An adult needs kcal per day. Number of calories per day for weight loss for women and men

More than half of the population of our planet faces the problem of excess weight. But not everyone knows that the main cause of obesity is the daily consumption of high-calorie foods. But let’s try to figure out how many calories you need to consume per day to lose weight.

What are calories and how to deal with them?

Food consumed during the day has an individual energy level. The state of the body, mental activity and the ability to withstand increased overload depend on the competent selection of food and its energy value.

Many girls often complain that they eat in moderation, but the weight still increases. In this case, you should pay attention not to the quantity of foods eaten, but to their quality.

If you eat a small portion of fatty pork at lunch, the number of calories your body receives will exceed the required level of nutritional value for weight loss. But if you replace pork with poultry or fish, then the energy indicators of such a dish are much lower, and the body will be satiated just as quickly.

Therefore, scientists have developed a method for calculating the energy value of various products, thanks to which it is easy to calculate the amount of food needed for daily consumption in order to get rid of savings.

How to correctly calculate your daily calorie intake?

The human body consumes energy obtained from food around the clock. And even in a state of sleep or rest, it spends this energy to control processes in the body and regulate its vital functions.

Daily food energy levels are recommended for each person and are calculated based on the following factors:

1. Age at time of weight loss.
2. Weight indicators.
3. Daytime loads.
4. What is the profession related to?
5. General health.
6. Gender. For men and women, different indicators of energy indices obtained from food are recommended for full life and functioning of the body.
7. The number of kilograms you need to lose.

When calculating how many calories a person should consume per day to lose weight, it is recommended to use a special calculator, fitness bracelet or application that is installed on the phone. But for better and faster weight loss results, it is better to contact a nutritionist or fitness trainer.

In order to not harm the body when calculating the daily nutritional value of products, it is necessary to take into account its features:

1. When calculating energy indicators of nutrition, it is recommended to do the main load in the first half of the day, when the body is more active.
2. For each meal, approximately the same number of calories is calculated, gradually reducing the energy value of the food for dinner.
3. When compiling your daily diet, do not hesitate to use special tables that indicate the nutritional value of different foods.
4. For the body to function properly, your daily diet should include variety in the following foods: meat, grains, vegetables, dairy products and fruits.

We must not forget about the characteristics of each organism, the presence of chronic ailments and its general condition.

How many calories does a person need per day to lose weight?

Any action or effort performed is accompanied by the expenditure of accumulated energy, which in essence is calories. How many calories you need to consume to lose weight depends on the effort and physical fitness of the person losing weight.

The younger, growing generation will require much more daily energy than older people. Therefore, the amount of energy indicators in food consumed by young people should be greater. There is also a significant difference in energy unit consumption between men and women.

Initially, you need to find out what caloric values ​​are recommended for the smooth functioning of all organs.

1. Girls who lead a relaxed, sedentary life are recommended to consume up to 2000 units of food energy daily. But for women 26–49 years old, the required energy norm per day is equal to 1800 units. Ladies over 50 years of age who spend most of their time at home are recommended to consume no more than 1,600 calories per day.
2. For women who are moderately active, the energy they get from food should be slightly higher. Girls and middle-aged women are allowed up to 2200 units of food energy, and for women over 50 years old, the daily intake of foods should not exceed 1800 kilocalories.
3. For active women, it is allowed to eat food based on an index of 2400 units per day. But respectable active representatives over 61 years old are allowed 2000 units of energy per day.

For men:

1. Sedentary youth are recommended to eat at the rate of no more than 2400 units of energy per day; from 31 to 49 years old - the required maximum daily menu is selected at the rate of 2200 nutritional units. Men over 50 should consume 2,000 calories daily.
2. For healthy men with a moderate exercise schedule, their own norm for calculating useful energy has been determined. Young people are supposed to receive up to 2,800 units of healthy food daily. From 30 years to 51 years old, you should limit yourself to eating at the rate of 2600 calories per day. Men over 51 years of age are not recommended to exceed 2,400 daily calories.
3. To maintain an active life, a young person needs to receive up to 3000 units of useful energy daily. Men under 51 years of age require slightly less food. Their daily diet should be no more than 2800 food units for the whole day. For men who are not physically inactive by age 55, it is recommended that they reduce their energy intake from food to a food index level of 2,600 daily units.

