If you’re looking to lose fat, the very first thing you must do to get started on the right track is determine your calorie needs. Since fat loss essentially comes down to consuming fewer calories than you burn throughout the day—through your basal metabolic rate (BMR) and physical activity—getting this equation correct is the fastest way to guarantee your success.
Sadly, many people have no idea how to properly determine their calorie requirements, and this is often the single thing that holds them back from realizing their goals.
In this quick and simple guide, we’ll give you everything you need to know to understand how many calories you should be eating each day to achieve the weight loss results you’re after.
Here’s what you need to know:
Determining Your Basal Metabolic Rate
The first step in figuring out your calorie requirements is to determine your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). This represents how many calories you would burn if you did nothing but lie in bed all day long without moving a muscle. Essentially, it’s the number of calories your body needs to maintain muscle, keep your brain working, keep your heart beating, and keep your lungs pumping oxygen throughout your blood.
Since most of us do much more than lie in bed all day, calories will be added to this number, but it gives you an excellent starting point.
There are several equations that can be used to approximate this number, but if you’re looking for a simple and straightforward method, you can multiply your weight in pounds by 10 if you’re female and by 11 if you’re male.
For those who want a more precise calculation, you can use the Harris-Benedict formula:
Women:
BMR = 655 + (4.35 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) – (4.7 x age in years)
Men:
BMR = 66 + (6.23 x weight in pounds) + (12.7 x height in inches) – (6.8 x age in years)
Both methods will yield similar results, so feel free to use either.
Factors Influencing Basal Metabolic Rate
Before moving on, it’s important to note that several factors can influence your BMR. First, individuals with lower body fat and more lean muscle mass tend to have higher BMR values, because muscle is a metabolically active tissue. Simply existing, muscle burns more calories than an equivalent amount of fat.
Second, long-term exercise, especially resistance training, tends to increase BMR. Those who work out at least three times a week and have been doing so for several months will typically burn calories faster than the average person.
Third, individuals who have been on low-calorie diets for extended periods may notice a decline in their BMR. This happens because, when the body is exposed to low energy intake for too long, it adapts to protect itself from starvation by slowing down metabolism. This is often why many dieters fail to see continued weight loss despite eating fewer calories.
Finally, your environment can also impact your BMR. People living in cold environments may have slightly higher BMRs because the body burns more calories to maintain body temperature. However, this effect is generally minimal, so don’t expect it to be a major factor in weight loss.
Assessing the ‘Activity’ Factor
Next, the second and more variable component of your calorie requirement equation is the activity factor. This refers to how many calories you burn throughout the day from all your activities.
Not only does this vary from person to person—someone who sits at a desk all day will burn fewer calories than someone constantly moving in their job—but it also varies from day to day for the same person.
Some days, you might be more active, and other days, you might be less active. One important point to note is that many people underestimate how much small bursts of activity add up. For example, getting up to grab coffee at 10 a.m., going for a walk around the block during your afternoon break, and hitting the grocery store for 45 minutes before dinner can burn more calories than a gym session.
Trying to stay active throughout the day, outside of structured exercise, is one of the best ways to promote faster weight loss. So, break the mindset that you only burn calories in the gym—that’s simply not true.
To estimate your calorie needs, you’ll use an activity multiplier. Keep in mind this is just an approximation and will vary day by day.
Take the BMR number you calculated above and multiply it by the following, based on your daily activity level:
- If you are sedentary (no exercise): X 1.2
- If you are lightly active (sedentary job + 1-3 workouts per week): X 1.375
- If you are moderately active (active job + 1-3 workouts per week or sedentary job + 3-5 workouts per week): X 1.55
- If you are very active (hard exercise 6-7 times per week + sedentary job): X 1.725
- If you are extra active (hard exercise 6-7 times per week + active job): X 1.9 or more
This will give you an approximation of the number of calories you should eat each day to maintain your current weight.
Getting Your Calorie Intake Set for Weight Loss
But what if you want to lose weight? To create a calorie deficit and force your body to use fat as a fuel source, you need to consume fewer calories than you burn.
Remember, there are 3,500 calories in one pound of body fat. To lose one pound of fat, you must burn 3,500 more calories than you consume.
To lose one pound per week, subtract 500 calories from your daily total. For half a pound of weight loss per week, subtract 250 calories. If you’re looking for faster results and want to lose two pounds per week, subtract 1,000 calories.
However, the 1,000-calorie deficit is best for individuals with a higher body weight. For example, someone with a maintenance calorie requirement of 1,800 calories would not want to consume just 800 calories per day, as this would not be safe or sustainable.
Aiming for a loss of half to one pound of fat per week is ideal for most people. If you’d like more information on setting reasonable and attainable weight loss goals, check out this helpful article: Setting Reasonable and Attainable Weight Loss Goals.
So, there you have it—steps to figure out how many calories you should aim to eat each day. Keep in mind these are just estimates. You should adjust based on your real-world experience.
After following a specific calorie plan for two weeks, if you’re not seeing the desired results, adjust your calorie intake up or down. Continuously monitoring and adjusting your calorie intake is key to achieving successful weight loss results.
