I know this will probably get out of hand and off topic before it’s over, but is there a calculation for an average amount of calories a person needs per day? (I’m guessing age, height and weight are used to calculate it as well as activity level.)
I’m trying to help someone lose weight and get off that damn Atkins crap and understand the consume less burn more concept, but she needs “numbers”.
http://www.marathonguide.com/FitnessCalcs/Caloricneeds.cfm
But I think I’d take it with a grain of salt, as I’m sure that actual caloric needs are highly individual.
i have my athletes use www.fitday.com
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how do people accurately calculate the calories they eat? I mean, do people who calorie count weigh everything they eat and then calculate it from that? Seems way OTT for me, but then again, I could do with losing some weight…
I don’t count each and every single calorie, but I know what amounts of X food contain Y calories, so I keep a running “educated guess” throughout the day. I’d bet I’m accurate within a hundred calories or so per day.
Once I started doing that, my body weight dropped like a rock and my performance improved markedly.
I believe caloric requirements are highly subjective, but I, as a 6’1" 185-190 pounder, need about 3500 per day. (But it’s also highly dependent upon the volume and intensity of the current phase of training. That number can fluctuate from 2500 to 5000. It just depends, and I go with what my body’s telling me about how many calories it needs.)
I second the above reference to www.fitday.com. It’s a good guide.
Find a gym or trainer who can administer a Body Gem test. You breathe into the thing for about 10 minutes and it calculates the avg daily caloric need. Seems pretty accurate, my sports med doc recommended it also.
24 Hour fitness offers it now, don’t know about other gyms
I am reading the new(er) Chris Carmichael book - Food for Fitness. He goes into this a lot. It’s a good read. He explains that it’s based on body weight and type of training.
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Tom, is that an everyday occurrence on the workbench at Bikesport, Michigan?
Mojo,
There is formula called the Harris-Benedict equation that can give you a decent estimate of daily energy expenditure. Here is a link that will give you a calculator.
http://medicine.uchc.edu/departments/facdev/nutrition/cal.htm
I agree with stltricoach that a RMR test is more accurate but they usually cost $75 to $100 and you still have to estimate the calories needed for activities of daily living and exercise.
hey MasterG
have her read the first Zone book! i know i know, “look a can of worms”
the Zone is not atkins, or south beach!!! it will work. i have been on the Zone for 7 years i use about 2200 calories a day a bit less in the off season. from 185/190lbs to 160/165lbs the first book is full of the science of food and the part that insulin plays in all of this. don’t poo poo it go read the book!
Dan…
The Zone, love it. Works great for me, but it’s not for everyone. In using the Newleaf Metabolic Tester in my new businesss venture(www.imfit.ca) I have found that not only is caloric needs a very personal thing(estimates can and usually are widely off), I’m also beginning to understand that a calorie isn’t just a calorie. It matters just as much what type of calories(fat, carb, protien) we put into our body. The best feature in my opinion of the NewLeaf system is it gives the client a picture of how their engine burns different fuels. It will tell you how efficiently you burn fat and carbohydrate. My GF for example burns fat as 52% of her calories at rest. She has a very efficient fat burning engine. What this translates into is any carbs she puts into her body do not get burned as efficiently and therefore are stored as fat. We’ve changed her diet to a more Atkins style but with a focus on heart healthy fat, and she is feeling better, more alert, no cravings, and the weight is starting to come down at a safe and sane level.
Ian
coach@imfit.ca
YUM!!! Don’t let that go to waste TOM!! 
Not to hijack this thread, but I have a question regarding these and other BMR tests. I had one done long ago, and it seemed pretty accurate. Others I know have taken them and they seem inordinately high?? Like 1000cal/day high?? Any thoughts, anyone?? Does the Big Cheese care to weigh in??
Seems like ‘field testing’ your BMR by counting calories during a period of rest may be the best way to go??
the picture of that cake made my day. man, i feel like hanging it up and getting to work on something like that. MAN!!
a piece of chocolate cake and a root beer…meow.
Do this, tell her that 3500 calories is roughly one pound. Thus, cut out 500 calories a day, and you will drop around one pound per week.
Unless you know the person’s basal metobolic rate, you can’t figure the amount of calories they burn in a day. it varies greatly. Body type, muscle mass, etc, all effect how much you burn in a day. Not to mention how often you eat, and what you eat, and if you drink caffeine.
Tell her the only numbers that matter are the ones on the scale. If you know you can help her lose weight, tell her to give you one month and to trust her. Then make the numbers drop on the scale.