Let's consider how many calories a woman or man needs to consume per day to lose weight.

According to specialized experts, getting rid of excess fat using a daily calculation of the food value index is a reliable and painless method that helps you lose excess weight. But we must not forget about physical activity, which helps speed up metabolism, and therefore weight loss.

By getting rid of 1000 grams of excess accumulation, the body has to burn approximately 7500 to 7700 units of energy. It is very difficult to achieve such a result by cutting back on your daily diet but not using physical exercise.

So how many calories should you eat per day to lose weight?

1. For people trying to lead an active lifestyle, playing sports or visiting gyms, it is enough to reduce the standard daily indicators of useful energy received by 10%. With such a minor nutritional correction, the body will not feel significant changes or stress, and the extra pounds will decrease daily.
2. With a calm and measured life without additional physical activity, small accumulations of excess fat can be easily removed by subtracting 20–25% of the nutritional value from the standard daily food intake.
3. But in any phase of obesity, you will have to carefully review your daily diet and reduce your energy intake by up to 40%. Obesity is usually accompanied by abnormalities and disruptions in the functioning of the body. Therefore, before changing your diet, you should consult with a specialized specialist.

The diet, accompanied by the calculation of useful energy, does not limit the usual diet. With this approach to losing weight, you can eat almost anything, but in smaller quantities. If, while following a dietary diet, you had to attend a holiday feast and exceed the daily dose of nutrition, it’s okay. Just choose a day when your daily diet will need to be reduced by the amount of food eaten in excess of the norm.

How to correctly calculate the calorie content of food when losing weight?

When getting rid of excess deposits, it is necessary to develop a deficit of incoming energy, then metabolic processes will affect the fats already accumulated in the body, and the weight loss phase will begin.

The speed of the weight loss process is directly related to the chosen nutrition schedule. If a limited amount of time is allotted to combat deposits, the daily diet will have to be completely revised. Gradually getting rid of weight, the body will not even notice the changes.

Slow rate of weight loss

How many calories do you need per day to lose weight without causing stress to your body?

When choosing a slow regime for correcting excess weight, the diet is reduced by 10–15% of the recommended daily food energy index.

Advantages of the method:

1. Gradual weight loss does not involve changing your usual diet. It is enough to change the fat content of some products. For example, buy lower-fat yogurt or kefir.
2. A gentle method of losing weight does not interfere with metabolic processes and does not disrupt metabolism, and therefore does not negatively affect the general condition of the body.
3. The psychological factor is also important. Nothing changes in nutrition, except for slightly reduced portions and calorie content of some foods.

This method of losing excess weight does not cause physical or psychological inconvenience, can be used for a long time and become a habit.

But there are also disadvantages to slow weight loss, and they must be taken into account:

1. The method should not be used by people with large accumulations of excess weight. The process of losing weight will be long and ineffective. Losing weight at a slow pace is recommended for people who want to lose no more than 3–5 kilograms to their normal weight.
2. Due to a slight change in the calculation of food energy units, errors are possible that will negatively affect the rate of weight loss.

Calculating the nutritional value of products for the gradual correction of extra pounds, experts recommend taking the principles of a healthy diet as a basis and sticking to such a diet always and everywhere.

Neutral pace of weight loss

To protect your health from the negative consequences of obesity and painlessly part with accumulated deposits, when calculating the energy index, it is recommended to subtract from 20 to 25% of the usual daily amount of food eaten. For women, 1500 to 1600 units of energy per day is considered a sufficient norm. For men, 2,000 to 2,150 food units per day.

Using a similar indicator of weight loss, the increase in physical costs is also taken into account.

Advantages of the method:

1. If the method is used in conjunction with exercise, nutrition does not change significantly. Without physical activity, nutrition is carefully reviewed and restrictions are introduced on the number of energy units consumed.
2. By correctly performing the calculations and adding strength loads, the process of losing weight occurs quite quickly. Within 4-6 months you can get rid of 8 to 12 kilograms of excess weight.

The method also has a drawback. When the body actively uses accumulated fats, metabolic processes slow down, which negatively affects hormonal balance.

Calorie calculation for the accelerated weight loss program

How many calories do you need to eat per day to lose weight quickly and painlessly? For this mode of getting rid of excess accumulations, the calculation of daily energy intake is reduced from 30 to 50% of the usual nutrition schedule. The average dietary intake for women is from 1000 to 1400 food units, and for men - from 1350 to 1850.

