If within a week after accurate calorie counting and strict adherence to physical activity and sleep patterns, you do not experience positive dynamics in the form of visual body recomposition and reflection in the mirror, then it is recommended to take a test and seek advice.
Distribution of carbohydrates:
Breakfast (short starch) - unleavened bread, potatoes, sweet potatoes, pita bread, flat bread, baked goods without sugar and yeast.
Lunch (long starchy ones) - rice, lentils, beans, buckwheat, chickpeas, quinoa, bulgur, whole grains).
Evening (vegetables) + YOU MUST allow yourself your favorite product for 200-300 kcal (fruit, natural chocolate, yeast-free bakery) within the caloric content and BZHU no later than 2 hours before bedtime.
If you have less than 100 grams of carbohydrates in your calorie calculations, then this indicates that you have an increased 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, cucumber, 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 (yame, potatoes, unleavened bread, pita bread, baked bread, unsweetened baked goods and yeast).
ADD IN THE CALORIES.
For example: you should eat 150 grams of carbohydrates per day, namely, consume 100 of them before training and spread the rest throughout the day.
DURING TRAINING, drink EXCLUSIVELY plain water without BCAAs and various amino acids (due to insulin spikes not needed during training).
Add 5-7 grams of salt per day (table or iodized)
Reduce and ideally ELIMINATE the number of simulators: coffee, tea, tobacco, alcohol.
Buy a kitchen scale. Weigh grains, vegetables and other foods in their raw form. Meat, fish, poultry ready.
Give preference to unsaturated and mono-saturated fats (omega 3, vegetable oils, nuts, avocados, seeds).
Carbohydrate ratio, 30% fructose (fruit, natural chocolate), 70% starch (rice, buckwheat, potato, gluten-free flour, sugar-free and yeast-free baked goods)
In nutrition, it is recommended to give preference to foods that give an alkaline reaction, to remove or reduce to 1 meal a day the foods that give an oxidative reaction: poultry, red meat, gluten, sugar, seafood. Free-range eggs and free-range dairy products are allowed. Food with acidity 6. 0 - 10. 0 PH. More detailed table in the link.
Livestock products either freshly killed or in vacuum packaging are allowed for consumption. Avoid refrigerated and frozen animal products.
The presence of a product that gives you psychological satisfaction is mandatory, within the caloric and macro content (BZHU).
If it is impossible to reach your daily calorie intake with the "CORRECT" foods, we include the maximum calorie content within the macro (BZHU).
The number of meals is not important; eat strictly according to your appetite (distribute your "food basket" into a number of meals convenient for you).
It is possible to change the ingredients of the diet depending on your preferences within the macro (BZHU).
- B12-, iron-deficiency anemia, weakness, increased fatigue, impaired hematopoiesis (paleness and yellowing of the skin and mucous membranes, rapid heartbeat, heart pain, exercise intolerance, frequent dizziness and fainting, enlarged spleen), damage to the digestive system (indigestion, unstable stools, loss of appetite, weight loss, change in 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, impaired urination, mental disorder).
- Hypothyroidism. Decreased physical and mental performance, increased fatigue, skin changes (myxedema), increased sensitivity to cold, hoarseness, weight gain, swelling of the face and body, constipation, hypotension and bradycardia, drowsiness, decreased memoryand intelligence), growth delay in children and intellectual development.
- Metabolic syndrome (insulin resistance). Weight gain in the abdominal area, metabolic disorders, insulin resistance. Subjective sensations: attacks of bad mood in a hungry state, increased fatigue, selectivity in food, attacks of rapid heartbeat, 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 to start?
Before calculating how many calories you need to eat to lose weight, you must first determine your daily intake. Basically, calories are energy. Most of it is spent every day to maintain the functioning of the body: breathing, heartbeat, digestion of food, etc. Scientists have discovered that:
- Men burn more calories than women.
- The older a person gets, the less energy they use.
- 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, determined by genetics, which determine the rate of calorie consumption. However, on average, you can simply calculate how many calories you need to consume per day so that you not only do not gain weight, but also lose weight.
For example, you can use the formula of scientists Mifflin and San Geor. It was introduced in 2005 and has proven 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 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 remember that you should do sports.
- 1. 55 – an active athlete who trains 5 times a week.
- 1, 725 – actively train every day.
- 1. 9 is a fanatical athlete, and during the holidays you work as a porter.
That is, for a 35-year-old accountant weighing 85 kg and 180 cm tall, the calculation will look like this (due to work, there is no time 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 gaining weight. But to lose weight, you need to calculate how many calories you need to consume.
How to lose weight by counting calories?
