The Calorie Counter

There are various formulas to calculate caloric intake and regardless of whichever you choose they’re more or less the same thing and will give you a similar result + or – 100Kcal or so.

That being said I’m not a fan of calorie counting for the majority of people but if you’re on this page then it means that you insist. Over the years I found that most trainees, especially women simply don’t consume enough calories to lose weight. In fact I’ve come across dozens of people who have been on a restricted diet for so long their bodies slowed down so much that they got fat!

It’s very important to try to establish a base before you start trying to lose weight. A lot of my clients who were in a caloric deficient before they started training with me found that while trying to get your calories to a base level they actually started to lose weight.

If you want to know more on this you’ll have to spend some 1:1 time with me or your strength and conditioning coach to get into the nitty gritty.

Anyhow you’ll find out just how to calculate your caloric needs below:

YOUR GOAL - Multiply Body Weight in Pounds By:

Activity Level	Weight Loss	Weight Maintenance
Sedentary (minimal exercise)	10-12	12-14
Moderately Active (3-4 times/wk)	12-14	14-16
Very Active (5-7 times/wk)	14-16	16-18

Step 1

Find your activity level and multiply those numbers by your goal whether it’s “weight loss” or “weight maintenance”.

Example

Moderate activity x weight loss

12-14 x 185 lbs

2220 Kcal – 2590 Kcal

Step 2

Look at the illustration and find which body type is similar to yours.

Step 3

Based on your activity level and your calories calculated from step 1, multiply your target calories by the percentages from your choice of body type.

Example

Mesomorph

Protein: 30%

Carbs: 40%

Fat: 30%

2220 Kcal x 0.30 = 666 Kcal from protein

2220 Kcal x 0.40= 888 Kcal from carbs

2220 Kcal x 0.30 = 666 Kcal from fat

Step 4

Convert your Kcal into grams by dividing your numbers from protein and carbs by 4 calories and your number from fat by 9 calories.

Example

666 Kcal protein ÷ 4 = 166.5g protein

888 Kcal from carbs ÷ 4 = 222g carbs

666 Kcal fat ÷ 9 = 74g fat

Protein- 166.5g

Carbs- 222g

Fat- 74g

There you have it, an easy way to find out how many calories you need to consume per day. Keep in mind that this is a very general approach to calculating your daily requirements and several other factors need to be taken into account to get the optimal results.

This is where a certified fitness professional such as myself may be of service to you.