If within a week after correctly counting calories and strictly observing physical activity and sleep patterns, you do not notice positive dynamics in the form of restructuring the image of the body and reflectionin the mirror, then you should get it checked out and seek advice.
Carbohydrate distribution:
Morning (short carbs) – unleavened bread, potatoes, sweet potatoes, pita bread, flat bread, unsweetened baked goods and yeast.
Lunch (carbohydrates) - rice, lentils, beans, buckwheat, chickpeas, quinoa, bulgur, cereal).
Evening (vegetables) + You MUST allow yourself your favorite products containing 200-300 kcal (fruits, natural chocolate, unleavened baked goods) in calorie content and BZHU no later than 2 hours beforego to bed.
If in the calorie calculation you have less than 100 grams of carbohydrates, then this indicates that you have an increased 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 lots of fiber and alkaline foods: green vegetables, celery, radishes, cucumbers, spinach, cauliflower and white cabbage, beets, carrots, garlic, seaweed, broccoli, avocado, lemon.
DURING TRAINING DAYS, add 100 grams of carbohydrates 120 minutes before training from short starchy carbohydrates (sweet potatoes, potatoes, unleavened bread, pita bread, flat bread, unsweetened baked goods and yeast).
MORE INSIDE Calories.
For example, you need to eat 150 grams of carbohydrates per day, consume 100 grams before training and distribute the rest throughout the day.
DURING TRAINING, drink EXCLUSIVELY filtered water that does not contain many BCAAs and various amino acids (due to unnecessary increases in insulin during exercise).
Add 5-7 grams of salt per day (table or iodized)
REDUCE and ideally ELIMINATE the amount of simulants: coffee, tea, tobacco, alcohol.
Buy a kitchen scale. Weigh grains, vegetables, and other foods in their raw form. Meat, fish, poultry are ready.
Prioritize 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)
In nutrition, you should prioritize foods that cause alkaline reactions, eliminate or reduce to 1 meal/day foods that cause oxidation reactions: poultry, red meat, gluten, sugar, seafood. Farm eggs and farm dairy products are allowed. Foods with an acidity of 6. 0 - 10. 0 PH. More detailed table at the link.
Fresh or vacuum-packed livestock products are allowed for consumption. Avoid refrigerated and frozen animal products.
The presence of a product that gives you psychological pleasure IS MANDATORY, within the range of calorie and macro content (BZHU).
If your daily calorie intake cannot be reached with the "RIGHT" foods, we will include the maximum calorie content in the macro range (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).
It is possible to change the components of the diet depending on your preferences within the macro range (BZHU).
- B12-, iron deficiency anemia, weakness, increased fatigue, impaired hematopoiesis (pallor and yellowing of the skin and mucous membranes, tachycardia, heart attack, exercise intolerance, dizziness and frequent fainting, spleen enlargement), digestive system damage (indigestion, unstable stools, loss of appetite, weight loss, changes in color and shape of the tongue, taste disorders, frequent mouth infections, abdominal pain aftereating), nervous system damage (decreased sensitivity, paresthesia, ataxia, decreased muscle strength), poor urination, mental disorders).
- Hypothyroidism. Decreased physical and mental activity, increased fatigue, skin changes (myxedema), increased sensitivity to cold, hoarseness, weight gain, facial and body swelling, constipation, hypotension and slow heart rate, drowsiness, decreased memory and intelligence), delayed growth in children and intellectual development.
- Metabolic syndrome (insulin resistance). Increased body weight in the abdominal area, metabolic disorders, insulin resistance. Subjective feelings: bad mood when hungry, increased fatigue, food selectivity, tachycardia, heart attack, 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 each day to lose weight. It is calculated individually for each person, taking into account his physical characteristics and lifestyle.
Where to start?
Before calculating how many calories you need to eat to lose weight, you must first determine your daily calorie intake. Essentially, calories are energy. Most of it is used every day to maintain the body's activities: breathing, heart rate, food digestion, etc. v. Scientists have discovered that:
- Men burn more calories than women.
- The older a person is, the less energy they expend.
- During adolescence, pregnancy and illness, you need more calories.
- Physical activity increases the rate of calorie consumption.
In addition, there are unique characteristics of the body, determined by genetics, that determine the rate of calorie consumption. However, on average, you can calculate quite simply the number of calories you need to consume each day to not only not gain weight but also lose weight.
