If after a week of accurate calorie counting, physical activity and sleep patterns, no positive dynamics are observed in the form of visual recomposition of the body and reflection in the mirror, it is recommended to undergo an examination and consult.
Carbohydrate breakdown:
Breakfast (short starch) - unleavened bread, potatoes, sweet potatoes, pita bread, bread, sugar-free and unleavened baked goods.
Lunch (long starch) - rice, lentils, beans, buckwheat, chickpeas, quinoa, bulgur, cereal).
Dinner (vegetables) + You MUST allow yourself 200-300 kcal (fruits, natural chocolate, unleavened baked goods) no later than 2 hours before bedtime.
If you have less than 100 grams of carbs in your calorie count, it means you have a high 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, avocados, lemons.
ON TRAINING DAYS Add an additional 100 grams of carbohydrates 120 minutes before training from short starchy carbohydrates (yams, potatoes, unleavened bread, pita bread, bread, sugar-free and unleavened baked goods).
ADD IN THE CALORIES.
For example: you need to eat 150 grams of carbohydrates per day, 100 of them should be eaten before training, and the rest should be distributed throughout the day.
During training, drink pure water without any BCAAs and amino acids (due to unnecessary insulin spikes during training).
Add 5-7 grams of salt per day (table or iodized)
REDUCE the number of exercises, preferably AVOID: coffee, tea, tobacco, alcohol.
Buy a kitchen scale. Weigh grains, vegetables, and other foods raw. Meat, fish, poultry are ready.
Choose polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats (omega 3, vegetable oils, nuts, avocados, seeds).
Carbohydrate ratio, 30% fructose (fruit, natural chocolate), 70% starch (rice, buckwheat, potatoes, gluten-free flour, sugar-free and yeast-free baked goods)
It is recommended to give preference to foods that give an alkaline reaction in the diet, to remove foods that cause an oxidation reaction: poultry, red meat, gluten, sugar, seafood, or to reduce it to 1 meal a day. Farm eggs and dairy products are allowed. Food with an acidity of 6. 0 - 10. 0 PH. A more detailed table is in the link.
Livestock products are allowed to be consumed either freshly killed or vacuum packed. Avoid chilled and frozen animal products.
It is a MUST to have a product that gives you psychological pleasure, within the calorie and macro content (BZHU).
If your daily intake cannot be achieved with the "RIGHT" foods, we will enter the maximum calorie content within a macro (BZHU).
The number of meals is not important, eat according to your taste (divide your "food basket" into several meals that are convenient for you).
In this macro (BZHU) it is possible to change the components of the diet at will.
- B12-, iron deficiency anemia, weakness, increased fatigue, hematopoietic disorders (paleness and yellowing of the skin and mucous membranes, rapid heart rate, heart pain, exercise intolerance, dizziness and frequent fainting, enlarged spleen), digestiondisorders of the digestive system (indigestion, unstable stools, loss of appetite, weight loss, changes in the color and shape of the tongue, taste disturbances, frequent mouth infections, abdominal pain after eating), disorders of the nervous system (sensitivity disorders, paresthesia, ataxia, decreased muscle strength), urinary disorders, mental disorders).
- 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 memory and intelligence), growth retardation in children. and intellectual development.
- Metabolic syndrome (insulin resistance). Abdominal weight gain, metabolic disorders, insulin resistance. Subjective feelings: mood disorders in the state of hunger, increased fatigue, selectivity in food, rapid heart rate, heart pain, 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 his physical characteristics and lifestyle.
Where do I start?
Before you can calculate 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 used every day to keep the body functioning: breathing, heartbeat, digesting food, etc. b. Scientists have found that:
- Men burn more calories than women.
- As a person ages, he spends less energy.
- Adolescence, pregnancy and illness require more calories.
- Physical activity increases the rate of calorie consumption.
In addition, there are individual characteristics of the organism, fixed genetics, which determine the rate of calorie consumption. However, on average, you can calculate how many calories you need to consume per day not just to gain weight, but also to lose weight.
