Do you want to lose weight but don’t know how many calories you need? Eating the recommended amount of calories can help you reach your goals. Knowing your basal metabolic rate is a great starting point for understanding what number works best for you.
Calculating BMR takes into account age, sex, and body size, making it an accurate measure of individual needs. A visit to a weight loss doctor may be beneficial, as they can provide personalized advice on calorie intake based on results from tests conducted during visits.
Understanding Your Basal Metabolic Rate
Following understanding how many calories you should eat daily to lose weight, you must have a strong grasp of your basal metabolic rate. Your BMR is the minimal number of calories needed for your body to function at rest. This includes activities like breathing, keeping your heart pumping, digestion, and regulating hormone levels.
Interestingly, BMR accounts for about 60-75% of total energy use throughout the day! The calculation depends significantly on age-specific details such as gender, current physical activity level, and weight. While not designed specifically with weight loss objectives in mind, getting this information can help greatly in setting achievable caloric intake goals that are better tailored to individual needs before beginning any major dietary change.
Estimating Daily Calorie Needs for Weight Loss
To figure out the ideal calorie intake, start by calculating your maintenance calories. For example, let’s take a moderately active woman who weighs 155 pounds and stands at 5 feet, 4 inches tall with a goal to shed about 15 lbs. Multiply her weight in pounds by approximately fifteen for moderate activity levels.
This gives us a total daily energy expenditure roughly calculated as bodyweight x level-of-activity factor (TDEE). This score reflects how many calories she needs to maintain her current weight. If you’re burning more calories than you eat or drink each day, then that should result in some fat loss!
Say we want to shift one to two pounds weekly, a safe speed according to experts. This would mean cutting food consumption down from daily TDEE calorie needs, depending on what those are. It could end up being anywhere from 500 to 1,000 fewer calories per day consumed.
But remember: Never drop below minimal nutritionally-required thresholds, which rest at 1,200 calories per day for women and 1,500 calories per day for men, unless under close medical supervision. Not eating enough poses serious health dangers due to the deprivation of essential nutrients.
Your basal metabolic rate is the amount of calories your body needs each day just to stay alive. You need to know how many calories you need and keep track of what you’re eating to reach your goals without going too far below or above them.
With careful planning, including calculating BMR and tracking daily calorie intake, reaching effective weight-loss results has never been easier.
For your weight loss needs, visit Weight Loss Centers of Nashville, or for a free consultation, call us at (256) 675-7010.