HOW TO: Calculate Your Daily Calorie Needs

I think this formula is pretty accurate, actually. Many of the ones I see online tell me that I need to eat 2600 calories a day to maintain, where this one has me eating roughly 2000. I know that if I go too much higher than 2000-2100 a day for too long, I do gain a little weight. Interesting and educational little tool :)

I agree with Spectra. I heard about this just before my wedding and tried it. I lost a couple of pounds for the few weeks I did it but it does require excersize to lose weight faster. What doesn't? I told a few of my friends what I was doing, they tried it, they too lost a few pounds. However, I understand you cannot go below 1000-1200 calories a day as that is dangerously low for you body.

The Mifflin formula or sometimes also known as the Mifflin-St Jeor Equation can be calculated manually.

The Medical Branch of the University of Texas states that the Mifflin–St. Jeor equation (3) for men and women are as follows:

Men

Energy expenditure = 5 + 10 x weight in kg + 6.25 x height in cm – 5 x age in years

Women

Energy expenditure = -161 + 10 x weight in kg + 6.25 x height in cm – 5 x age in years

You then need to multiply this by a figure determined by your activity level to get your required energy intake.

Not sure how reputable the following site is, but you can see more information on the mifflin formula on this page.

Thanks, this is helpful. I've been pretty careful about staying within a range of calories but this gives me a more definite number to work with.

Thanks Jenny for the extra info. I honestly feel that this formula is a bit closer to the mark than other calculators.

So now that I have this info. What do I do with it? How do I know how many calories I'm actually eating and what if I'm actually eating less than that?

:)

I got a diet to workout 5 to 4 times a week(30-45 minutes running and 45-60 minutes weights) I'm 5'4. According to the calculator I should eat around 2500Kcal per day, but I have a formula that works well for me and it is 60% of caloric intake from complex carbos, 30% caloric intake from animal protein and 10% from fat but when I cook at the most I use 1 olive oil tablespoon and sometimes less or none. As well from all my protein daily intake 1/3 should come from vegetable source. As well I take capsules of calcium, glutamine and amino acids.

You said it Leslie. I've never understood counting calories. How the hell are you supposed to count every calorie without bringing measuring spoons and a calculator everywhere? Even then, not all food has nutritional information, such as calories per serving. For example, freshly baked cookies. "Hmm, this looks about 80 calories. *chomp*"

I just don't get it!

Ben and Leslie,

That's right - it's hard to keep track of the calories that you're eating. If you need help in this area, try purchasing some diet software that count the calories for you. Some recipe software will also spit out the nutritional breakdown of your home cooked meals.

Look up the NutriGenie software which has just been updated to be compliant with the new 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. It's not flashy, but does the job. The software will also tell you a ball-park figure of how many calories you should be eating.

It does take a lot of time to count the calories and type your food intake in, I know. In fact, half the time now that I am just maintaining my weight, I don't count them.

The way I generally get away without counting calories, is to just make sure I eat healthily and exercise regularly.

Hope that this helps.

This tool seems on target for me. I find a big difference however depending on the glycemic index of my diet. I can eat 3000 - 3500 low glycemic cals and maintain - the same amount on a high carb diet will cause me to gain.

http://www.antiagingatlanta.com/lowglycemicdiet.htm

Stephanie: Re your comment, 'I understand you cannot go below 1000-1200 calories a day as that is dangerously low for your body.' This is true for some people. However, there are people who would gain weight eating that amount of food daily. (I had a client who ate less than 600 calories a day, yet she weighed over 200 pounds.) I did the calculation above and was given 1407 calories as a maintenance figure. I know for a fact that I would gain weight using that figure.

Leslie: To find out how many calories you eat daily, you would total the amount you eat in one week and divide by 7, with or without using the diet software Jenny mentioned.

Ben: I have a section in Post #4 of my site (http://enjoyablediet.blogsource.com) called 'How to Wean Yourself from the Calorie Counter' that you might find interesting.

