How Many Calories Should a Person Be Eating To Lose Fat?
Our Transformation program is so successful, we even offer a money back guarantee to those who sign up! One of the main reasons we are this confident is because of the work we do with our clients before we actually get into the work of adjusting their metabolism and helping them to shed body fat. I thought it would be helpful to explain some of the pre-work we do to determine how many calories one should be eating for the body type you have.
The first step is to figure out what your Total Energy Expenditure (TEE) is a day. You can do this by using the formula below.
TEE=Basal Metabolic Rate(BMR) + Physical Activity(PA) + Thermal Effect of Food(TEF)
Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) is the number of calories the body uses at rest (i.e. just sleeping all day or watching TV).
BMR = body weight in pounds x (11 for females or 12 for males)
For example my BMR is my body weight, 215 lbs, x 12 (male) = 2580 calories/day
Next, we need to calculate the calories you burn per day. Physical Activity (PA) is the number of calories above the BMR we burn by our daily activity. To determine this, we use the something called the Paffenbarger scale. This is a subjective estimate as to how active you are in a day and can be used as shown in the examples below:
PA = BMR x (.25 if person is sedentary or .50 if person is active or .75 if highly active)
To use me as the example; My PA = 2580 cal. (my BMR) x .75 (I’m highly active) = 1935 calories/day.
The next step seems to be overlooked by so many “diet experts,” yet is it an important component in determining your caloric need each day. This is the Thermal Effect of Food (TEF) and it is a calculation of how many calories above the BMR that we burn just digesting our food. Of course, this depends on
the overall composition of your daily food intake. You can use the scale below to determine your TEF:
TEF = BMR x (.05 if the diet is high in fat or .10 if the diet is high in carbohydrates)
So using me as the example again; my TEF = 2580 cal. (my BMR) x .10 (I eat a high carbohydrate
diet) = 258 cal./day
Back to the original formula, TEE = BMR + PA + TEF we find that my TEE = 2580 cal. (my BMR) + 1935 cal. (my PA) + 258 cal. (my TEE) = 4773 cal./day My Total Energy Expenditure (the total number of calories I burn a day) = 4773 cal./day. Therefore I now know what sort of healthy deficit can be created to get me to drop body fat if I were to continue using the same numbers for my caloric need and I were to eat the same types of foods. But there is more to be considered if you want to be accurate.
The formula above does not take into account your current percentage of body fat. It assumes that everyone using this formula has an “average” percentage of body fat. That is certainly not always the case. This is why, in our program, we determine the accurate percentage of an individual’s body fat prior to getting them started on their transformation journey. Muscle is metabolically active tissue and requires calories to exist. The fat on your body, on the other hand, is a place your body uses for energy storage and does not require calories to exist. So, if a high percent of your body weight is fat weight, than you wouldn’t need as many calories as calculated above. In a sense we need to “tweak” your formula based on the percentage of body fat you are carrying.
To adjust for percentage of body fat, have that percentage measured by a health/fitness professional. There are several methods of assessment that can be used. At Real Fitness, we use a very accurate body scanner that will read this measurement within 1/10th of a percent. Once known, we can plug that information into the formula below.
Adjusted % of TEE = 100% – (actual % fat – average % fat)
Average % fat = 22 % for women and 18 % for men
Using me as the example once again, here is what we need to do. My Adjusted % TEE = 100% – (14%, my body fat, – 18% for men = negative 4%) =104%
Subtracting a negative number is the same as adding.
My TEE = 4773 cal./day x 104 % (1.04) = 4964 cal./day
My TEE adjusted for my “less than average” % body fat = 4964 cal./day
Now you can use the formula to determine what your fat loss requirements are. It is prudent here to advise everyone that they should meet with a health professional prior to starting a transformation type program. At Real Fitness, we use our onsite nutritionist and certified dietitian in assessing a clients dietary need, but by using the formula above you can indeed get an accurate picture of what your needs are so that when meeting with your health professional you are not lost and wondering what is next on your proposed journey to shed body fat.
Now that you know how many calories your body requires on a daily basis, you can modify your caloric intake to lose fat. All you need to do is burn more calories in a day than you take in. So, take your TEE or your Adjusted TEE (if you know your % body fat) and subtract from 200 calories up to 20% of your total Adjusted TEE. Do not reduce your intake more than 20%. If you restrict your calories too much you will slow down your metabolism and make it more difficult to lose fat. That’s one of the problems with “diets” that are started without knowing “your numbers.” Without applying the above formulas to your attempt to rid your body of excess body fat, you could end up wasting a good deal to time and effort. If you restrict your caloric intake by too much, not only will your metabolism slow down but without the right amount of protein your body will actually cannibalize your lean muscle mass in an attempt to stay healthy. Let that happen and you will inevitably support the ever-growing diet industry as an official member of the “yoyo weight losers/gainers in America.”
So you see, losing body fat is far more complex than a simple figure of calories in, calories out. Let’s use the formula and myself as an example of how you would rid your body of excess fat while keeping your metabolism high and doing so with a healthy intake of the right calories.
My Adjusted TEE = 4964 cal./day minus 200 calories= 4764 cal./day.
The maximum I want to reduce my caloric intake is 20% because I am active and some days actually spend over 17 hours in the gym (no, not working out, but managing others transformations does take time and effort as well) So, 4964 – 20%(993) = 3971 cal./day. To lose fat I could reduce my normal caloric intake (4964) down to 4764 – 3971 cal. Now by increasing my PA each day I can burn the excess energy stores that my body is holding for just that need and in doing so will increase my fat burning each week.
Always remember, it is easier to put on body fat than lose it. Your body is designed to store excess energy as fat and it will slow down your metabolism if you do not eat enough, making your current energy need less and less. What is needed is balance, and using the above formulas will help you as you transition from one stage to the next on your transformation journey. Remember, you should check this formula every week as it will change with your body.
To your health
Coach Bob