The method is suitable for people who are very overweight or those who urgently need to correct their figure before a long-awaited vacation or special event.

The main disadvantage of this method of calculating calories is the impossibility of long-term use of such a diet. During dietary restriction, changes occur in metabolic processes, which negatively affects the general condition of the body.

Properly distribute food throughout the day

The success of getting rid of extra pounds depends on competent, timely nutrition and the distribution of the energy index of the diet. Specialists and fitness instructors recommend using special mobile applications, calculators and scales to accurately determine the weight of portions.

1. Daily meals are divided into 5-6 full meals.
2. The recommended interval between meals should be at least 3 hours.
3. More saturated and high-calorie foods are recommended to be consumed before lunch.
4. Towards evening, the diet should be made more easily digestible.
5. Try to avoid preparing dishes with a large number of ingredients. Calculating the nutritional value of such a product is much more difficult.
6. Also, we must not forget the energy value of sugar and various sauces with which cooked dishes are seasoned.
7. Spices, coffee and tea without sugar do not increase the overall nutritional value of foods.

To use the method of calculating the energy value of foods for weight loss, it is not necessary to give up your usual, favorite foods; it is enough to reduce their consumption to the prescribed norm. And having tried to change your life for the better, you are unlikely to want to return to a stage that has already been passed for a long time, gain excess weight again and risk your health.

IMPORTANT! Informational article! Before use, you should consult a specialist.

Factors affecting the amount of calories needed

There is no clear answer to the question of how many calories you need per day. The amount required for a person is influenced by several factors that should be taken into account when compiling your diet.

Floor. Muscles are the main consumer of energy. Accordingly, men's caloric intake per day is higher because they have more muscle mass than women. So how many calories should a person consume per day depending on their gender? The approximate calorie intake per day for men is 2500 kcal. For women, this figure is 2000 kcal.

Load mode. This is one of the most significant factors in determining how many calories to consume per day. The higher the degree of physical activity, the more intensely energy is consumed. So, for a man with a sedentary lifestyle, the normal daily amount is 2200 kcal, for a woman - about 1800 kcal.

Age. How many calories you need to consume per day also depends on the person's age. If we compare the ratio of body weight and energy needs, the highest energy expenditure and, accordingly, calories are observed in children. As the body grows and ages, these needs decrease. So, in order to determine how many calories per day you need to consume after the age of 30, you need to subtract 50 kcal from their average daily amount for each decade lived.

Special circumstances. During the period of recovery from illnesses, during excessive psycho-emotional stress and in other stressful situations, the body’s need for energy increases. In such cases, the average number of calories per day for a person can increase by 100–300 kcal, depending on the individual characteristics of the body and the situation.

How to properly distribute calories

Distribution of calories in the diet. When calculating how many calories you need per day, the importance of their distribution in the menu is often lost. For example, the daily amount of energy can be obtained from 400 g of fatty meat or from 4 kg of apples. But in both cases there is no talk of healthy eating. Therefore, it is necessary to correctly determine how many calories per day should come from a particular group of nutrients. So, proteins and fats should each account for approximately 25% of daily calories, and the remaining 50% should come from carbohydrates. In this case, the main condition for maintaining health is met: the body not only receives the amount of energy it needs, but also covers its needs for essential nutrients.

Distribution of calories by time of day. While people usually decide how many calories a person needs per day and what foods they should come from, the principles of daily energy distribution are often ignored. The rules are as follows: the closer it is to the evening, the less caloric the food consumed should be. Compliance with this condition will not only allow you to maintain your daily calorie intake at the proper level, but will also help you maintain tone and energy during the day, as well as ensure proper rest at night.

Knowing how many calories a person should consume per day is necessary to lose weight, gain weight, or maintain normal weight. But how to calculate this? Easily! Take a calculator and use the Harris-Benedict formula, which will tell you how many kilocalories you should have in your daily diet.

The Harris-Benedict formula is used to determine your basal metabolic index (BMI), which is otherwise described as resting energy expenditure. The basic metabolic index depends on your gender, age and body size, by calculating it you will find out how many calories you burn just by being alive and awake.

Of course, as soon as you get out of bed and start your daily activities, the minimum number increases. You can calculate the active metabolic index (AMI) by multiplying the AMI by a factor corresponding to your level of physical activity. It ranges from 1.2 if you are sedentary to 1.9 if you are super active.

