In a Day, How Many Calories Should I Eat?
A calorie is a unit that measures energy.
More specifically, the amount of energy in the foods we eat.
And the energy we burn.
Thus, it's important to at least have a general idea of you calorie intake on a daily basis.
So…
How many calories should you be eating each day?
This is a very common question
And unfortunately, the answer can be radically different between people depending on a few factors.
Including…
Height and Weight
Age
Gender
Physical Activity
Goal
So, you may be wondering “How the fuck do I know how many calories I should be eating then??”
Obviously you should be eating less calories than The Rock…
But probably more than a bird… right?
Well you’ve come to the right place.
Because I’m going to show you how to figure out exactly how many calories you should be eating each day.
Taking into account the factors that I’ve just listed above.
I’m going to outline two ways to calculate your calories.
Option one is very very accurate, but it takes a little bit more work.
Option two is a little bit less accurate (but still very accurate) and will only take you a second.
So….
OPTION ONE
The first step to calculating your calories is going to be finding your Total Daily Energy Expenditure or TDEE.
This is the amount of calories you burn each day typically.
Now I don't recommend trying to do this by hand.
But lucky for you, it's 2022 and there are a shit ton of calculators online that will calculate it for you.
So all you need to do is type into Google “total daily energy expenditure calculator” or “tdee calculator” and you’ll find multiple options.
Click this link for the first option on Google.
The calorie number that it spits out for you will be your calories AT MAINTENANCE.
So if your goal is to MAINTAIN WEIGHT, that is the number of calories that you should be eating around each day.
If your goal is to LOSE WEIGHT, you would take that number, and then subtract anywhere from 300-500 calories.
This would give you your calories in a DEFICIT.
If your goal is to GAIN WEIGHT, you would take that number, and then add anywhere from 300-500 calories.
This would give you your calories in a SURPLUS.
So there is the more accurate option.
It takes multiple factors into account, including age, gender, height, weight, activity level, and goal of course.
But it takes a little bit longer because you have to look up the calculator and all.
Up next is…
OPTION TWO
There is only one real step to this one.
You need to know your current body weight, that is all.
You’re going to take that current body weight…
And multiply it by 12.
So the formula is…
BODY WEIGHT x 12 = MAINTENANCE CALORIES
Now, the cool thing about this method is…
You don't need to add or subtract calories to find calories in a deficit or calories in a surplus.
You can just continue to use the ‘multiply by 12’ formula.
All you have to do is multiple GOAL BODY WEIGHT by 12.
So, if your goal is to lose weight, you would multiply that goal body weight (maybe 10 or 20 pounds less than your current body weight) and the number you got would be your calories in a deficit to get you to that goal body weight.
And if your goal is to gain weight, you would multiply that goal body weight (maybe 10 or 20 pounds MORE than your current body weight) and the number you got would be your calories in a surplus to get to THAT goal body weight.
Now, this formula does take multiple factors into account as well, but it's not as detailed or as accurate as calculating out your TDEE would be.
However, it's quick, it's easy, and it gets you very close.
So, pick one of these two options.
Like I said, the first option will be a little bit more accurate, while the second option will get you very close and will get you your number a little bit faster.
But pick one, and stick to it.
Whatever your goal is; lose weight, gain weight, or maintain weight, this article should have given you the information that you need to figure out how many calories you should be eating in a day.
So choose an option, calculate it out, and be consistent with it.
The most common reason I see people not reach their goals is because they weren’t consistent for long enough.
You don't need to be perfect, but be 80% consistent for weeks and months at a time…
And at the end of a few months of consistency, you will be very happy with the results you see.
NOW, if all if this feels a little bit like information overload, I completely get it.
Nutrition can be a really confusing topic, and let’s face it, there’s a LOT of bad information out there.
BUT, one of the first things I do with my 1-on-1 coaching clients is help them figure out and better understand the nutrition side of fitness to help them reach their goals. So hit this link if you’re interested in getting some help with your nutrition (and training!).
Thanks so much for reading! I hope this helps you and if you have any questions please don’t hesitate to reach out.
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