What is a Calorie and how many calories do you need a day?
There are scientific definitions of a calorie but for this discussion purpose, let’s make it simpler. A calorie is the unit measure of energy our body uses for vital processes. You continuously burn calories even while sleeping, although the rate at which calories burn falls while sleeping. This rate depends on the energy requirements of the body and so, it varies from person to person at different stages of life. We are going to calculate how many calories you need approximately.
Calories is the measure of food energy
When we relate calories to food, calories simply means the amount of energy the food provides to your body to fuel metabolic processes. If you consume more energy/calories than required, your body stores the excess calories in the form of fats. When you burn more calories than you consumed, your body utilizes these stored calories in the form of fats to make up the deficit.
Maintaining the current weight
The best way to find out the number of calories you need is based up on the metabolic rate. Calculating calorie requirement is complex and involves multiple steps but here is the easiest way to find it out.
1. Sedentary people: weight x 14 = estimated calories/day
2. Moderately active people: weight x 17 = estimated calories/day
3. Active people: weight x 20 = estimated calories/day
20% – 50% of your body’s energy requirement is estimated by activity level. Remaining 50% - 80% of the energy requirements is for your body vital processes like breathing, digestion, blood circulation, cell processes, etc.
Remember that the number you just calculated now is just an estimation. The actual number may be less or more. This calculated number is to maintain your current weight and it has nothing to do with weight gain or weight loss.
Note that a moderately active person is someone who takes 3-4 aerobic sessions a week while an active person is someone who takes 5-7 aerobic sessions.
For Weight Loss
To lose 1 pound/week: Your estimated calories/day – 500 = Estimated calories to consume/day
This is to lose weight through your diet. This will achieve you slow, healthy and moderate weight loss. You can reduce 250 calories from your diet instead of 500 and engage in physical activities to lose 250 calories. The easiest way to cut off calories from diet is to consume slightly smaller serving sizes.