How Many Calories Do You Need?

A big part of what I do at TPS is assist clients with nutrition. We have people with all different types of goals ranging from athletes and competitive lifters to people who want to lose fat and be healthy.   Most of what we do is people who want to lose fat, so I’ll focus on that more today.   There are two simple ways to figure out how many calories you need per day to reach your goal:  

• Hire me or another qualified nutritionist
• Use a BMR based formula

  [caption id="attachment_164441" align="alignnone" width="740"] Hire me![/caption]     I’ll cover the second one today.

Using a BMR based formula

  BMR is your Basal Metabolic Rate, or the amount of calories you burn at rest. Determining your BMR is not too complicated, you can get an InBody scan like we have at TPS or use one the formula below:       The Harris-Benedict Equation is often used to estimate basal metabolic rate. Men: BMR = 88.362 + (13.397 x weight in kg) + (4.799 x height in cm) - (5.677 x age in years) Women: BMR = 447.593 + (9.247 x weight in kg) + (3.098 x height in cm) - (4.330 x age in years)  



Pro Tip: Google How to Determine My BMR and use an online calculator. They are pretty accurate and easy to use. Once you have this number, figure out your goals and activity level. I’m going to really simplify it here. When we start people off on a caloric intake plan, we always start a little low and then add calories in after a few weeks. You can’t go wrong starting a little low for a few weeks because if you are eating enough protein, nothing bad will happen. There are many guidelines to do this, but again, for simplicity here is what I suggest. This is for fat loss!

• If train 1-3 days a week, multiply BMR x 1.35
• If you train 3-5 days a week, multiply your BMR by 1.55
• If you train HARD 5-6 days a week, multiply your BMR x 1.65

These numbers are just a bit below the standard recommendations but it is ok. You’ll know in about 2-3 weeks if you are eating enough or too much. After a few weeks if you feel lethargic or you are losing more than a few pounds a week, you’ll need to increase your calories. If you do this, just bump them up a little. Try increasing the multiplier by .10.  

• If train 1-3 days a week, multiply BMR x 1.45
• If you train 3-5 days a week, multiply your BMR by 1.65
• If you train HARD 5-6 days a week, multiply your BMR x 1.75

It’s only a few hundred a day, but it’s enough to make a small change and then adjust again if needed.

Let’s illustrate it:

Our sample lifter has a BMR of 2100 calories a day and weighs 225 pounds. It’s important to know that you need to eat MORE than your BMR even if you do not exercise!  

• 1-3 days of training per week is 2100 x 1.35=2835 total calories
• 3-5 days of training per week is 2100 x 1.55=3255 total calories
• 5-6 days of training per week is 2100 x 1.65=3465

Pretty simple right? Well, let’s add to it. How do your break your calories up for best results? Easy! Get at least 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight to start. Our sample lifter weighs 225 pounds, so he needs 225 grams of protein. A gram of protein has 4 calories which adds up to 900 calories. They need 900 calories per day from protein. If we use the 3-5 days or training model of 3255 calories, that leaves 2350 calories left over. In the end, the granddaddy of fat loss is total calories, not nutrient breakdown. As long as you eat a little less than you burn you will lose fat and if you are training, you’ll add muscle. We have 2350 calories left over as I said, how many carbs and fat does this person eat each day? It doesn’t matter. Well, it does a little.   We need to make sure that you are eating clean, whole foods that are not processed. Think real food, rice, potatoes, fruit, grass fed butter, olive oil, oats, and high quality protein. I suggest getting more calories from carbs on training days and a little less on off days from carbs. Up the fat on off days and lower carbs, but keep your total calorie count at or just a bit (75-150) calories under the number determined by the formula (off days). A sample of how many calories you need on training days is:  

• 900 calories from protein/225 grams
• 1790 calories from carbs/447 grams
• 560 calories from fat/62 grams

  This is not the only way you can break it up. Try using different rations of fat and carbs to suit your needs and tastes.   On lower activity days such as light cardio of no training, decrease carbs and increase fat. Remember, fat has 9 calories per gram and carbs and protein have 4. A sample day here might look like this:  

• 900 calories from protein/225 grams
• 1415 calories from fat/157 grams
• 935 calories a day from carbs/233 grams

  Again, this is not the only breakdown you can use. You have to take a little time and figure out how much carbohydrates you need for energy, and how much fat as well. We are all different. We all have different tastes as well. Find a breakdown that suits your tastes! And….BONUS….you can eat more protein if you like, just make sure to account for added protein by subtracting carbs and fat calories. It works, and it’s flexible. I hope that I made this often confusing matter simple and easy to understand. If not, leave a comment and let me know. I’ll do it again!

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C.J. Murphy

April 15, 2021