want to learn more about diet, exercise, and weight loss – check out these articles!
Who is Jakob Roze?
Jakob Roze is a Strength and Conditioning Coach and founder of RozeFit. His practice centers around empathic communication and relationship building. With an emphasis on pain free, functional movement patterns and strength training, Jakob Roze assesses each individual’s needs and prescribes exercise modalities appropriately in order to facilitate long term gains in strength and health. He draws from evidence based approaches and applies the knowledge in a personalized fashion to facilitate body and lifestyle transformation amongst his clients.
