How Many Calories Do You Really Need?

Food is your fuel and friend. When you decide to face the food challenge for a healthy lifestyle, knowing which choices to make based on need over want is overwhelming.

The science of nutrition is tricky because everyone is unique; however, the body requires a certain amount of fuel (calories). The individual mental and emotional response toward foods are what create different needs and approaches for each person. There is not an exact science already designed for you.

What does that mean?

The fitness and dieting market is full of different products, plans, and approaches to achieving a healthy lifestyle. They all say they will work for you. However, you must read and study the options that will fit your life and desires. If you're unfulfilled physically, mentally, or emotionally, then the product will quickly be added to your list of other "things" that will never be used.

Diets that promise quick results may work (temporarily), but at what expense to your happiness and for how long? What I lay out here are stark numbers to help you understand what is essential for the body.

You need to provide your body an essential amount of energy. What the calories consist of is as important as how many calories the body needs. Work your way through the numbers to see what the body is expecting. The Harris-Benedict Equation is widely accepted by the health and fitness industry for establishing baseline calorie needs.


The Resting Metabolic Rate

Your Resting Metabolic Rate is the amount of calories needed to survive. These are the calories that keep the blood pumping, organs operating and muscles working. When you dip below this number, the body will begin to make changes to compensate for the lack of calories needed to perform the basic functions.

The equation to use in determining the resting metabolic rate (margin of error of 10%) for women:
665 + (4.36 x body weight (lbs)) + (4.32 x height (inches)) – (4.7 x age) =

Your Current Resting Metabolic Rate is __________

As weight changes, the resting metabolic rate will change. The focus is to lose fat and not muscle. Falling lower than these calorie needs will create a response in the body to use muscle first before tapping into the fat stores. Fat stores are essential for survival and so the body tries to hold onto it if it feels threatened.

The Metabolic Rate

Your Metabolic Rate includes Resting Metabolic Rate and the energy required to sustain activity levels at the current weight. As activity increases, the body needs energy to support the activity.

The activity factors are as follows:
1.2-1.3 Very light physical activity (sitting, driving, standing)
1.4-1.5 Light physical activity (housecleaning, walking 3 mph)
1.6-1.7 Moderate physical activity (tennis, walking 4 mph, weeding)
1.8-2.0 Heavy physical activity (full court basketball, heavy digging, long distance running)
2.1-2.4 Exceptionally heavy physical activities (competitive sports)

Your Current Activity Level: _________
Your Current Metabolic Rate to maintain: _____________ calories

What Do You Do Now?

1. Armed with your current numbers. Go back and apply the same equation to your goal weight. If you're looking to lose more than 50 pounds, then break your goal weight down into 50 pound increments and strive for calorie levels at the first goal mark.

2. Calculate the following numbers:

1st Goal Metabolic Rate to Achieve: _________lb loss to approximately _________:
Resting Metabolic Rate: __________ calories
Light Activity Day: __________ calories
Heavier Activity Day: No more than __________ calories

3. The composition of calories is just as important. When the calories are rich in nutrients, the body can perform at a more optimal state. It's commonly suggested to strive for a 40% Carbohydrates/ 30% Protein / 30% Fat (20-30g. Fiber) breakdown of calories for general weight loss.

A Few More Tips to Remember

To safely lose weight and prevent the body from feeling threatened, here are the steps needed to maintain muscle mass (which will keep your metabolic rate on the rise) and drop the fat pounds.
1.Eat! Yes, the key is to focus on valuable food sources such as whole grains, lean proteins, vegetables, and fruits.
2.Eat often. Work up to 6 mini-meals a day, or the traditional 3 meals (smaller portions) with 2 to 3 snacks in between. Since the body is used to storing between long bouts of intake, this will help develop a response from the body that it is not in starvation mode. There's no reason to feel threatened if the body is receiving energy every few hours.
3.Eat Breakfast. Another trick for the body to understand it is not threatened! The body gets to work fueling your organs and muscles.
4.Eat a simple healthy snack within an hour after a workout. This will help fuel your activity and restore energy to your routines. A cup of 1% or Skim Milk is a great snack after a strength routine. It helps the muscles rebuild with few calories. Building muscles is already increasing your metabolism, so anything that helps them get stronger faster will have the desired affect to your weight loss goals.
5.Drink Water. Keep your body hydrated. It will help clear out the impurities and keep the body operating smoothly.
6.Pay attention to the Quality of Calories. Use foods that provide a nutritional punch with the calorie intake.
7.While losing weight, the calorie intake should fall between the resting metabolic rate and Current Metabolic Rate.
8.When goal weight is achieved, the Current Metabolic Rate should be the gold standard for calorie intake.

An awareness to how many calories your body is expecting really helps when you're striving for a healthy lifestyle. I often say to clients, "The body is a highly efficient machine. It will do whatever it takes to make sure it's not feeling threatened."

I'm setting up a new series to answer any questions you may have on health, fitness or nutrition. Check out the introduction to P&S at Go Workout Mom.