"Determine How Many Calories You Need Daily to Lose Weight"

In step one we learned how to calculate your basal metabolic rates .
determining your basal metabolic rate is an important first step in determining optimal caloric intake

In step two we learned how to calculate your total daily energy expenditures .
your total daily energy expenditure determines the number of calories needed for normal activities

Now, in step three, we will calculate the number of calories you should cut (or add) to achieve your weight goals.

Since there are 3500 calories in one pound of fat, you would have to have a calorie deficit of 3500 calories in one week to lose one pound. This would mean that each day you would have to consume 500 calories less (500 x 7 = 3500) than your total daily energy expenditure to lose that pound.

Conversely, you would have to exceed your TDEE by 500 calories each day to gain 1 pound of muscle tissue. Of course we’re assuming you are involved in some serious weight training.

Here is the formula you can use to help determine the number of calories to cut in order to burn fat:

Daily Calories = TDEE - Daily Calorie Deficit

Remember that your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) is equal to your basal metabolic rate times your activity multiplier.

For example, a very active 54-year-old man that was 6’3” tall and 215 pounds would have a basal metabolic rate of 1987 using this formula:

BMR = 66 + (13.7 X wt in kg) + (5 X ht in cm) - (6.8 X age in years)

Next, we multiply this number times his activity multiplier from step two, which would be 1.725:

TDEE = 1.725 X 1987 = 3428

For this individual to lose one pound a week he would have to consume 500 calories less than his TDEE, which would equal 2928 calories.

How many calories would he have to cut each week to lose 2 pounds? You guessed it – 1000 calories.

Conversely, to gain 1 pound of muscle tissue each week you would add 500 extra calories each day.

In conclusion, these are some important numbers you should incorporate into an overall weight loss (or gain) program to achieve optimum results.

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