For example, you can use the formula of scientists Mifflin and St. George. It was introduced in 2005 and has been shown to be more effective than the Harris-Benedict variant. To calculate you need:
- Weight increased by 10.
- Height increased by 6, 25.
- Age increased by 5.
After that, 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 or work in the office for several days.
- 1. 375 - you remember that you need to do sports 3 times a week.
- 1. 55 is an active athlete who trains 5 times a week.
- 1. 725 – you exercise actively every day.
- 1. 9 is a fanatical athlete, and during breaks you work as a loader.
In other words, the calculation for a 35-year-old female accountant with a weight of 85 kg and a height of 180 cm (no time for sports due to work):
((85x10) + (180x6, 25) - (35x5) - 161) x 1, 2 = 1966, 8 calories.
This energy will be enough for him to live and work peacefully without gaining weight. But to lose weight, you need to calculate how many calories you need.
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 suddenly reduce the amount of food you eat. The body does not like it. Instead, pull out the calculator and calculate how many calories you need to eat to lose weight. For this, it is necessary to subtract 15-20% from the previous result. In other words, to prepare for our accountant's position:
1966, 8-20%=1573, 44 calories.
If he has the idea of being better, he should do the opposite. But it does not end there. There are a few other conditions to consider:
- The number of required calories should not be below 1200. Otherwise, the body will not have enough energy to live, and various types of chronic diseases may appear.
- To lose weight, it is impossible to calculate how many calories you need per day, eat in the morning and go hungry all day. They want to divide the food into 5-6 times. Thus, the stomach and intestines are constantly busy with work, the feeling of hunger interferes less, and the diet is generally more pleasant.
- It is necessary to control not only calories, but also nutrients. Food should be varied to avoid vitamin deficiency and other health problems.
- We must not forget about water. Drinking a lot of fluids accelerates the metabolic processes in the body and removes toxins. It helps to lose weight quickly.
Therefore, some nutritionists advise not to focus too much on the number of calories consumed. They believe that it is more important to control the ratio of nutrients in the diet. And if the right balance is maintained, a person will lose weight quickly regardless of the number of calories consumed.
By the way, there is another way to lose weight without dieting. If we take our accountant daughter and sign her up for 5 classes at the fitness club, she won't need 1, 966. 8 calories, but:
((85x10) + (180x6. 25) - (35x5) -161) x 1. 55 = 2540. 45 calories.
In other words, it will be necessary to even improve the diet a little and start eating more caloric foods. At the same time, he still loses weight very quickly.
Why can't you cut back on your diet too much?
If you start to calculate how many calories you need to consume to lose weight, then it may seem that if you reduce the amount of energy several times, or even to zero, the problem can be solved. But the human body is not like that. Fasting once a week creates positive stress and actually accelerates weight loss. Less positive changes occur with prolonged fasting:
- hair loss, skin condition worsens;
- the person is irritable and easily depressed;
- the functioning of digestive organs and kidneys is disturbed;
- The ability to concentrate and think coherently decreases.
At the same time, the body enters "energy saving mode". Metabolic processes slow down and weight loss is slower than steel. But after fasting, weight is quickly gained.
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 suddenly try to lose 5-10-15 kg by cutting calories. Natural weight changes should be approximately 1-1, 5 kg per week. This is the most comfortable weight loss rate for the average person, which is what we should strive for.
How to calculate your 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 for determining the daily calorie intake 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?
Calculating your daily caloric intake begins with calculating your basal metabolic rate (BMR) - the amount of energy needed to support the body's necessary processes. Even at rest, the human body constantly consumes calories for breathing, digestion, blood circulation and other physiological processes. Daily caloric intake must be higher than BMR, otherwise the body cannot function normally.
Basal metabolic rate 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 by him is measured, and then the PBM is calculated. This research method is the most accurate, but at the same time unavailable.
The indirect method involves calculating the basal metabolic rate using a special formula. Today, there are several basic methods of calculation. Let's list their main ones.