It is a little bit under for me - maybe it is my constant fidgeting (I'm one of those "can't sit still" people). I calculated it at my current weight (I'm like 6-10lb over my elusive "ideal", my favorite weight) with 5x a week activity, not intense, and it said 1,816 maintenance. I lose at this weight by alternating between 1,700-2,100, and maintain at 2,300-2,400 (I haven't felt like counting, hence the inability to lose - and even with lots of vegetables, I'm hungry for all the 2,400 of the calories...)

I've been basing my meal plans using the results from 4 different formulas as guidelines. This formula gives a pretty good estimate. I got the calories I've been using within the fat loss range.

I coded a small application for daily calories using Harris-Benedict, Katch-McArdle, Quick Method and another one simply called Calories Per Day. The Mifflin formula looks like a good addition to it. Feel free to comment on the formulas I use.
(http://weightbattle.com/2006/02/daily-calorie-requirements-calculator/ if you're interested in checking out the app)

Thanks, this is awesome!

i just wonder how to calculate my weekly excercise amount in an accurate way...i'm at home all the time, so the only real excercise i get is walking to and from the supermarket 3-4 times a week (30 minutes each way) but i'm pretty much sedentary the rest of the time, so maybe it evens out to not much excercise...

this works very well. i did it for 1 month and lost 5 pounds. for excercise i did like nothing. about 20 squats and holding in sit ups and pushups for 30 seconds each. it worked very well.

The answer is personal experience. Start reading labels for everything. Re-read them. Read them every time you use them. Eventually, you'll know roughly what your ingesting. Listen to your body. This is not easy, as is nothing else in life worth your salt. Trust your instincts and intuition; you know what needs to be done. Now do it.

-The Man

iam stil trying to do more workouts. iam 5 11 140 and i think iam to skinny.

I'm an almost thirteen year old girl and im really concerned of my weight. I weigh 42 kilograms, and im 1,47 feet tall. How can I lose a lot of weight in a short period of time?
I know I'm probably young to think about dieting, and that I'm growing up, but I really need your advise and support. My mother won't help me because she thinks I look fine, and so I don't have her support. I have no one's support and I'm willing to lose weight by myself.

Please answer me asap because im giong insane! I need to lose weight and maintain it. My goal is to become 36 kilograms.

Please help me.

if it was so dangerous to eat less than 1,000 a day then why does the calculator tell me i need to eat 920-1120 to lose weight? cant be that bad. thats 5'5" and 115 pounds that i typed in. and the lower the weight goes, the less they tell me to eat - calculator shows as low as 800 something calories per day.

one more thing, i used to be over 200 pounds from pregnancies, and lost nearly 100 pounds in about 18 months by eating no more than 1000 cals a day. IT IS doable if you put your mind to it! but i have to add one of the most important changes i made (added) to my lifestyle was and still is 60 ounces of ice cold water daily and lots of cold or hot green tea. it works wonders to help "flush" away the fat that you have burned. rarely do i indulge in my old time favorite diet coke and i also drink 1-2 cups of coffee a day. (i used to drink a pot a day!) AND, i have maintained my loss for the last year so far (in addition to the 18 months it took to lose it).

but then again, i may be different than the average overweight person. i was never an emotional eater, nor was i EVER overweight my entire life before my pregnancies. my problem is not maintaining (thats the easy part!) it was letting myself become obese in the first place. i treated being pregnant as a "free for all" and ate without thinking about having to lose it later. but i believe my high caloric intake contributed to the healthy birt weights of my 3 children (9 lbs, and twins 5lbs each) and thats what was important to me at the time. okay enough rambling lol, good luck everybody!

Why would (or should) someone lose weight at 5' 5" and 115 pounds? This is right at the very bottom end of the healthy weight range (according to BMI) - and very close to underweight.

Hi! I'm 5'9, 146 lbs and looking to lose 16. The calorie calculator says that with exercise 3 times per week, I should be eating 1200-1600/day. I've kept a record for some time of my calories, and for the past month have averaged about 1450/day. I've been working out 3x week, cardio and weights for three weeks now. After 2 weeks, I'd dropped about half an inch, and in the three weeks I've lost 3 pounds. The past week I have maintained my weight... but I feel I shouldn't have hit a plateau already! Perhaps this is muscle weight I'm building? That's fine with me. Has anyone had a similar experience? That would sure cheer me up, I feel a little unmotivated now. :(

Thanks!!