Here's how it works:

Women: BMR = 65.5 + (9.657 x weight in kg) + (1.88 x height in cm) - (4.7 x years)

Men: BMR = 66 + (13.83 x weight in kg) + (5.08 x height in cm) - (6.8 x years)

Calculate your active metabolic index by starting by multiplying your baseline metabolic index by your current level of physical activity. It can be used to calculate the amount that a specific adult should eat per day.

If your lifestyle:

• Sedentary (little or no mobility): your AMI = BMI x 1.2
• Sedentary (little movement/work 1-3 days a week): your AMI = BMI x 1.375
• Moderately active (average mobility/work 3-5 days per week): your AMI = BMI x 1.55
• Very active (heavy exercise/work 6-7 days a week): your AMI = BMI x 1.725
• Super active (very heavy exercise/work 6-7 days a week): your AMI = BMI x 1.9

Your AMI reflects the number of calories you can eat each day to stay at your current weight. If you want to lose weight, you need to increase your level of physical activity or reduce your calorie intake, i.e. you need to eat less, which the calorie table will help you with.

How can I use this information?

Unfortunately, the Harris-Benedict formula is not perfect. According to the Academy of Nutrition and Diet, studies show the formula is 90 percent accurate 60 percent of the time.

This means that 40 percent of the time it is misleading, which is pretty depressing. Worse, if the formula is wrong, it will show more daily calories than the study subjects needed, so they burned less than they thought.

The problem of formula accuracy may be due to physical or genetic factors, and many people greatly overestimate their level of physical activity, which also affects calorie counting.

So why use a formula that isn't always accurate?

Well, at least because you have to start somewhere. Calculate your daily recommended calorie requirement, and if you are not losing or gaining weight, work with that number (up or down). But please do not eat less than 1,200 calories per day without the supervision of a qualified physician. As your weight changes, you will also need to recalculate your calorie deficit.

Online calorie calculators

It's not that difficult to turn on the calculator on your phone and calculate it all manually, but it's much easier to use an online service. In the near future we will add a convenient calorie calculator to the site.

Online calculators are easy to use and a good starting point for anyone looking to get their calorie intake in order. Also, to monitor your intake and find out how much you burn through exercise, keep an eye on the packaging of the foods you eat.

Conclusion

While it's not that difficult to find online calculators and diet planners that help you figure out how many calories you need to consume each day, it's always good to know exactly how this information is calculated. And you can see exactly how reducing your calorie intake or burning them through physical activity will help you lose weight.

The habit of maintaining a healthy weight requires responsibility and knowledge of metabolic processes. A conscious person should understand how many calories and nutrients the body needs per day to be healthy. A table for calculating daily calorie content and the ratio of BJU products will simplify this task.

A kilocalorie measures the amount of heat released from foods during digestion. One calorie is equal to 4.2 joules - a characteristic of energy level. The body spends this component to maintain vital functions.

One unit of heat gives the same amount of energy. Products differ in the ratio of BJUs, and the digestion of each of these components requires a different amount of energy. Therefore, the part of the heat that the body loses when breaking down food is taken away from the initial calorie content.

The body consumes each element of BJU in its own way:

The table with dietary volumes shows approximately how many kilocalories a person needs per day, but does not take into account the energy value of food. In order for the energy received by the body to be spent correctly, it is worth adhering to the KBZHU.

Calorie content or balance of BZHU: what is more important:

Useful and harmful calories

Calories do no harm or good because they are simply a source of heat. This property is carried by energy carriers: fats, proteins and carbohydrates.

Each of these compounds has a different origin and therefore has a specific effect on the body:

The BJU ratio is calculated individually for specific purposes. If the goal is to increase the percentage of muscle mass and reduce the fat reserve, a menu is selected in which proteins occupy the main place, and fats are not consumed at the same time as carbohydrates.

Standards for women, men and children

The table can show more clearly how many kilocalories a person needs per day. It is worth taking into account that physical activity requires replenishment of additional energy expended during training. In addition, more calories are spent on daily muscle maintenance.

This difference between certain groups of people is due to different physical activities. In addition, pregnant and lactating girls need to increase their diet in order to additionally provide the child with the necessary compounds, as well as replenish the resources expended on this.