For example, you can use the formula of scientists Mifflin and San Geor. It was introduced in 2005 and has been shown to be more effective than the Harris-Benedict variant. To calculate you need:
- Weight multiplied by 10.
- Height multiplied by 6. 25.
- Age multiplied by 5.
Then all that's left is to add your weight and height and subtract your age. Next, men add 5, women subtract 161. The result is multiplied by the activity coefficient:
- 1. 2 – you lie on the couch for days or work in the office.
- 1, 375 – 3 times a week you remember that you need to play sports.
- 1. 55 – an active athlete who exercises 5 times a week.
- 1, 725 – you exercise vigorously every day.
- 1. 9 is an avid athlete, and during breaks you work as a loader.
That is, for a 35-year-old female accountant weighing 85 kg and 180 cm tall, the calculation will be as follows (because she works, she has no time to play sports):
((85x10) + (180x6, 25) - (35x5) - 161) x 1, 2 = 1966, 8 calories.
This amount of energy will be enough for her to live and work calmly, without gaining weight. But to lose weight, you will have to calculate the number of calories you need to consume.
How to lose weight by counting calories?
The golden rule of weight loss is to burn more calories than you consume. But you cannot suddenly reduce your food intake. The body does not like this. Instead, you need to get out your calculator and figure out how many calories you need to eat to lose weight. To do this, you need to subtract 15-20% from the previous result. That is, our female accountants, in order to prepare for the summer, need to absorb:
1966, 8-20%=1573, 44 calories.
If she intends to get better, she needs to do the opposite. But it doesn't end there. There are several other conditions that must be taken into account:
- The number of calories consumed should not fall below 1200. Otherwise, the body will not have enough energy to live and various types of chronic diseases may develop.
- You can't calculate how many calories you need per day to lose weight, eat them in the morning and walk around hungry all day. Expect to divide meals into 5-6 times. In this way, the stomach and intestines will be constantly busy with work, the feeling of hunger will interfere less, and the diet in general will become much more enjoyable.
- It is necessary to monitor not only calories but also nutrients. Food should be varied so as not to cause vitamin deficiencies and other health problems.
- We must not forget water. Drinking large amounts of liquid will accelerate metabolism in the body and eliminate toxins. This is a great assistant for rapid weight loss.
Therefore, some nutritionists advise not to pay too much attention to calorie intake. They believe that monitoring the ratio of nutrients in the diet is much more important. And if a proper balance is maintained, a person will quickly lose weight regardless of the number of calories consumed.
By the way, there is another way to lose weight without reducing your diet. If we sign up our female accountant for classes 5 times at a fitness club, it turns out she won't need 1966. 8 calories anymore, but:
((85x10) + (180x6, 25) - (35x5) -161) x 1, 55 = 2540, 45 calories.
That is, it turns out that she will even have to improve her diet a little and start eating more high-calorie foods, recalculating. At the same time, she will still lose weight quite quickly.
Why can't you cut back on your diet too much?
If you start counting how many calories you need to consume to lose weight, it seems that the problem can be solved if you immediately reduce the amount of energy several times, or even down to zero. But that's not the case. is how the human body works. A fasting day once a week creates positive stress and can actually accelerate weight loss. With prolonged fasting, less positive changes occurred:
- hair loss and worsening skin condition;
- the person becomes irritable and prone to depression;
- The function of the digestive organs and kidneys is disrupted;
- Concentration and ability to think clearly decrease.
At the same time, the body goes into "energy saving mode". Metabolism slows down and weight loss occurs more slowly than usual. And after stopping fasting, weight gain occurs rapidly.
It's better to keep track of the calories you need to eat to lose weight and don't rush into anything. Healthy nutritionists advise against trying to lose 5-10-15 kg suddenly by cutting calories. Natural weight change should be about 1-1. 5 kg per week. This is the most comfortable rate of weight loss for the average person and it is what we should strive for.
How to calculate daily calorie intake
Any diet, regardless of goal, starts with calculating your daily calorie, protein, fat and carbohydrate intake. In this article we will talk about the most accurate methods for determining daily calorie intake for men and women.
Calorie content is calculated depending on goals (weight loss, weight maintenance, weight gain), gender, age, physical activity and other factors.
What is basic metabolism?