Emma, your experience is common - very common. Have a look at this post. Don't give up. Vary your workouts as much as possible - and look at zig-zagging you calorie intake: i.e. eat 1200 cals one day and 1500 the next.

This formula makes too many assumptions. For example, I am a male, 5'9", and 220 pounds. However, I'm 14% body fat, so my lean mass is nearly 190 pounds. The calculator predicts that I need 2926 calories per day to maintain my weight. However, I'm losing weight on almost 3500 calories a day. The only formula worth anything is the Katch-McArdle formula, as it takes body fat percentage into account.

Get a set of calipers and estimate your body fat percentage every week or two. Never, ever use the BMI scale. If you suddenly stripped all the fat off me, I'd still be nearly obese by the BMI scale. People who are "normal weight" by the BMI scale can still be overfat, perhaps even obese.

If your body fat percentage is in a healthy range, then you do not need to lose weight.

I have a question. I am 133 pounds, 5 feet and 2 inches and am trying to lose weigt. I am 21 years old, and need help on a good diet plan. Actually the day i have posted this comment, i have started a diet where i would eat a piece of fruit with a cup of skim milk in the morning, eat a salad with steamed chicken, and have a tablespoon of cottage chesse at night. I was wondering if anybody can help me with a diet plan that i could lose the pounds and come to weighing 115 pounds quickly

Sneaker12: By "quickly", I hope you mean no sooner than 18 weeks. That's how long it'll take you to actually lose 18 pounds of fat, and not water or muscle.

I have been dieting for 6 weeks. I count calories but eat whatever I want within my calorie cap. I also do the treadmill 4 days a week for an hour. I lost 5 lbs. and 1-1/2 inches off my waist. This works. I don't feel deprived. I just have to write down what I eat to keep myself in check. I suppose if I step it up a notch I could lose weight a little faster. I want to lose 20 more...I'll keep you all posted....

I find this formulate pretty accurate for me. I got a bit lax during an extended unemployment stint and was horrified when I noticed myself hitting 185 on a 5'8" frame so I got busy researching and watching what I took in. Some of what i've noticed. Soda is death, drop it out of your diet and get some water or tea if you need a caffine hit. Fast food is death, a shake alone will destroy your calorie intake goals. It is DIFFICULT and you will not get quick results. Losing around 1lb week average seems to be the reasonable goal based on personal and anecdotal evidence. Be aware 1lb of fat is equal to around 3500 calories, you'll need to undercut your daily intake by enough to add up to that number to lose 1lb. Also as you get closer to your target weight it becomes more difficult to lose since your daily calories burned drops as your mass does. Be aware of what you eat and space your meals out, i've found a steady flow of small amounts of calories works best for me. I've currently dropped down to 170 after about 16 weeks of working on this and it feels good to need a belt!

Putting in my data (18 years old, male, 146lbs, 5 foot 9 and daily exercise) gave a maintenance figure of 2741. The suggested fat loss range was 1645-2193. I found these results to be very much on the low side. Most other calculators online said my need was 2900-3000, a few going as low as 1898, others up to 3600. The only calculator I have found to give anything close to personal experience is the Children's Energy Needs Calculator. For male, 18 years, 5 months, 5 foot 9, 146lbs, active at least 1 hour/day, this has me eating 3195, which is more realistic. 1645 would be a loss of 3 pounds/week, which has got to be dangerous. Even if 2741 was maintenance, 1645 is a loss of more than 2lbs/week, which isn't good either. If 3195 is maintenance, then 2695 is fat loss. If 2741 is maintenance, 2241 is suitable for fat loss. Also the other issue is that a 5 foot 9, 146lb person shouldn't be considering weight loss, especially an 18 year old male who is still growing. I have filtered this page, so my younger brothers don't find it.

Hi, im 23 and I have pretty much 0% bodyfat but i feel underwieght,.. Im unsure in pounds but i weigh around 9-10 yet I have fairly toned muscles. It really irratates me becuase i try to eat as many calories as i can but with a lacking appetite sometimes let it down. I also went on holiday last year and put on a good amount of wieght but soon lost it when i came back. any ideas people on quick easy ways to gain wieght? Ive been told to eat lots of Subway sandwhiches?? may seem crazy but aparently they have up to 1600 calories in there 12 inch sandwhiches. Anyway to sum up, i must burn fat off instantly and i feel underweight. thanks guys and advice welcome

Ryan, you don't have "0% bodyfat" for starters or you'd be dead.

