If, a week after accurately counting calories and strictly observing physical activity and sleep habits, you do not feel positive dynamics in the form of visual recomposition of the body and reflection in the mirror, then it is recommended toget tested and ask for advice.
Carbohydrate breakdown:
Morning (short starchy) - bread without yeast, potatoes, sweet potatoes, pita bread, flatbread, pastries without sugar and yeast.
Lunch (long starchy foods) - rice, lentils, beans, buckwheat, chickpeas, quinoa, bulgur, cereals).
Evening (vegetables) + You MUST allow yourself your favorite product for 200-300 kcal (fruits, natural chocolate, yeast-free pastries) within the limits of caloric content and BZHU no later than 2 hours before bedtime.
If in the calorie calculation you have less than 100 grams of carbohydrates, this indicates that your body mass index is increased. Physical and physical activity 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: green vegetables, celery, radishes, cucumber, spinach, cauliflower and white cabbage, beets, carrots, garlic, seaweed, broccoli, avocado, lemon.
ON TRAINING DAYS, add 120 minutes before training an additional 100 grams of carbohydrates from short starchy carbohydrates (yams, potatoes, yeast-free bread, pita bread, flatbread, sugar- and yeast-free pastries).
ADD IN CALORIES.
For example: you should respectively eat 150 grams of carbohydrates per day, consume 100 before training and distribute the rest throughout the day.
DURING WORKOUT, drink ONLY plain water without various BCAAs and amino acids (due to insulin surges that are not needed during training).
Add 5 to 7 grams of salt per day (table or iodized)
REDUCE, and ideally DELETE, the number of simulators: coffee, tea, tobacco, alcohol.
Buy a kitchen scale. Weigh grains, vegetables and other foods in their raw form. Meat, fish, poultry ready.
Favor polyunsaturated and monosaturated fats (omega 3, vegetable oils, nuts, avocados, seeds).
Carbohydrate content, 30% fructose (fruit, natural chocolate), 70% starchy foods (rice, buckwheat, potatoes, gluten-free flour, sugar-free and yeast-free pastries)
In nutrition, it is recommended to favor foods which give an alkaline reaction, to eliminate or reduce to 1 meal per day foods which give an oxidative reaction: poultry, red meats, gluten, sugar, seafood. farm and farm dairy products are permitted. Foods with an acidity of 6. 0 to 10. 0 PH. More detailed table on the link.
Livestock products freshly slaughtered or vacuum-packed are authorized for consumption. Avoid refrigerated and frozen animal products.
The presence of a product that gives you psychological pleasure IS MANDATORY, within the limits of calorie and macro content (BZHU).
If it is impossible to achieve your daily calorie intake with the "RIGHT" foods, we include the maximum calorie content in the macro (BZHU).
The number of meals does not matter, eat strictly according to your appetite (distribute your "food basket" into a number of meals that suits you).
It is possible to change the components of the diet according to your own preferences within the macro (BZHU).
- B12-, iron deficiency anemia, weakness, increased fatigue, impaired hematopoiesis (pallor and yellowing of the skin and mucous membranes, rapid heartbeat, heart pain, exercise intolerance, frequent dizziness and fainting, enlarged spleen), damage to the digestive system ( indigestion, unstable stools, loss of appetite, weight loss, change in color and shape of the tongue, taste disturbances, frequent oral infections, abdominal pain after eating), damage to the nervous system (altered sensitivity, paresthesias, ataxia, decreased muscle strength, urination disorders, 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, decreased memory andintelligence), growth retardation in children. and intellectual development.
- Metabolic syndrome (insulin resistance). Increased body weight in the abdominal region, metabolic disorders, insulin resistance. Subjective sensations: attacks of bad mood when hungry, increased fatigue, food selectivity, attacks of rapid heartbeat, heart pain, 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 individually for each person, taking into account their physical characteristics and lifestyle.
Where to start?
Before calculating how many calories to consume to lose weight, you must first determine your daily intake. Essentially, calories are energy. Most of it is spent daily to maintain the functioning of the body: breathing, heart rate, digestion of food, etc. Scientists have discovered that:
- Men burn more calories than women.
- The older a person gets, the less energy they expend.