The amount of calories in women is slightly less than in men. Age and work environment also affect the amount of energy expended:

The calorie intake is determined by many factors, as well as the BZHU ratio. To calculate them more accurately, you need to use one of the special formulas. And based on the results obtained, you can subsequently adjust your calorie intake.

Why you need to stick to your daily calorie intake

Limiting the amount of food is the main rule for people losing weight. However, most of those who strive to lose weight, after some time, return to their previous shape and look fuller.

The body perceives a strong reduction in calories as a mode of hunger, so it begins to burn muscles and slow down metabolism.

When returning to a normal diet, the body quickly replenishes lost resources and stores reserve fat in case of hunger. When calories are exceeded, the body also inevitably stores excess weight.

Therefore, the only stable state in which the body does not make fat reserves and provides all its functions is following the daily caloric intake and balance of fatty acids.

Lower limits of normal

The table can show how many kilocalories a person needs per day without taking into account individual characteristics that affect metabolism. By making a calculation using special formulas, you can find out your daily calorie ratio. To the result obtained, add 200 kilocalories and then subtract 400.

These values ​​are the upper and lower limits of normal. Another way to calculate this data is to subtract or add 10-15% of calories to your basal metabolic rate.

The range within these numbers is called the calorie corridor. This means that changes in daily caloric intake should not go beyond the normal range. Otherwise, the body will begin to slow down its metabolism and weight will stop losing, and energy will be extracted due to the destruction of muscle fibers.

Consequences of insufficient and excess calorie intake

At first, insufficient or excessive calorie intake may not be noticeable.

However, this lifestyle systematically harms the body, which is why the accumulated habit can lead to the following negative consequences:

• decreased immunity;
• eating disorders, such as compulsive overeating;
• disturbances in the gastrointestinal tract;
• oncology;
• disorders in mental and physical development.

In addition to the lack of calories in the diet, their excess gives rise to a lot of problems leading to obesity and accompanying diseases:

• diabetes;
• diseases of the cardiovascular system;
• atherosclerosis;
• disorders in the musculoskeletal system.

It should be understood that the calorie norm for one person may be too high or too low for another. Only the volume of reserve fat can tell whether the diet is correct.

Muffin-Jeor formula for calculating daily calorie intake

The number of calories consumed during the day is selected for each individual, since age, height and weight play a role here. To do this, in 2005, scientists Muffin and Jeor jointly developed a formula that takes these factors into account. The next technique is approved by the American Dietetic Association.

In addition, an indicator of regular physical activity is added to the formula, which adds accuracy to the resulting calorie volume.

GV = 9.9 * weight (kg) + height (cm) * 6.3 – 4.9 * age – 161,

and for men:

GV = 9.9 * weight (kg) + height (cm) * 6.3 – 4.9 * age + 5.

Thus, the calculation for a woman with an age of 23 years, a body weight of 50 kg, and a height of 165 cm can be obtained: 9.9 * 50 + 165 * 6.3 – 4.9 * 23 – 161 = 1256 kcal. Similarly, a 26-year-old man, weighing 70 kg, height 180 cm, will have a requirement of 1535 kcal.

In this case, you need to take into account the component of physical activity. The resulting value is multiplied by the activity coefficient.

The minimum value for sedentary work is 1.2, and for heavy loads with training 2 times a day - 1.9. The level of physical activity in this range changes in steps of 0.1.

Harris-Benedict formula

A common formula for calculations was invented in 1991. However, the method is inferior in applicability to other methods. Compared to other formulas, an insufficient number of individual characteristics are used here, which gives a strong error in the calculations - more than 5%. The method does not take into account the indicator of daily physical activity in the calculations.

The formula looks like this:

Female: 655 + (9.5 * weight in kg) + (1.86 * height in cm) – (4.67 * age).

Male: 66.48 + (13.74 * weight in kg) + (5 * height in cm) – (6.75 * age).

Thus, a woman with indicators of 50 kg, 23 years old, 165 cm will need to consume 1332 kcal. A man with initial data of 70 kg, 26 years old, 180 cm needs 1703 kcal to remain at his weight.

Ketch-McArdle formula

This method does not take into account body weight, number of years and growth rate when calculating. Only the individual body fat percentage is included in the expression. The error in calculations based on this coefficient is large.