Calculating calories using the Harrison-Benedict formula
The formula was developed at the beginning of the last century by the American physiologist Francis Gano Benedict and botanist James Arthur Harris, but still remains relevant. There is about a 5% margin of error.
The PBM calculation formula is as follows:
- For women: 655, 1 + (9, 563 × weight in kg) + (1, 85 × height in cm) - (4, 676 × age);
- For men: 66, 5 + (13, 75 × weight in kg) + (5, 003 × height in cm) - (6, 775 × age in years).
The resulting result is the daily calorie requirement for the body to function normally. To calculate how many calories you need to maintain weight, you need to multiply the obtained figure by the physical activity coefficient:
- 1. 2 – minimal (sedentary work, lack of physical activity);
- 1. 375 - low (exercise 1-3 times a week for at least 20 minutes);
- 1. 55 - moderate (30-60 minutes of training 3-4 times a week);
- 1, 7 – high (training 5-7 times a week for 30-60 minutes; hard physical work);
- 1. 9 – extreme (several intense workouts a day 6-7 times a week; very labor-intensive work).
Calculate calories using the Mifflin-San Geor formula
The method of calculating daily calorie consumption was developed under the guidance of nutritionists Mifflin and San Giorgio. The formula was developed relatively recently, but is the most accurate today. It helps to calculate the required amount of calories for a person between 13 and 80 years of age.
Simplified version (excluding 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 method of calculation is based on the amount of fat tissue in the body (we wrote about how to measure it in the 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.
PBM calculation formula: 370 + 21. 6 x X (body weight excluding body fat)
The obtained result should be multiplied by the activity coefficient using the Harrison-Benedict method.
World Health Organization (WHO) formula
The World Health Organization provides recommendations on how to calculate daily calorie intake:
- For women between 18 and 30 years old (0, 062 x weight kg + 2, 036) x 240 x CFA;
- For women from 31 to 60 years old (0, 034 x weight kg + 3, 538) x 240 x CFA;
- For women over 60 years old (0, 038 x weight kg + 2, 755) × 240 x CFA;
- For men from 18 to 30 years old (0, 063 x body weight kg + 2, 896) x 240 x CFA;
- For men from 31 to 60 years old (0, 484 x kg of body weight + 3, 653) x 240 x CFA;
- For men over 60 years old (0, 491 x kg of body weight + 2, 459) x 240 x CFA.
Here, the coefficient of CFA physical activity: 1 - low, 1. 3 - moderate, 1. 5 - high.
Daily calorie calculator
You can also calculate your average daily calorie intake using an online calculator.
How to properly reduce daily calories to lose weight?
For harmonious and safe weight loss, it is recommended to reduce the caloric content of the diet by 10-15% (for severe obesity by 20%) taking into account physical activity. The daily calorie content should not be lower than the following figure:
Weight kg/0, 45 x 8
The WHO recommends reducing food intake by 500 kcal per month from the actual diet until the caloric intake is below 300-500 kcal per day.
Reducing daily intake by 500 kcal per day will result in a loss of approximately 500 grams of fat mass per week. After six months of such weight loss or after reaching the ideal weight, it is recommended to recalculate daily calories, taking into account the new indicators.
You don't need to reduce your calorie intake as much as possible to lose weight more effectively. Losing 250-500 grams per week is considered physiological and safe for health. Exceeding these numbers means losing muscle and fluid.
Proteins, fats and carbohydrates in calorie counting
Effective weight loss is not only maintaining the daily caloric intake, but also the correct distribution of proteins, fats and carbohydrates. A balanced diet according to the ratio of BJU is as follows:
- for weight loss: 30-35% proteins, 30-35% fats, 30-40% carbohydrates;
- To maintain weight: 25-35% proteins, 25-35% fats, 40-50% carbohydrates;
- For weight gain: 35-40% proteins, 15-25% fats, 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 daily calories are subject to error. They do not take into account the percentage of food absorption, health status, metabolic rate and other factors. Even a diet created by a specialist may not work at a certain time due to 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 KBJU ratio.
Watch your diet, exercise and the result won't take long!