All About Calories

 Before you read this, Counting calories is a big part of losing weight. If you have tried to lose weight and always failed at it or just yo-yo around the same weight, give or take 10 pounds, then you need to read this. It's a common mistake to over-calculate your calorie burn rate. You have to consume fewer calories than you burn and not by a few, more like 500 calories a day fewer calories.

From verywell.com

Estimated daily calorie needs range from 1,600–2,400 calories for adult women and 2,000–3,200 calories for adult men. The exact amount varies depending on age, height, weight, and activity levels. As you age you need fewer calories. Smaller people need fewer calories. And very active people need more calories. This is where many of us make a mistake. What does very active really mean? For instance, I have a man cut my lawn, trim bushes, etc. He does 15 lawns a day and then goes back to his garage and cleans all his equipment, that's active.

This article reviews how to determine your daily caloric needs as well as guidance for weight loss or gain, the pros and cons of counting calories, and how to reach your goals.

How to Calculate Your Daily Caloric Needs 

Figuring out how many calories you need each day may prove tricky sometimes. The amount will vary from person to person.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans estimate caloric needs range from 1,600–2,400 calories per day for adult women and 2,000–3,200 calories per day for adult men depending on age and activity levels.¹ The following uses the cited source's terms for sex or gender.

One method for calculating your individual calorie needs is with a formula called the Mifflin-St. Jeor equation. This equation estimates your resting metabolic rate (RMR), which is the number of calories your body burns at rest. It is the base energy level required to maintain basic life-sustaining functions such as breathing, digesting food, and circulating blood throughout the body. 

The Mifflin-St. The Jeor equation determines your RMR by sex, weight, height, and age.²

Step 1: Calculate your RMR:

• For females: (10 x weight in kilograms) + (6.25 x height in centimeters) – (5 x age in years) – 161 = RMR
• For males: (10 x weight in kilograms) + (6.25 x height in centimeters) – (5 x age in years) + 5 = RMR

After figuring out your RMR, adjust the number based on your usual daily energy expenditure or activity level. This is your active metabolic rate (AMR). 

You can calculate your AMR by multiplying your RMR by an assigned number representing different levels of activity, ranging from 1.2 for very sedentary to 1.9 for very active.

Step 2: Calculate your AMR:

• Sedentary (little or no exercise): AMR = RMR x 1.2
• Lightly active (exercise one to three days/week): AMR = RMR x 1.375
• Moderately active (exercise three to five days/week): AMR = RMR x 1.55
• Active (exercise six to seven days/week): AMR = RMR x 1.725
• Very active (intensive exercise six to seven days/week): AMR = RMR x 1.9

Your AMR represents the amount of calories you need to take in each day to maintain your current weight.

I tried the calculations myself and it is pretty accurate. I should be eating 2200 calories a day to maintain my weight and if what I read is correct I would have to consume 500 fewer calories per day if I were to lose weight. I've been working out and studying weight loss for the past decade and this is the first time I have seen calculations that actually work. 

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