However, accurate measurements of body fat along with the use of the Harris-Benedict formula in calculations will give an indicator with minimal error.

The Ketch-McArdle formula does not require complex calculations and looks like this:

• BM = 371 + 20.59 * a

The last variable refers to the percentage of body fat. It can be measured using special equipment found in hospitals and gyms.

This indicator can also be approximately calculated by dividing the weight in kilograms by the height in meters squared:

• body mass index (%fat) = weight (kg) / height (cm) 2.

A data table for certain groups can predict how many kilocalories a person needs per day with an equally large error. However, multiplying the coefficient obtained from the Ketch-McArdle formula by the calculation result using the Harris-Benedict method will increase the accuracy of the measurements.

For women with parameters of 50 kg, 165 cm and a diet of 1332 kcal, calculated using the previous formula, the basic metabolism will be equal to:

BM=1332*(371+21.61*(50/1.65 2)) =1021 kcal.

For men with a weight of 70 kg, a height of 170 cm and a daily requirement of 1703 kcal:

BM = 1703 * (371+21.61 * (70/1.70 2) = 1521 kcal.

This result is more accurate, however, body weight without fat, calculated using the formula, is significantly inferior in error to measurements using special equipment.

WHO formula

The World Health Organization (WHO) calorie formula is based on the same principle as the Muffin-Geor method. However, here age is placed in ranges and for each of them an individual calculation is carried out using the physical activity coefficient (PFA).

How many kilocalories a person needs per day is determined using an additional table taking into account the degree of physical activity, where 1 is low, 1.3 is medium, 1.5 is high physical activity.

A man with parameters 27 years old, 70 kg and CFA - 1.3 according to the formula has a coefficient:

(0.063 * 70 + 2.895) * 240 * 1.3 = 2279 kcal.

Formula based on body area

Another name for this method of calculating calories is the Harris-Benedict formula. With the help of such calculations, you can obtain a result as close to reality as possible. The expression contains weight, height and age, and for women and men different initial numbers are used in the calculations.

The percentage of body fat does not appear in the calculations. Therefore, this method will not show accurate results for people who exercise regularly and have large muscle mass. In this case, the basal metabolic rate will be lower than the real one. For overweight people this value will be overestimated.

For men, the daily calorie intake is calculated using the formula:

GV = 66 + (13.699 * weight in kg) + (5 * height in cm) - (6.809 * age in years).

And for women:

GV = 65 + (9.599 * weight in kg) + (1.799 * height in cm) - (4.8 * age in years).

The daily caloric intake coefficient for a man with indicators of 70 kg, 170 cm, 27 years old is equal to:

OOV = 66 + (13.699 * 70) + (5 * 170) - (6.809 * 27) = 1691 kcal.

For a woman with initial data 23 years old, weight 50 kg, height 165 cm, this figure is equal to:

OOV = 65 + (9.599 * 50) + (5 * 165) - (6.809 * 23) = 1213 kcal.

In addition, the result obtained can be multiplied by the indicator of physical activity. A range is proposed for him, in which 1.2 is low mobility, 1.729 is heavy physical labor.

How many calories should you eat to lose weight or gain weight?

Significant exaggeration or understatement of volumes always harms the body. It forces the body to destroy those resources that are necessary for healthy functioning and accumulate those that interfere with this process.

For a healthy transformation, the maximum deviation from the calorie range of the diet is 10-20%.

When changing your diet, you need to weigh yourself at the beginning and end of the week and evaluate the result. If the lost weight reaches more than 1-1.5 kg, it means that the body is losing weight due to dehydration and destruction of muscle cells to a greater extent than fat.

Weight loss rate

Losing weight by 2-3% of your current weight per week is considered safe by nutritionists. With large mass losses, the body will begin to destroy itself and extract energy from these substances. The largest drop is observed at the beginning of the diet; subsequently, its loss slows down.

It is important to understand that supplementing nutrition with active physical activity can cause weight loss to stop. This is due to the accumulation of fluid in the muscles, as well as their growth. In this case, you need to observe a visual decrease in volume.

Weight gain rate

There is a difference between intentional weight gain and uncontrolled eating. In the first case, this process is systemic and is used both for visual effect and as an introductory step in the method of calorie counting. In these cases, muscle mass gain will occur much more slowly.

If there are sharp deviations from the caloric norm in the direction of increase, reserve fat will be deposited almost instantly.

