If within a week after accurate calorie counting and strict adherence to the regime of physical activity and sleep, positive dynamics do not appear in the form of a visual recomposition of the body and reflection in the mirror, then it is recommended to examine yourself and seek advice.
Carbohydrate breakdown:
Morning (short starch) - bread without yeast, potatoes, sweet potatoes, pita bread, flat bread, baked goods without sugar and yeast.
Lunch (long starches) - rice, lentils, beans, buckwheat, chickpeas, quinoa, bulgur, cereals).
Evening (vegetables) + YOU MUST allow yourself your favorite product for 200-300 kcal (fruits, natural chocolate, baked goods without yeast) within the caloric content and BZHU no later than 2 hours before bedtime.
If you have less than 100 grams of carbohydrates when calculating calories, it means you have an elevated body mass index. 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: greens, celery, radishes, cucumbers, spinach, cauliflower and white cabbage, beets, carrots, garlic, seaweed, broccoli, avocado, lemon.
ON TRAINING DAYS, add an additional 100 grams of carbohydrates 120 minutes before training from short starchy carbohydrates (yams, potatoes, yeast-free bread, pita bread, flat bread, sugar-free baked goods and yeast).
ADDING CALORIES.
For example: you should eat 150 grams of carbohydrates per day, respectively consume 100 of them before training, and distribute the rest throughout the day.
DURING TRAINING, drink EXCLUSIVELY plain water without various BCAAs and amino acids (due to insulin spikes not needed during training).
Add 5-7 grams of salt per day (table or iodized)
REDUCE and ideally REMOVE the number of simulators: coffee, tea, tobacco, alcohol.
Buy kitchen scales. Weigh grains, vegetables, and other raw foods. Prepared meat, fish, poultry.
Prefer polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats (omega 3, vegetable oils, nuts, avocados, seeds).
Ratio of carbohydrates, 30% fructose (fruit, natural chocolate), 70% starch (rice, buckwheat, potatoes, gluten-free flour, baked goods without sugar and yeast)
In nutrition, it is recommended to give preference to foods that give an alkaline reaction, eliminate or reduce 1 meal per day of foods that give an oxidizing reaction: poultry, red meat, gluten, sugar, seafood. Farm eggs and farm dairy products are allowed. Food with acidity 6. 0 - 10. 0 PH. More detailed table at the link.
Freshly killed animal products or in vacuum packaging are allowed for consumption. Avoid chilled and frozen animal products.
It is MANDATORY to have a product that gives you psychological pleasure, within the caloric and macro content (BZHU).
If it is impossible to reach your daily calorie intake with the "RIGHT" foods, we include the maximum macro calorie content (BZHU).
The number of meals is not important, eat strictly according to your appetite (distribute your "food basket" to the number of meals that are convenient for you).
It is possible to change the components of the diet depending on your own macro preferences (BZHU).
- B12-, iron-deficiency anemia, weakness, increased fatigue, impaired hematopoiesis (pallor and yellowness of the skin and mucous membranes, rapid heart rate, heart pain, intolerance to physical exertion, dizziness and frequent seizures, enlarged spleen), damage to the digestive system (indigestion, unstable stools, loss of appetite, weight loss, change in the color and shape of the tongue, taste disturbance, frequent oral infections, abdominal pain after eating), damage to the nervous system (impaired sensitivity, paresthesia, ataxia, decreased muscle strength, impairedurination, mental disorder).
- Hypothyroidism. Decreased physical and mental performance, increased fatigue, skin changes (myxedema), increased sensitivity to cold, hoarse voice, weight gain, swelling of the face and body, constipation, hypotension and bradycardia, drowsiness, decreased memory and intelligence), growth retardationin children and intellectual development.
- Metabolic syndrome (insulin resistance). Increased body weight in the abdominal area, metabolic disorders, insulin resistance. Subjective sensations: bouts of bad mood in a state of hunger, increased fatigue, selectivity in food, bouts of rapid heart rate, pain in the heart, 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 do I start?
Before calculating how many calories to eat to lose weight, you must first determine your daily intake. Essentially, calories are energy. Most of them are spent daily to maintain the functioning of the body: breathing, heart rate, digestion, etc. Scientists have found 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 laid down by genetics that determine the rate of calorie consumption. However, on average, you can easily calculate how many calories to consume per day in order not only to not gain weight, but also to lose weight.
For example, you can use the formula of scientists Mifflin and San Geor. It was introduced in 2005 and proved 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.
Then all that's left is to add up your weight and height and 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 sofa for days or work in the office.
- 1. 375 – 3 times a week you remember 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 the holidays you work as a loader.
That is, for a 35-year-old accountant with a weight of 85 kg and a height of 180 cm, the calculation will look like this (due to work, there is no time left for sports):
((85x10) + (180x6, 25) - (35x5) - 161) x 1, 2 = 1966, 8 calories.
This amount of energy will be enough for her to live and work calmly without putting on weight. But in order to lose weight, you will need to calculate how many calories to eat.
How to lose weight by counting calories?
The golden rule for weight loss is to burn more calories than you consume. But you can't just suddenly reduce the amount of food you eat. The body doesn't like that. Instead, you need to get out the calculator again and calculate how many calories you need to eat to lose weight. To do this, you need to subtract 15-20% from the previous result. That is, our accountant, in order to prepare for the summer, must learn:
1966, 8-20%=1573, 44 calories.