- During adolescence, pregnancy and illness, you need many more calories.
- Physical activity increases the rate of calorie consumption.
In addition, there are individual characteristics of the body, defined by genetics, that determine the rate of calorie consumption. However, on average, you can simply calculate how many calories to consume per day to not only not gain weight, but also lose it.
For example, you can use the formula from scientists Mifflin and San Geor. It was introduced in 2005 and was found 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.
All you have to do is add your weight and height, then subtract your age. Then men add 5 and women subtract 161. The result is multiplied by the activity coefficient:
- 1. 2 – you lie on the couch for days or work in the office.
- 1, 375 – 3 times a week you remember that you need to exercise.
- 1. 55 – an active athlete who trains 5 times a week.
- 1. 725 – you actively train every day.
- 1. 9 is a fanatical athlete and during breaks you work as a loader.
That is, for a 35-year-old female accountant weighing 85 kg and height 180 cm, the calculation will look like this (because of work there is no time for sports):
((85x10) + (180x6. 25) - (35x5) - 161) x 1. 2 = 1966. 8 calories.
This amount of energy will be enough for him to live and work peacefully, without gaining weight. But to lose weight, you will need to calculate the number of calories to consume.
How to lose weight by counting calories?
The golden rule for losing weight is to burn more calories than you consume. But you can't suddenly reduce the amount of food you eat. The body doesn't like it. Instead, you need to pull out the calculator again and calculate how many calories you need to lose weight. To do this, you need to subtract 15-20% from the previous result. In other words, our accountant, to prepare for the summer, must absorb:
1966, 8-20%=1573. 44 calories.
If she has the idea of improving herself, then she should do the exact opposite. But it does not stop there. Several other conditions must be taken into account:
- The number of calories consumed should not fall below 1, 200. Otherwise, the body will not have enough energy to live and chronic diseases of all kinds may develop.
- You can't calculate how many calories you need per day to lose weight, eat them in the morning and walk hungry all day. Desire to divide meals into 5 to 6 portions. In this way, the stomach and intestines will be constantly busy at work, the feeling of hunger will bother less and eating as a whole will become much more pleasant.
- It is necessary to monitor not only calories, but also nutrients. Food should be varied so as not to cause vitamin deficiency and other health problems.
- We must not forget the water. Drinking large amounts of fluid accelerates metabolic processes in the body and eliminates toxins. It is a great help for rapid weight loss.
This is why some nutritionists advise not paying too much attention to the number of calories consumed. They believe that it is much more important to monitor the ratio of nutrients in the diet. And if a proper balance is maintained, a person will quickly lose weight, regardless of the number of calories consumed.
By the way, there is another way to lose weight without reducing your diet. If we take our accountant and give her a subscription to 5 classes in a fitness club, it turns out that she will no longer need 1966. 8 calories, but:
((85x10) + (180x6. 25) - (35x5) -161) x 1. 55 = 2540. 45 calories.
That is, it turns out that she will even have to improve her diet a little and start eating more high-calorie foods, recalculating. And at the same time, she will still lose weight quite quickly.
Why can't you cut back on your diet too much?
If you start counting the number of 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 that’s not how the human body works. A fasting day once a week will create positive stress and can actually speed up weight loss. With prolonged fasting, less positive changes are already occurring:
- hair falls out and skin condition worsens;
- the person becomes irritable and easily becomes depressed;
- the functioning of the digestive organs and kidneys is disturbed;
- concentration and the ability to think coherently decrease.
At the same time, the body goes into "energy saving mode". Metabolic processes slow down and weight loss occurs more slowly than it should. And after stopping the fast, weight gain occurs quickly.
It's best to track the number of calories you need to lose weight and not rush into anything. Healthy nutrition experts advise not to try to suddenly lose 5-10-15 kg by reducing calories. Natural weight changes should be around 1 to 1. 5 kg per week. This is the most comfortable rate of weight loss for the average person, and it's what we should strive for.
How to calculate daily calorie intake
Any diet, regardless of its goal, begins by calculating the daily intake of calories, proteins, fats and carbohydrates. In this article we will talk about the most accurate methods for determining the daily calorie intake of men and women.
