Losing fat weight does
not mean simply reducing calorie intake by cutting out complete meals or not
eating for a few days. Fat weight should be lost gradually the same way it
was gained, it therefore requires a gradual decrease when lowering
daily calorie intake.
In order to lower calorie intake slowly
we must first calculate the calorie requirements of our body taking into
account different types and body
characteristics such as height, weight, age, gender and
activity levels.
In the UK it has been estimated that
the average woman needs around 2000 calories per day to maintain weight.
This calorie requirement rises to 2500 for average men. However, these
figures are based on averages and may be completely different for many
individuals. Women who weigh more will generally require more calories
although, if the same person becomes less active then calorie requirements
will be lower. Also men tend to need more calories than women, often due to
a leaner body composition. For this
reason calorie requirements are highly individual and therefore require a
more accurate approach.
Calculating calorie needs for the
different type of body characteristics such as height, gender, age and
activity levels.
The Harris
Benedict calculation is an accurate formula using such factors as height,
weight, age, and gender to determine calorie requirement for the basal
metabolic rate (BMR).
The Harris-Benedict Equation for
calculating calorie needs.
Use the appropriate formula for men or
women..
Men: BMR = 66 + (13.7 x
W) + (5 x H)
- (6.8 x Age) = Daily calories required
Women: BMR = 665 + (9.6 x
W) + (1.8 x H)
- (4.7 x Age) = Daily calories needs
Where:
W
= weight in Kgs
H = Height in cms ( 1 foot = 12 inches, 1
inch = 2.54 cms)
Age
= Years
An example for a 30 year old women
weighing 80 (176 pounds) Kgs and 5 foot 6 inches tall would be..
665 + (9.6 x 80)
+ (1.8 x 168) - (4.7 x
30)
665 + 768 + 302 - 141 =
1594 calories per day!
The values in the above
equation are based on averages within the population. Therefore the problem
with this equation is it doesn't take into account the amount of lean body
weight a person may have. For this reason people who are very muscular or
those who are obese may not obtain a very accurate calculation of BMR.
Muscular individuals may need more calories than the formula suggests and,
very overweight people may need less than the calories needs from the
calculation.
The above equation calculates calorie needs
for the BMR, you still need to work out calorie requirements for the day
including any activities.
Multiply your BMR by an
activity factor which more closely suits your lifestyle
-
Sedentary - none or very little
exercise = BMR X 1.2
- Light activity for average of 2 days/week
= BMR X 1.375
- Moderate activity level exercising
4 days/week = BMR X 1.5
- High activity levels exercise & sports
more than 6 days/week = BMR X 1.7
- Higher activity levels = up to 2 x BMR
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