If she has the idea to get better, then she should do the exact opposite. But it doesn't end there. There are a few other conditions to consider:
- The number of calories consumed should not fall below 1200. Otherwise, the body will not have enough energy for life and chronic diseases of a different nature may develop.
- You cannot calculate how many calories you need per day to lose weight, eat them in the morning and go hungry all day. Desire to divide meals into 5-6 times. In this way, the stomach and intestines will be constantly busy with work, the feeling of hunger will interfere less and the diet in general will become much more pleasant.
- It is necessary to monitor not only calories, but also nutrients. Food should be varied so as not to provoke vitamin deficiency and other health problems.
- We must not forget the water. Drinking large amounts of fluids accelerates metabolic processes in the body and removes toxins. It is a great aid for rapid weight loss.
That's why some nutritionists advise not to pay 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 the right 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 5x gym membership, it turns out she no longer needs 1, 966. 8 calories, but:
((85x10) + (180x6. 25) - (35x5) -161) x 1. 55 = 2540. 45 calories.
That is, it turns out that he will even have to improve his 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 reduce your diet too much?
If you start counting how many calories you need to consume in order 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 the human body doesn't work like that. A fasting day once a week will create positive stress and can actually accelerate weight loss. With prolonged fasting, less positive changes already occur:
- hair falls out and the condition of the skin worsens;
- the person becomes irritable and easily depressed;
- the functioning of the digestive organs and kidneys is impaired;
- 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 fasting, gaining weight happens quickly.
It's better to keep track of how many calories you need to eat to lose weight and don't rush anything. Experts in healthy nutrition advise not to try to suddenly lose 5-10-15 kg by cutting calories. Natural weight changes should be about 1-1. 5 kg per week. This is the most comfortable rate of weight loss for the average person to aim for.
How to calculate daily calorie intake
Any diet, regardless of the goal, begins with calculating the daily intake of calories, proteins, fats and carbohydrates. In this article, we will talk about the most accurate methods of determining the daily calorie intake for men and women.
The calorie content is calculated depending on the goal (weight loss, maintenance, weight gain), gender, age, physical activity and other factors.
What is basal metabolism?
Calculating your daily caloric intake begins with calculating your basal metabolic rate (BMR) - the amount of energy the body needs to maintain vital processes. The human body, even when at rest, is constantly expending calories for breathing, digestion, blood circulation and other physiological processes. The daily caloric intake must be higher than the BMR, otherwise the body will not be able to function normally.
The level of basic 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 is measured, after which the PBM is calculated. This research method is the most accurate, but at the same time inaccessible.
The indirect method involves calculating the basic metabolism according to a special formula. Today there are several basic calculation methods. Let's list the main ones.
Calculating calories using the Harrison-Benedict formula
The formula was developed by the American physiologist Francis Gano Benedict and botanist James Arthur Harris at the beginning of the last century, but it still remains relevant. There is 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 required by the body for normal functioning. To calculate how many kcal you need to consume to maintain weight, you need to multiply the resulting figure by the coefficient of physical activity:
- 1, 2 – minimal (sedentary work, lack of physical activity);
- 1. 375 – low (training at least 20 minutes 1-3 times a week);
- 1. 55 – moderate (training 30-60 minutes 3-4 times a week);
- 1, 7 – high (training 30-60 minutes 5-7 times a week; heavy physical work);
- 1. 9 – extreme (several intense trainings per day 6-7 times a week; very laborious work).
Calculating calories using the Mifflin-San Geor formula
The method for calculating daily caloric 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 helps to calculate the required amount of kcal for a person aged 13 to 80 years.
Simplified version (not taking physical activity into account)
- 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 method of calculation is based on the amount of fat tissue in the body (we wrote how to measure it in a previous article). The formula does not include information about height, age, and gender, as these are assumed to be taken into account when calculating body fat percentage.
Formula for calculating PBM: 370 + 21. 6 x X (body weight without body fat)
The obtained result should be multiplied by the activity coefficient according to the Harrison-Benedict method.
World Health Organization (WHO) formula.
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 (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 (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 properly reduce 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 10-15% (by 20% in case of severe obesity). The daily calorie content should not be lower than the following indicator:
Weight in kg/0. 45 x 8
WHO recommends reducing food intake by 500 kcal per month from the actual diet, while the calorie content is 300-500 kcal below the daily requirement.
Reducing daily intake by 500 kcal per day results in a loss of approximately 500 grams of fat mass per week. After six months of such weight loss or upon reaching the ideal weight, it is recommended to recalculate the daily calorie intake, taking into account the new indicators.
You should not cut your calorie intake as much as possible to lose weight more effectively. A loss of 250-500 grams per week is considered physiological and safe for health. Exceeding these numbers means losing muscle and fluid.
Protein, Fat and Carbohydrates when counting calories
Effective weight loss is not only maintaining daily calorie intake, but also proper distribution of proteins, fats and carbohydrates. A balanced diet according to the BJU ratio will look like this:
- For weight loss: 30-35% proteins, 30-35% fats, 30-40% carbohydrates;
- For weight maintenance: 25-35% protein, 25-35% fat, 40-50% carbohydrates;
- For weight gain: 35-40% protein, 15-25% fat, 40-60% carbohydrates.
With this distribution of BJU in the diet, the body receives a sufficient amount of nutrients and vitamins.
Remember that all formulas for calculating the daily calorie content may have errors. They do not take into account the rate of absorption of food, health status, metabolic rate and other factors. Even a diet compiled 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, strong body, you should listen to your feelings and, if necessary, change your diet and the ratio of KBJU.
Follow your diet, exercise and the results won't take long!