Calculating daily calories begins with calculating your basal metabolic rate (BMR) - the amount of energy your body needs to support vital processes. The human body, even at rest, continuously consumes calories for breathing, digestion, blood circulation and other physiological processes. Daily calorie intake must be higher than BMR, otherwise the body will not be able to 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 he consumes is measured, and then the PBM is calculated. This research method is the most accurate, but at the same time inaccessible.
The indirect method involves calculating the basic metabolism using a special formula. Today there are several main calculation methods. Let's list the main ones.
Calculate calories according to the Harrison-Benedict formula
This formula was developed by American physiologist Francis Gano Benedict and botanist James Arthur Harris at the beginning of the last century, but is still relevant. There is an error of about 5%.
The formula to calculate PBM is as follows:
- For women: 655. 1 + (9. 563 × weight in kg) + (1. 85 × height in cm) - (4. 676 × age in years);
- For men: 66. 5 + (13. 75 × weight in kg) + (5. 003 × height in cm) - (6. 775 × age in years).
The result is the daily amount of calories the body needs to function normally. To calculate how many kcal you need to consume to maintain weight, you need to multiply the resulting figure by the physical activity coefficient:
- 1. 2 – minimal (sedentary work, lack of physical activity);
- 1, 375 – low (exercise at least 20 minutes, 1-3 times a week);
- 1. 55 – moderate (exercise 30-60 minutes 3-4 times a week);
- 1, 7 – high (exercise 30-60 minutes, 5-7 times a week; heavy work);
- 1, 9 - extreme (many intense exercises every day 6-7 times a week; very laborious work).
Calculate calories using the Mifflin-San Geor formula
The method for calculating daily calorie intake was developed by nutritionists under the guidance of Dr. Mifflin and San Geor. This formula was developed relatively recently, but today it is the most accurate. It helps to calculate the amount of kcal needed for a person from 13 to 80 years old.
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 calculation method is based on the amount of adipose tissue in the body (we wrote about how to measure it in a previous article). The formula does not include information about height, age and gender because it is assumed that these are already taken into account when calculating body fat percentage.
PBM calculation formula: 370 + 21. 6 x X (body weight excluding body fat)
The result obtained must be multiplied by the activity coefficient using the Harrison-Benedict method.
Formula of the World Health Organization (WHO)
The World Health Organization offers recommendations on how to count your daily calories:
- For women 18 to 30 years old (0. 062 x weight in kg + 2. 036) x 240 x CFA;
- For women 31 to 60 years old (0. 034 x weight in kg + 3. 538) x 240 x CFA;
- For women over 60 years old (0. 038 x weight in kg + 2. 755) × 240 x CFA;
- For men 18 to 30 years old (0. 063 x body weight in kg + 2. 896) x 240 x CFA;
- For men 31 to 60 years old (0. 484 x body weight in kg + 3. 653) x 240 x CFA;
- For men over 60 years old (0. 491 x body weight in kg + 2. 459) x 240 x CFA.
Where CFA is the physical activity coefficient: 1 - low, 1. 3 - average, 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, the calorie content of the diet should be reduced, taking into account physical activity, by 10 - 15% (20% for severe obesity). Daily calorie content should not be lower than the following index:
Weight in kg/0. 45 x 8
WHO recommends reducing food intake by 500 kcal per month relative to actual dietary intake until calorie content is 300-500 kcal below daily needs.
Reducing daily intake by 500 kcal per day will result in a loss of about 500 grams of fat mass per week. After six months of such weight loss or when you reach your ideal weight, you should recalculate your daily calorie intake taking into account the new indicators.
You should not cut 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 muscle and fluid loss.
Protein, fat and carbohydrates when counting calories
Effective weight loss is not only about maintaining daily calorie intake but also about the proper distribution of proteins, fats and carbohydrates. A balanced diet according to the BJU ratio would be as follows:
- For weight loss: 30-35% protein, 30-35% fat, 30-40% carbohydrates;
- For weight maintenance: 25-35% protein, 25-35% fat, 40-50% carbohydrates;
- For weight gain: 35-40% protein, 15-25% fat, 40-60% carbohydrates.
With this allocation of BJU in the diet, the body will receive a sufficient amount of nutrients and vitamins.
Don't forget that all formulas for calculating daily calorie content are subject to errors. They do not take into account food absorption rate, health status, metabolic rate and other factors. Even a diet drawn up by a specialist may not be effective in a particular case due to the 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.
Keep track of your diet, exercise and results won't take long to come!