If within a week after counting calories accurately and following strict physical activity and sleep patterns, you do not feel positive dynamics in the form of a visual transformation of your body and reflection in the mirror, then it is recommended to have an examination and seek advice.
Carbohydrate breakdown:
Morning (short starch) - unleavened bread, potatoes, sweet potatoes, pita bread, flat bread, cookies without sugar and yeast.
Lunch (long starches) - rice, lentils, beans, buckwheat, chickpeas, quinoa, bulgur, cereals.
Evening (vegetables) + you MUST allow yourself a favorite product for 200-300 kcal (fruits, natural chocolate, bread products without yeast) within the limits of calorie content and BZHU no later than 2 hours before bedtime.
If you have less than 100 grams of carbohydrates in your calorie calculations, then this indicates that you have an increased body mass index. Physical and physical activities should be increased. Recommended values: at least 100 grams of carbohydrates for women and at least 150 grams of carbohydrates for men.
You MUST eat more fiber and alkaline foods: greens, celery, radishes, cucumbers, spinach, cauliflower and white cabbage, beets, carrots, garlic, seaweed, broccoli, avocado, lemon.
ON TRAINING DAYS 120 minutes before training, add an additional 100 grams of carbohydrates from short starchy carbohydrates (yams, potatoes, yeast-free bread, pita bread, flat bread, bread products without sugar and yeast).
ADD CALORIES.
For example: you need to eat 150 grams of carbohydrates per day, consume 100 of them before training, and spread the rest throughout the day.
DURING TRAINING, drink EXCLUSIVELY clean water without various BCAAs and amino acids (due to insulin surges that are not needed during training).
Add 5-7 grams of salt per day (table or iodized)
REDUCE and ideally REMOVE the number of simulators: coffee, tea, tobacco, alcohol.
Buy a kitchen scale. Weigh grains, vegetables, and other foods raw. Meat, fish, poultry ready.
Prefer polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats (omega 3, vegetable oils, nuts, avocados, seeds).
Carbohydrate ratio, 30% fructose (fruit, natural chocolate), 70% starch (rice, buckwheat, potatoes, gluten-free flour, sugar-free and yeast-free bread products)
In the diet, it is recommended to give preference to foods that cause an alkaline reaction, to remove or reduce to 1 meal per day food products that cause an oxidative reaction: poultry, red meat, gluten, sugar, seafood. Farm eggs and farm dairy products are allowed. Food with an acidity of 6. 0 - 10. 0 PH. More detailed table in the link.
Freshly killed livestock products or in vacuum packaging are allowed for consumption. Avoid chilled and frozen animal products.
The presence of a product that gives you psychological pleasure IS MANDATORY, observing the calorie and macro content (BZHU).
If it is not possible to reach your daily calorie intake with the "RIGHT" foods, we include the maximum calorie content in macros (BZHU).
The number of meals is not important, eat strictly according to your appetite (divide your "food basket" into meals that are convenient for you).
It is possible to change the components of the diet according to your preferences within the framework of macros (BZHU).
- B12-, iron deficiency anemia, weakness, increased fatigue, impaired hematopoiesis (paleness and yellowness of the skin and mucous membranes, rapid heart rate, pain in the heart, exercise intolerance, dizziness and frequent fainting, enlarged spleen), damage to the digestive system (indigestion, unstable stools, loss of appetite, weight loss, changes in the color and shape of the tongue, disturbances in the sense of taste, frequent infections of the oral cavity, abdominal pain after eating), damage to the nervous system (decreased sensitivity, paresthesia, ataxia, decreased muscle strength, impaired urination, mental disorders).
- Hypothyroidism. Decreased physical and mental performance, increased fatigue, skin changes (myxedema), increased sensitivity to cold, hoarseness, weight gain, swelling of the face and body, constipation, hypotension and bradycardia, drowsiness, impaired memory and intelligence), growth retardation in children and intellectualdevelopment.
- Metabolic syndrome (insulin resistance). Increased body weight in the abdominal area, metabolic disorders, insulin resistance. Subjective feelings: bad mood attacks in the state of hunger, increased fatigue, selectivity in food, fast heartbeat attacks, pain in the heart, headache, thirst and dry mouth, increased sweating
How many calories do you need per day to lose weight?
There is no single standard for how many calories you need per day to lose weight. It is calculated for each person individually, taking into account their physical characteristics and lifestyle.
Where to start?
Before calculating how many calories to eat to lose weight, you must first determine your daily intake. Basically, calories are energy. Most of it is spent every day to keep the body functioning: breathing, heartbeat, digesting food, etc. Scientists have found that:
- Men burn more calories than women.
- The older a person gets, the less energy he expends.
- During adolescence, pregnancy and illness, you need many more calories.
- Physical activity increases calorie consumption.
