Calorie Intake to Lose Weight

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Calorie Intake to Lose Weight

So, you want to know how to calculate your calorie intake to lose weight? Well first I’d like to say a few things about calories- then at the end I’ll tell you how figure out your basal metabolic rate so you can decide how many calories you need to eat (or not to eat!) to lose weight. I personally hate counting calories and find it very tedious, so I just flat out never do it. I have done it, but don’t anymore, and love the freedom that raw food gives me from having to do that.

Okay so what is a calorie to begin with? A calorie is a unit of energy which is equal to 4.1855 joules- that’s the newest scientific definition, but it doesn’t really help the average person understand anything. The old definition is: the quantity of heat needed to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1* C. So this is a laboratory definition- scientific and sterile. And I do agree that we can use it with people, but not as strictly as it has or is being applied.

For example, you can eat more calories if you eat them in smaller meals spaced out throughout the day- FACT. Why? for a couple of reasons. One, it doesn’t allow your body to go into “starvation mode” thereby shutting down your metabolism (eating small meals often increase your metabolism). Two, you are giving your body time to use the energy you just ate without it going to fat. If your basal metabolic rate is about 100 calories an hour and you eat 300 calories every 3 hours, none of it will go to fat. But if you eat 500 calories and 3 hours later eat a candy bar worth 300 calories, at least 200 of those calories are going to turn into fat because you didn’t use them (unless you exercised).

Also, I’d like to mention that a calorie is not just a calorie in terms of nutrition. A calorie represents a small unit of the food you eat- will it GIVE your body the nourishment it needs or will it TAKE from what your body has in order to digest it? If it TAKES you will have cravings or a sense of hunger that will cause you to eat more food than you need. If it nourishes your body (and brain) you will be satisfied and not need to overeat.

See why tracking your calorie intake to lose weight can be ineffective? I’d much rather focus on getting the nutrition I need through what I’m eating and not count calories. Increase the nutrient density of your food, focus on nourishing your body and you won’t have to count calories.

Calculating Your Calorie Intake to Lose Weight

Okay, I promised to tell you how to calculate the calories you need to eat (or not eat) to lose weight. How tedious and frustrating, in my opinion! But okay- here goes:

First- what is Basal Metabolic Rate? It’s the energy used while resting in a temperate climate or environment- and also while the digestive system is at rest.

For Women:
Multiply your weight in pounds by 4.35
Multiply your height in inches by 4.7
Add those together plus 655
Multiply your age in years by 4.7 and
Subtract that from your total- that is your Basal Metabolic Rate.

For men:
multiply your weight in pounds by 6.23 and then
multiply your height in inches by 12.7
Add those 2 together plus 66.
Multiply your age in years by 6.8 and
Subtract that from your total- that is your Basal Metabolic Rate.

To determine your daily caloric needs you’ll need to factor in your activity level:
1. Almost no activity- multiply your BMR times 1.2
2. Light activity- some exercise 1-3 days/week: BMR x 1.375
3. Moderate activity- exercises 3-5 days/week: BMR x 1.55
4. Very active- exercises moderately to hard 6-7 days/week: BMR x 1.725
5. Extremely active- strenuous exercise 6-7 days/week: BMR x 1.9

Still want to count your calorie intake to lose weight? Have fun with that! Another reason I don’t like counting calories is since I’m a raw foodist everything I eat I make! I’d have to figure out the calorie content of each item in a recipe divided by the serving size! No thank you!