Calorie content is calculated based on goal (weight loss, maintenance, weight gain), gender, age, physical activity and other factors.
What is basal metabolism?
Calculation of daily calorie intake begins with calculating the basal metabolic rate (BMR) - the amount of energy required by the body to support vital processes. The human body, even at rest, constantly expends calories for respiration, digestion, blood circulation and other physiological processes. Daily calorie intake should be higher than the BMR, otherwise the body will not be able to function normally.
The level of basal metabolism 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 the PBM is calculated. This search 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 methods of calculation. Let's list the main ones.
Calorie calculation using the Harrison-Benedict formula
The formula was developed by the American physiologist Francis Gano Benedict and the botanist James Arthur Harris at the beginning of the last century, but still remains relevant today. Has an error of 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 result obtained is the daily caloric intake necessary for the body for normal functioning. To calculate how many kcal you need to consume to maintain your weight, you need to multiply the resulting figure by the physical activity coefficient:
- 1. 2 – minimal (sedentary work, lack of physical activity);
- 1. 375 – low (training for at least 20 minutes 1-3 times per week);
- 1. 55 – moderate (30-60 minute workouts 3-4 times per week);
- 1, 7 – high (30-60 minute workouts 5-7 times per week; intense physical work);
- 1, 9 – extreme (several intense workouts per day 6-7 times per week; very laborious work).
Calculating calories using the Mifflin-San Geor formula
The method for calculating 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 allows you to calculate the amount of kcal required for a person aged 13 to 80 years old.
Simplified version (without taking into account 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 explained how to measure it in a previous article). The formula does not include information on 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 result obtained must be multiplied by the activity coefficient according to the Harrison-Benedict method.
Formula from the World Health Organization (WHO)
The World Health Organization provides recommendations on how to calculate your daily calorie intake:
- For women aged 18 to 30 (0. 062 x weight in kg + 2. 036) x 240 x CFA;
- For women aged 31 to 60 (0. 034 x weight in kg + 3. 538) x 240 x CFA;
- For women over 60 years old (0. 038 x weight in kg + 2. 755) × 240 x CFA;
- For men aged 18 to 30 (0. 063 x body weight in kg + 2. 896) x 240 x CFA;
- For men aged 31 to 60 (0. 484 x body weight in kg + 3. 653) x 240 x CFA;
- For men over 60 years old (0. 491 x body weight in 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 reduce your daily calorie intake to lose weight?
For harmonious and safe weight loss, it is recommended to reduce the caloric content of the diet, taking into account physical activity, by 10 to 15% (by 20% in cases of severe obesity). Daily calorie intake should not be less than the following indicator:
Weight in kg/0. 45 x 8
WHO recommends reducing food intake by 500 kcal per month from the current diet until the calorie content is 300-500 kcal less than the daily requirement.
Reducing daily intake by 500 kcal per day leads to a loss of approximately 500 grams of fat mass per week. After six months of such weight loss or after reaching your ideal weight, it is recommended to recalculate the daily calorie intake taking into account new indicators.
You should not reduce your calorie intake as much as possible to lose weight more effectively. A loss of 250 to 500 grams per week is considered physiological and safe for health. Exceeding these numbers means loss of muscle and fluid.
Protein, fat and carbohydrates when counting calories
Effective weight loss is not only about maintaining daily calorie intake, but also about proper distribution of proteins, fats and carbohydrates. A balanced diet according to the BJU ratio will look like this:
- To lose weight: 30 to 35% proteins, 30 to 35% fats, 30 to 40% carbohydrates;
- To maintain weight: 25 to 35% proteins, 25 to 35% fats, 40 to 50% carbohydrates;
- For weight gain: 35-40% proteins, 15-25% fats, 40-60% carbohydrates.
Thanks to this distribution of BJU in the diet, the body receives sufficient amounts of nutrients and vitamins.
Remember that all formulas for calculating daily calorie content may have errors. They do not take into account food intake percentage, health status, metabolic rate and other factors. Even a diet developed by a specialist may not work in a particular case due to the individual characteristics of a person. In the process of building a beautiful and strong body, you need to listen to your feelings and, if necessary, change your diet and KBJU ratio.
Watch your diet, exercise, and the results will come soon!