In addition, there are individual body characteristics determined by genetics that determine the rate of calorie consumption. However, on average, it is quite simple to calculate how many calories to take in a day in order not only not to gain weight, but also to lose weight.
For example, you can use the formula of scientists Mifflin and San Geor. It was introduced in 2005 and has been shown to be more effective than the Harris-Benedict variant. To calculate, you need:
- Weight multiplied by 10.
- Height multiplied by 6, 25.
- Age multiplied by 5.
Then just add your weight and height and then subtract your age. After that, men add 5, and women subtract 161. The result is multiplied by the activity coefficient:
- 1. 2 – you sleep on the couch or work in the office for days.
- 1. 375 – remember to do sports 3 times a week.
- 1. 55 – an active athlete who does sports 5 times a week.
- 1. 725 – you actively train every day.
- 1. 9 is a fanatical sportsman, and during breaks you work as a stacker.
That is, for a 35-year-old accountant who weighs 85 kg and is 180 cm tall, the calculation will look like this (she has no time for sports due to work):
((85x10) + (180x6. 25) - (35x5) - 161) x 1. 2 = 1966. 8 calories.
This amount of energy will be enough for her to live and work calmly without gaining weight. But to lose weight, you will need to calculate how many calories to consume.
How to lose weight by counting calories?
The golden rule of weight loss is to burn more calories than you consume. But you can't just suddenly reduce the amount of food you eat. The body does not like it. Instead, you need to get out the calculator again and calculate how many calories you need to eat to lose weight. To do this, you need to subtract 15-20% from the previous result. That is, in order to prepare for the summer, our accountant must learn:
1966, 8-20%=1573, 44 calories.
If she wants to get better, she needs to do the exact opposite. But it doesn't end there. There are several other conditions to consider:
- The number of calories consumed should not be lower than 1200. Otherwise, the body will not have enough energy to live and various types of chronic diseases may develop.
- You cannot calculate how many calories you need per day to lose weight, eat them in the morning and walk around hungry all day. Willingness to divide meals 5-6 times. In this way, the stomach and intestines will be constantly busy with work, the feeling of hunger will be less disturbing, and the diet will become much more pleasant in general.
- It's not just calories that need to be monitored, but nutrients as well. Food should be varied so as not to cause vitamin deficiency and other health problems.
- We must not forget about water. Drinking large amounts of liquid accelerates metabolic processes in the body and removes toxins. It is an excellent aid for rapid weight loss.
Therefore, some nutritionists advise not to pay too much attention to the number of calories consumed. They believe that it is more important to monitor the ratio of nutrients in the diet. And if a proper balance is maintained, a person will lose weight quickly, regardless of the number of calories consumed.
By the way, there is another way to lose weight without cutting your diet. If we take our accountant and give her a subscription to 5 classes at the fitness club, it turns out that she will no longer need 1966. 8 calories, but instead:
((85x10) + (180x6. 25) - (35x5) -161) x 1. 55 = 2540. 45 calories.
Namely, it turns out that she will even have to improve her diet a little and start eating more caloric foods, recalculating. And at the same time, she will still lose weight quite quickly.
Why can't you cut your diet too much?
If you start counting how many calories you need to consume to lose weight, it may seem that the problem can be solved if you immediately reduce the amount of energy several times or even to zero. But the human body doesn't work that way. A fasting day once a week will create positive stress and can actually speed up weight loss. With long-term fasting, less positive changes already occur:
- hair falls out and skin condition worsens;
- a person becomes irritable and easily depressed;
- the functioning of the digestive organs and kidneys is disturbed;
- concentration and ability to think coherently decreases.
At the same time, the body enters "energy saving mode". Metabolic processes slow down and weight loss occurs more slowly than it should. And after stopping fasting, weight gain happens quickly.
It's better to keep track of how many calories you need to eat to lose weight and don't rush anything. Experts in healthy nutrition advise not to try to suddenly lose 5-10-15 kg by reducing calories. A natural weight change should be about 1-1. 5 kg per week. This is the most comfortable rate of weight loss for the average person and is what we should aim for.
How to calculate daily calories
Any diet, regardless of the goal, begins with calculating the daily amount of calories, protein, fat and carbohydrates. In this article, we will talk about the most accurate methods for determining the daily calorie intake for men and women.
Calorie content is calculated depending on the goal (weight loss, maintenance, weight gain), gender, age, physical activity and other factors.
What is basal metabolism?
The calculation of the daily calorie intake begins with the calculation of the basal metabolic rate (BMR) - the amount of energy that the body needs to ensure vital processes. Even at rest, the human body constantly spends calories for breathing, digestion, blood circulation and other physiological processes. The amount of daily calories must be greater than the BMR, otherwise the body will not be able to function normally.
Basal metabolic rate can be determined by two methods: direct and indirect.
In the first case, a person is placed in a special chamber, where the amount of heat consumed by him is measured, after which PBM is calculated. This research method is the most accurate, but at the same time inaccessible.