The golden rule of weight loss is to burn more calories than you consume. But you can't suddenly reduce the amount of food you eat. The body does not like this. 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 female accountant, to prepare for the summer, must absorb:
1966. 8-20%=1573. 44 calories.
If she has the idea to improve, 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 to live and chronic diseases of various types may develop.
- You can't calculate how many calories you need per day to lose weight, eat them in the morning and walk hungry all day. The desire to divide meals into 5-6 times. In this way, the stomach and intestines will be constantly busy, the feeling of hunger will interfere less and the diet as a whole 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. This is a great help for quick weight loss.
Therefore, 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 a proper 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 female accountant and give her a subscription to classes 5 times in a fitness club, it turns out that she will no longer need 1966. 8 calories, but:
((85x10) + (180x6. 25) - (35x5) -161) x 1. 55 = 2540. 45 calories.
That is, it turns out that she will even have to improve her diet a little and start eating more caloric 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 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 fast day once a week will create positive stress and can actually accelerate weight loss. With prolonged fasting, less positive changes already occur:
- hair falls and skin condition worsens;
- the person becomes nervous and easily depressed;
- the functioning of the digestive organs and kidneys is interrupted;
- concentration and ability to think coherently decreases.
At the same time, the body enters "energy saving mode". Metabolic processes slow down and weight loss occurs more slowly than it should. And after breaking the fast, weight gain happens quickly.
It is better to keep track of how many calories you need to eat to lose weight and do not rush into 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 strive for.
How to calculate daily calorie intake
Any diet, regardless of the goal, begins with the calculation of the daily intake of calories, proteins, fats and carbohydrates. In this article we will talk about the most accurate methods for determining the daily intake of calories for men and women.
Calorie content is calculated depending on the goal (weight loss, maintenance, weight gain), gender, age, physical activity and other factors.
What is basal metabolism?
Calculation of daily calorie intake begins with the calculation of the basal metabolic rate (BMR) - the amount of energy required by the body to support vital processes. The human body, even when it is at rest, constantly spends calories for breathing, digestion, blood circulation and other physiological processes. Daily calorie intake must be higher than BMR, otherwise the body will not be able to function normally.
The level of basal metabolism can be determined by two methods: direct and indirect.
In the first case, a person is placed in a special room, 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 basal metabolism using a special formula. Today there are several main methods of calculation. Let's list the main ones.
Harrison-Benedict formula calorie calculation
The formula was developed by 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 obtained result is the daily intake of calories that the body needs for normal functioning. To calculate how many kcal you need to consume to maintain weight, you need to multiply the resulting number by the coefficient of physical activity:
- 1. 2 – minimal (sedentary work, lack of physical activity);
- 1. 375 – low (training for 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 workouts a day 6-7 times a week; very intense work).
Calculating calories using the Mifflin-San George formula
The method for calculating daily calorie 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 (regardless of physical activity)
- 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 calculation method 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 on 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 excluding body fat)
The result obtained must be multiplied by the activity coefficient using the Harrison-Benedict method.
World Health Organization (WHO) formula.
The World Health Organization offers recommendations on how to calculate your daily calorie intake:
- For women from 18 to 30 years old (0, 062 x weight in kg + 2, 036) x 240 x CFA;
- For women from 31 to 60 years old (0, 034 x weight in kg + 3, 538) x 240 x CFA;
- For women over 60 years old (0, 038 x weight in kg + 2, 755) × 240 x CFA;
- For men from 18 to 30 years old (0. 063 x body weight in kg + 2. 896) x 240 x CFA;
- For men from 31 to 60 years old (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% for severe obesity). The daily calorie content should not be lower than the following indicator:
Weight in kg/0. 45 x 8
The WHO recommends reducing food intake by 500 kcal per month from the current diet until the calorie content is 300-500 kcal below the daily requirement.
Reducing daily intake by 500 kcal per day leads to the loss of about 500 grams of fat mass per week. After six months of such weight loss or after you have reached your ideal weight, it is recommended to recalculate your daily calorie intake taking into account new indicators.
You don't have to cut your calorie intake as much as possible to lose weight most effectively. A loss of 250-500 grams per week is considered physiological and safe for health. Exceeding these numbers means muscle and fluid loss.
Proteins, fats and carbohydrates while counting calories
Effective weight loss is not only about maintaining your daily caloric intake, but also about the proper distribution of protein, fat, and carbohydrates. A balanced diet according to the BJU report would look like this:
- For weight loss: 30-35% protein, 30-35% fat, 30-40% carbohydrates;
- To maintain weight: 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 sufficient amounts of nutrients and vitamins.
Remember that all formulas for calculating the daily calorie content can have errors. They do not take into account the percentage of food absorption, 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.
Watch your diet, exercise and the results won't take long to come!