Calculating your Calories

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Registered: 03-26-2003
Calculating your Calories
7
Fri, 03-04-2005 - 6:25pm

Millcreek, and whoever else is interested, here's how you create your daily energy needs.

First, convert your weight in pounds to kilograms by dividing by 2.2.

Basal Metabolic Rate (this is the number of calories your body needs to live)

Age 18-30 yrs.: (14.7 X wgt.)+ 496 = BMR

Age 30-60 yrs.: (8.7 X wgt.) + 829 = BMR

Activity Factor (Multiply the Activity Factor by your BMR)

Very Light - 1.3

Light - 1.5

Moderate - 1.9

Heavy - 1.9

Example: I'm approx. 112 lbs.; in the 30-60 age range; moderate activity.

112/2.2 = 50.9

(8.7 X 50.9) + 829 = 1271.83

1271.83 X 1.9 = 2416.48

So my average daily energy expenditure is 2416.48.

Millcreek, a lactating woman needs even more but i can't find the factor for that. I have it around somewhere, so I'll post it when I find it. There are other formulas to calculate this, but they come up w/ even higher numbers.

Soleilune
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Registered: 03-20-2003
Fri, 03-04-2005 - 6:55pm

Thanks, Soleil.






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Registered: 05-01-2003
Fri, 03-04-2005 - 7:25pm
I still need way more calories than I'm presently consuming. Thanks for posting the calculations. Do I use my current weight or the weight that I wish to be in the formula?
Avatar for soleilune
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Registered: 03-26-2003
Fri, 03-04-2005 - 7:35pm

Thanks for adding the disclaimer, Jean. :-o I normally remember to point things like that out but was in a hurry. This is the formula used by the World Health Organization. As I mentioned there are others, all of which I've found come up with higher numbers, but this is the one my nutrition certification cites and it's a reputable source. It's a good jumping off point, but it is based solely on broad age ranges and gender. Besides I don't think we really need to obsess about every last calorie.

I would like to add, for Millcreek's sake, that my metabolism was seriously out of whack as result of disordered eating (focusing too much on calories and macronutrient breakdown). As my relationship w/ food improved I began eating more & worrying less. As a closet neurotic I still obsess about food (I have a rather passionate relationship w/ it I refuse to give up) I focus on quality not quantity. As everyone here probably knows by now I'm smaller than i was as a dancer. I enjoy food, eat when I'm hungry & only 'til I'm full. I'd also like her to know that I ate more when i was breast feeding then I did when I was pregnant (pregnant I ate almost twice as much as beforehand) I had NO problems whatsoever keeping the weight off. Where I ran into trouble was afterwards. I won't get into why I gradually made my way up to 150lbs (there was no ONE reason, but multitude of little ones), but the fact is eating a wholesome, well balanced diet and keeping active, while REALLY listening to my body's cues was all I needed. That meant more food, as well as a greater variety, and less activity believe it or not. It's not quite as simple as it sounds but ultimately comes down to eating what the body needs, not depriving it. As a matter of fact, the bulk of the more recent literature, including including my certification manual, indicate that people who focus on eating well rather than counting calories are more successful at not just taking off but keeping off unwanted fat. That doesn't neccessarily mean everyone's going to be a size 6 or below, but not everyone was meant to be.

Soleilune
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Registered: 03-26-2003
Fri, 03-04-2005 - 7:42pm
Use your current weight. This gives you the number of calories your body needs to do all you need it to do. Since you're lactating you'll be using even more than this formula indicates, but as i mentioned I don't have that info on hand right now (my nutrition exam is in 3 weeks so I better find it I guess). When you're done breastfeeding, if you want to lose weight safely and effectively you'd shave an average of 500 cal./day off your final calculation - achieving it through a combination of healthy eating and activity. However, bear in mind this is a very general formula.
Soleilune
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Registered: 03-20-2003
Fri, 03-04-2005 - 8:13pm

I have a rather passionate relationship w/ it (food) I refuse to give up


Words to live by!






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Registered: 03-11-2004
Mon, 03-07-2005 - 6:59am
i don't like the formulas like this where you multiply by your activity level for someone who is counting calories. what we need is a formula that doesn't account for activity level so that we can keep track of the calories we actually spend in exercise rather than use the formula's guesstimate of how many calories an "active" person expends. that's why i think it's more accurate to use their "very light" or "light" figure, depending on how active you are WITHOUT exercise, and then specifically add in how many calories you burn each day in exercise.
Avatar for soleilune
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Registered: 03-26-2003
Mon, 03-07-2005 - 4:44pm
Not a bad idea.
Soleilune