How to figure out how many calories you need to lose weight

The basic rule for losing 1 pound per week is to reduce your calorie intake by 500 calories from your standard caloric needs based on factors such as gender, height and activity level.  See, WebMD .

You can find many calculators that will help you do this.  You can also figure this out yourself using a simple equation.

If you want to lose weight:

STEP 1

Multiply you current weight by 11 to calculate your baseline calories.

STEP 2

Add 400 to your baseline calories determine your daily caloric needs.

STEP 3

Subtract 750 from your caloric needs – this equals your calorie target.

If you want to maintain weight:

Multiply your body weight by 11 and add 400 calories.

If you want to gain weight:

Multiply your body weight by 11 and add 900 calories.

Easy, right?

Let’s do a couple of examples…

A woman who weighs 190 pounds and wants to lose weight, would have a calorie goal of 1,740 as follows:

190 x 11 = 2,090 > 2,090 + 400 = 2,490 > 2,490 – 750 = 1,740

A man who weighs 175 pounds and wants to maintain weight, would have a calorie goal of 2,325 as follows:

175 x 11 = 1,925 > 1,925 + 400 = 2,325

But wait! That’s not all. When you’re committing to a Beachbody program, they all include a nutrition plan and each plan might have a slightly different way of calculating this, so you will want to check that out.

Having spent many many years tracking calories, thinking about calories, learning about calories, cursing calories, I finally realized that eating proper portions of the right kinds of food and being active everyday is really all I need to do. But, alas, I am a calorie counter by nature.

As always, check with your physician before starting any new fitness or nutrition plan. What works for me might not work for you!