However, with a gradual increase in the volume of the diet to your own norm in increments of 50 kcal weekly, weight gain will not be observed at all.

This is due to the fact that the body gradually adapts its work to the new diet. However, with a calorie deficit, a sharp transition to a new nutrition system will lead to extra pounds.

Advice from doctors and nutritionists on maintaining a properly balanced menu

Medical experts evaluate the calorie counting method as a comprehensive, systematic approach to achieving the desired weight. They recommend not going beyond the calorie range, and also maintaining it by changing the cooking method.

In addition, junk food, which is used to count calories, should be replaced with its healthy counterparts, and The caloric content of the diet in lunches should decrease towards the end of the day.

Pregnant and breastfeeding women should avoid this diet, as dietary restrictions may adversely affect their well-being. People with diabetes, hypertension and problems with the gastrointestinal tract need to introduce this diet only under the supervision of a doctor.

The main rule of following a diet based on calorie counting is to avoid large gaps between meals.

At first, such calculations may seem difficult, however, over time, using the selection method, you can calculate the optimal volume of the diet. It must be remembered that without knowledge of how many kilocalories a person needs per day and the table of the optimal ratio of BJU products, it is impossible to maintain weight correctly. This method will also help improve your health and appearance.

Article format: Svetlana Ovsyanikova

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How many kilocalories does a person need per day:

How many kilocalories do you need per day to lose weight:

To feel well and maintain vital functions, a person needs a source of energy. You can get it from various foods that contain useful substances - fats, proteins and carbohydrates. The indicators of these components affect the calorie content of food. To calculate how many calories a person needs per day, you need to know your activity level, that is, energy expenditure.

Basics of Dietetics

Dietetics is the science of proper nutrition. The essence of energy balance is as follows:

1. The intake of food into the body must be equal to its consumption.
2. Food must contain carbohydrates, proteins and fats in the prescribed proportions.
3. It is imperative to have vitamins and microelements in your daily diet.

If a person does not receive enough natural active substances, he begins to develop various diseases (hypertension, obesity, diabetes and others), which leads to a decrease in average life expectancy.

Balanced diet

To know how many calories you can consume per day, you need to know your energy expenditure (metabolic rate). The general metabolism in a person depends on the main and additional ones.

Basic metabolism is the number of calories the body expends to perform all important functions. How many calories a person normally needs per day depends on the main metabolism and the following factors:

• height;
• body constitution;
• level of hormone production.

Accordingly, the calorie intake per day depends on the listed criteria. For example, in men, chemical processes in the body occur faster than in women. Young people spend more energy than older people. The average daily metabolism in the adult population is 25 kcal per kilogram of weight.

How much protein should a person consume per day to be healthy? Athletes and active young people should consume 1.5-2.5 grams per 1 kg of body weight per day. A person weighing 80 kg can eat 200 grams of protein daily. People with moderate activity can consume up to 1.5 grams per 1 kg of body weight. If you have a sedentary lifestyle, then it is enough to eat up to 1 gram per 1 kg per day.

Where do calories come from?

As mentioned above, food contains carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, microelements and water. The last three components do not provide energy to the body. The calorie content of food is expressed in the energy value necessary to maintain life in the human body.

The human body consumes food to perform a variety of functions, such as heat generation, respiration, blood transport through cells, for rest and work, and sports. If a person consumes more than he expends, then some of the calories are stored as fat, and the person gets fat.

What are they spent on?

Calories are burned in the following activities:

1. Warming the body. To warm up, a person uses up fat reserves.
2. The process of movement. When a person moves, his muscles contract, so when playing sports or when cleaning the apartment, the body spends energy.

To find out how many calories a person spends per day, you need to know his active activity: studying, working, professional athlete, housewife, etc.

What happens when you don't have enough calories?

When calculating the daily norm, you need to take into account every little thing: putting butter in porridge or mayonnaise in a salad. An excess of calories, just like a deficiency, is fraught with consequences for the body. If there are few nutrients coming from food, the body begins to use energy from muscle tissue rather than from excess fat.

Lack of fats and carbohydrates in the diet can reduce basal metabolism. The body, maintaining a constant supply of sugar to the brain, uses up its own supply of glycogen, which is stored in the liver. Glycogen is gradually removed from muscle tissue, and as a result, a person begins to lose weight. If reserves are depleted, a person stops losing weight.

