How Many Calories Do you Need a Day?

This one’s pretty easy:

1. Your weight in KG. This is more of an estimate but should be as close as possible to your LEAN weight (meaning how much you will weigh without all that fat and are perfectly lean)

2. Your basal metabolic rate is approximately 1 calorie per kg per hour. Multiply your weight by the 24 hours in a day and this is the number of calories you burn just being alive each day.

3. Now factor in activity: Multiply your calories needed per day (from No.2 above) by the following percentages, depending on your activity level:

* Light activity: 50% to 70%
If you have a desk job and workout 30 mins a day

* Moderate: 65% to 80%
All the above + you walk to work, lots of housework, etc

* Heavy: 90% to 120%
Construction workers, athletes, etc.

4. Multiply the percentages in No.3 and you’ll get a general range of calories needed for your daily activity. Add this to the number of calories needed to be alive each day (No.2)

Example:
I estimate my lean weight to be 75 kilograms.
75 times 24 hours = 1800 calories needed a day for basic function.
Lets say my activity level is light:
1800 times 50% = 900
1800 times 70% = 1260

I add this to basic calories a day to get a range of 2700 to 3060 calories needed a day.

Now compare this to what you are really eating. To lose those extra pounds, you’ll need to create a deficit in your intake and burn more calories than you are eating, either by exercising more, or eating less.

What works best, of course, is a combination of the two.

This post was written by...

Noel Chelliah

Noel Chelliah, ACE-CPT, ACE-LWMC, has been recognized as one of the Top Transformation Experts in Malaysia. No stranger to being overweight himself, Noel has gone through a life-changing transformation himself, from fat, to fit. In 2010, Noel founded the DailyMuscle Body Transformation Camp, which today helps hundreds of individuals exercise and practice healthier habits. In his spare time, Noel serves the community with various programs that promote a healthier lifestyle, and enjoys playing with his dogs.