You should try weight training, if you want to put on weight. That will help you put on muscle. Eating tons of fast food is not a good idea.

Dear Ben and Leslie:

While counting calories may not seem to be very practical as it requires much discipline and time, I can't see any other way of getting to meaningful weight loss. For me at least, this has been the best thing I have ever done as it forces me to consider the nutritional value of what I'm eating as well as the impact on my calorie budget. If I eat out I only stick to restaurants that make the nutritional value of their servings known. I understand this may not be for everyone, but so far I'm down twelve pounds and I'm loving it.

i dont understand how this works, since the formula doesn't even involve you calorie intake...

Leslie said:
So now that I have this info. What do I do with it? How do I know how many calories I'm actually eating and what if I'm actually eating less than that?[...]

hey,
alot of you are talking about being so strict with calories. i had an eating disorder for a while and all i can say is that being a tight ass will only make you want to rebel later. enjoy the things you like, the key is "MODERATION". eat 5 meals a day spaced about 3 hrs apart to keep your metabolism working. i try to stay around 300 b.fast, 150 snack, 300 lunch, 150 snack, 500-600 dinner. if you get into a habbit and don't have to think about it you'll find the weight falls off without too much work. try to remember if you lose weight too quickly it won't stay off. i know its frustrating but after i got over my eating disorder my body was in starvation mode and stored all the energy i consumed, leaving me bigger than i started. talk about a waste of time!! lol

good luck guys and take it easy, remember this isn't shouldn't be the most important thing in your life, the more you think about food the more you eat.

xx Josie

I really like the calorie intake calculator, it is reallistic. I lost weight when I was 18 years old 5'5 and almost 200 lbs. I did it myself simply geting pissed off with myself and cutting my calories down to 1200 calories a day. I did this over the holiday season so while everyone was gaining I was losing. I made sure I always had something healthy I could pick at on my plate so no one would notice I was dieting. Unfortunatly some people can sabotage your diet plans either intentionally or unintentionally. It took self hypnosis, to change the way I thought about food so I wouldn't go back to my old habits afterwards.

Sara said:
I'm an almost thirteen year old girl and im really concerned of my weight. I weigh 42 kilograms, and im 1,47 feet tall. How can I lose a lot of weight in a short period of time?
I know I'm probably young to think about dieting, and that I'm growing up, but I really need your advise and support. My mother won't help me because she thinks I look [...]

Sara said:
I'm an almost thirteen year old girl and im really concerned of my weight. I weigh 42 kilograms, and im 1,47 feet tall. How can I lose a lot of weight in a short period of time?
I know I'm probably young to think about dieting, and that I'm growing up, but I really need your advise and support. My mother won't help me because she thinks I look [...]

I'm 5ft even and tend to weigh 112-115lbs depending on how much I've eaten that day and the time of month. I'm on the upper end of the healthy range but I have 23in waist, so I don't need anything drastic.

I am trying to exercise 3 times per week but I only seem to make it to 2 a lot of the time.

That said, I may be hypoglycemic. I've never been diagnosed (just started a new job, no insurance for a while) but I fit most of the criteria (I'm hungry every 2-3 hrs, if I don't eat I get dizzy and really cranky, etc). I eat between 1200-1600 calories any given day. Probably more. It deosn't seem to matter how big a meal is, I'm hungry a few hours later. But I can't be satisfied with really small snacks either.

What can I do with exercise and counting calories to maintain around 110? I was 105 before I started college and that was too skinny, but 110 was perfect.

Any advice?

P.S. The easier a diet plan is, the better...

Melissa!
I would encourage you to take a one hour walk most days. In the AM if possible.

Melissa, if your waist is still the same size, 115lb may be perfect now, even if 110lb was perfect then. And you are not at the high end of the HWR. I'm 5'1-ish almost 5'2" and the end of the HWR is 132lb for me, so it is not 115lb for you at just 1 1/2" less.