Fat tissue is not used to nourish the brain. During the period of weight loss, the body uses fat deposits as energy, but the decrease in these reserves is much less than the loss of muscle and bone tissue. If a person deprives himself of fatty foods, weight loss occurs due to bone and muscle tissue. This is fraught with danger for the body, as it threatens exhaustion.

Formula for calculating daily value

How many kilocalories does a person need? The norm is determined based on the following data:

• basal metabolism is the expenditure on the vital functions of the body: breathing, digesting food, supplying organs with blood, and so on;
• daily expenditure on physical labor.

• OM for women = 6.26*(height in cm) + 10*(weight in kg) - 5*(age in years) - 161;
• OM in men = 6.26*(height in cm) + 10*(weight in kg) - 5*(age in years) + 5, where (OM) is general metabolism.

Norm for women

Young women aged 18-30 spend an average of 2000 kcal. If a woman is actively involved in sports or works a lot, the daily norm increases.

The norm of kilocalories per day for a woman depends on the same parameters as for men:

1. Sedentary lifestyle or no physical activity – 1300-1500 kcal per day.
2. Low physical activity – 1500-1700 kcal.
3. Moderate activity – 1800-2000 kcal.
4. Heavy loads – 2000-2400 kcal.

These are approximate values. How many calories a woman needs to consume per day can be calculated using a formula that takes into account weight, height and index (physical activity value).

Harris-Benedict formula:

447.6 + 9.2 * weight in kg + 3.1 * height in cm – 4.3 * age.

The result obtained must be multiplied by the activity index.

For example: a 26-year-old girl, 163 cm tall and weighing 64 kg. Goes to the gym two to three times a week.

447.6 + 9.2 * 64 + 3.1 * 163 – 4.3 * 26 = 1430 kcal.

Let's multiply it by the activity index (1.375) and get the daily requirement of 1966 kcal.

Women over 50 need slightly fewer calories as their basal metabolism declines.

A woman during pregnancy and lactation needs more calories. But this does not mean that pregnant women should eat for two; in case of edema or excessive weight gain, they may prescribe a diet. With a normal initial weight before pregnancy, pregnant women should consume from 2500 to 3500 kcal per day.

Norm for men

A man's diet should be high enough in calories to maintain all functions in the body. The daily calorie intake per day for men with moderate activity is 2500-2800 calories. If there is no physical activity, energy is consumed in different ways.

There is another formula for calculation: (13.4 * weight in kg + 88.37 + 4.8 * height in cm – 5.7 * age) * activity index.

The daily calorie intake per day for a man depends on his activity. The result must be multiplied by the index, which corresponds to the level of physical activity:

• sedentary work or no activity - 1.2;
• light physical labor – 1.4;
• moderate physical activity – 1.55;
• heavy physical work – 1.7;
• hard physical labor + active sports training – 1.9.

Here is an example of calculating the daily kcal norm for men:

A man with a height of 181 cm weighs 88 kg, moderate activity. Substituting the values ​​into the formula, it is easy to calculate how many calories a man needs per day: 6.25*(height in cm) + 10*(weight in kg) - 5*(age in years) + 5 = 1781 kcal.

When asked how many calories a man needs to consume per day if he wants to lose weight, the answer is that he must reduce his diet by 20%.

Weight correction

Systematic consumption of calories less than the daily norm promotes weight loss and weight correction, especially if you combine a diet with sports activities. The daily calorie intake for a woman when losing weight is 80% of the usual per day.

The same indicator is used when you need to calculate the daily calorie intake for men. For harmless weight loss, nutritionists advise reducing the calorie content of food gradually. If the norm of kilocalories per day is 2000, then using 1600 kcal per day, you can achieve gradual weight loss.

The norm of kilocalories per day for men to maintain weight is 1800 kcal. It is not recommended to reduce this value below to avoid health problems. The daily calorie intake for weight loss depends on the individual intake of a particular person.

The required nutrients must be contained in the exact ratio:

• proteins – 30%;
• carbohydrates – 50%;
• fats – 20%.

With classic weight loss, all these components should be present in the diet of any person. The lack of one of these components will negate all efforts. You need to plan your daily diet taking into account physical activity, and then your body will delight you with beauty and grace for a long time!

Video

You will learn a lot more useful information about nutrition and calories from the video.