The indirect method involves calculating the basal metabolism using a special formula. Today, there are several main calculation methods. Let's list the main ones.
Harrison-Benedict formula calorie calculation
The formula was developed at the beginning of the last century by the American physiologist Francis Gano Benedict and the botanist James Arthur Harris, but it is still relevant today. The error is about 5%.
The formula for calculating PBM is as follows:
- For women: 655. 1 + (9. 563 × weight in kg) + (1. 85 × height in cm) - (4. 676 × age in years);
- For men: 66. 5 + (13. 75 × weight in kg) + (5. 003 × height in cm) - (6. 775 × age in years).
The obtained result is the daily amount of calories that the body needs for normal functioning. To calculate how many kcal you need to consume for weight maintenance, multiply the number obtained by the physical activity coefficient:
- 1, 2 – minimal (sedentary work, lack of physical activity);
- 1, 375 – low (practices at least 20 minutes 1-3 times a week);
- 1. 55 – moderate (training 30-60 minutes 3-4 times a week);
- 1, 7 – high (training for 30-60 minutes 5-7 times a week; heavy physical work);
- 1, 9 – extreme (several intensive trainings per day 6-7 times a week; very labor-intensive work).
Calorie calculation using the Mifflin-San Geor formula
The method of calculating the daily calorie intake was developed by nutritionists under the guidance of doctors Mifflin and San Geor. The formula was developed relatively recently, but today it is the most accurate. It helps to calculate the required amount of kcal for a person aged 13 to 80 years.
Simplified version (excluding physical activity)
- For women: (10 x weight in kg) + (6. 25 x height in cm) – (5 x age in g) – 161;
- For men: (10 x weight in kg) + (6. 25 x height in cm) – (5 x age in g) + 5.
Ketch-McArdle calorie formula
This calculation method is based on the amount of adipose tissue in the body (we wrote about how to measure it in the previous article). The formula does not include information about height, age, and gender, as it is assumed that these were taken into account when calculating body fat percentage.
Formula for calculating PBM: 370 + 21. 6 x X (body weight excluding body fat)
The obtained result should be multiplied by the activity coefficient using the Harrison-Benedict method.
World Health Organization (WHO) formula
The World Health Organization provides recommendations on how to calculate daily calories:
- For women aged 18-30 (0. 062 x weight kg + 2. 036) x 240 x CFA;
- For women aged 31 to 60 (0. 034 x weight kg + 3. 538) x 240 x CFA;
- For women older than 60 years (0. 038 x weight kg + 2. 755) × 240 x CFA;
- For men aged 18 to 30 (0. 063 x body weight kg + 2. 896) x 240 x CFA;
- For men aged 31 to 60 (0. 484 x body weight kg + 3. 653) x 240 x CFA;
- For men over 60 years of age (0. 491 x body weight kg + 2. 459) x 240 x CFA.
Where CFA is the coefficient of physical activity: 1 - low, 1. 3 - medium, 1. 5 - high.
Daily calorie calculator
You can also calculate your average daily calorie intake using an online calculator.
How to properly reduce daily calories to lose weight?
For harmonious and safe weight loss, it is recommended to reduce the caloric content of the diet by 10-15% (in case of severe obesity, by 20%), taking into account physical activities. The daily calorie content must not be lower than the following indicator:
Weight kg/0. 45 x 8
WHO recommends reducing food consumption by 500 kcal per month from the actual diet, until the calorie content is 300-500 kcal below the daily requirement.
By reducing the daily intake by 500 kcal per day, approximately 500 grams of fat mass is lost per week. After six months of losing such weight or reaching your ideal weight, it is recommended to recalculate the daily calorie intake, taking into account new indicators.
In order to lose weight more effectively, you should not reduce your calorie intake as much as possible. A loss of 250-500 grams per week is considered physiological and safe for health. Exceeding these numbers means muscle and fluid loss.
Protein, fat and carbohydrates, counting calories
Effective weight loss is not only maintaining the daily calorie intake, but also the correct distribution of proteins, fats and carbohydrates. A balanced diet according to the BJU ratio will look like this:
- For weight loss: 30-35% proteins, 30-35% fats, 30-40% carbohydrates;
- For weight maintenance: 25-35% proteins, 25-35% fats, 40-50% carbohydrates;
- For weight gain: 35-40% protein, 15-25% fat, 40-60% carbohydrates.
With this distribution of BJU in the diet, the body receives a sufficient amount of nutrients and vitamins.
Do not forget that all formulas for calculating daily calorie content may contain errors. They do not take into account the percentage of food absorption, health status, metabolic rate and other factors. Even a diet prepared by a specialist may not work in a given case due to the individual characteristics of a person. In the process of building a beautiful, strong body, you should listen to your feelings and, if necessary, change the ratio of diet and KBJU.
Follow your diet, exercise, and the results won't last long!