How Many Calories Do I Need To Lose Weight: Taking The Ambiguity Out Of Weight Loss
If you ask the average American if they need to lose weight, more often than not the response you get will be in the affirmative. Sadly, American society has become the most overweight and obese society that has existed…ever. The consequences of this cannot be overstated. Certain cancers are more likely due to higher adiposity levels. A correlation between one’s hip to waist ratio and the propensity for heart attacks has been clearly established. Even joint pain is more likely to be a concern for those holding excess pounds as the human body tries to account for the extra mass it is forced to carry and move on a daily basis.
One of the most frustrating things for many people is simply not knowing what to do and how to do it. Within the title of this article is an assumption; that being that altering your caloric intake can affect weight loss. Many people are aware of this. However, the next question becomes how many calories do I need to lose weight? The answer is not a universal one. The answer is based on the individual. In this article I will take out the ambiguity that makes weight loss so challenging for so many, and give you specific tools so that you can see weight loss success.
Figuring Out Your Daily Caloric Needs
Each person has their own daily caloric needs. Even if you are lying in a bed all day, your body still needs calories in order to facilitate respiration, circulation, digestion, and a whole host of other bodily processes. There is a way you can estimate how many calories a day your body needs. This estimate is important to begin the process of narrowing down how many calories a day you should be taking in so that you can start to see the damage of the holidays or multiple “all you can eat” buffets start to subside.
To get an estimate of your body’s daily caloric need, you will need to figure out your Basal Metabolic Rate. There is also something called Resting Metabolic Rate, but using the Basal Metabolic Rate is fine. The differences between the two are not that great and I won’t go into them here. You can estimate your BMR by going here. While not 100% accurate, this calculation will give you a fairly accurate estimate of how many calories a day your body needs. Did you get that number? Good, because we are going to need it going forward.
Creating The Caloric Deficit
Now that you have your BMR estimate, we can proceed to create what is known as a caloric deficit. While I highly recommend creating a caloric deficit both through diet and exercise for the majority of people, since we are focusing more on caloric intake in this article, we will stick to creating the deficit solely through diet. Keep in mind however that the majority of people will see better gains and keep those gains for the long term when they implement a caloric deficit both through diet and exercise.
We are going to take that number and do a little bit of math. Don’t worry it’s not that difficult and there won’t be a test at the end. I’m going to use a theoretical example. Input your own BMR instead of my numbers and you’ll get the numbers you need.
Joe Sixpacks BMR: 1800 calories a day
Amount of Caloric Deficit: 250 calories a day
Amount of Calories Joe will take in every day: 1550
Even though your BMR is different than Joe’s, for now go ahead and stick to the 250 caloric deficit I indicated (unless your BMR is under 1250…more on this later). By doing this, your body is going to start taking in less calories than it needs in order to perform its daily functions. Your body will need to pull that energy from somewhere, and it is going to look primarily to stored fat in order to make up for the lack of incoming units of energy (i.e. calories). This is what will start to bring about weight loss.
The example used above and specifically the 250 caloric deficit used is just an example. A 250 calorie deficit each day will approximate out to about 1750 calories a week. One pound of fat is approximately 3500 calories. 1750 is about half of that. Therefore, we are looking at about a half pound of fat loss per week with this example. Keep in mind that this is actual fat loss, not water weight. Most people will see more than a half pound of loss on the scale for the first week or two mainly because as they begin to restrict calorie intake they consequently restrict carbohydrate intake. As they begin to do this, the body starts to shed some water weight. After a few weeks, the weekly loss in weight will typically start to level out.
How To Keep Track Of Your Calories
The entire principal I have indicated thus far is predicated on the fact that you are able to track your caloric intake. This can be more difficult and frustrating than one might think. There are some great tools however that you can use in order to get a pretty accurate picture of your daily caloric intake. I have had numerous clients use these tools over the years, and every single one who has used them has lost weight, with only a few unique medical conditions being the exception. There are some great websites and apps out there that will give you a wealth of information. Not only can you get a clear picture of your caloric intake, but you can also see your percentage and grams of protein, fat, and carbohydrates broken down individually. It takes a little bit of time and effort to put in your daily food consumption when using a calorie tracking website. Trust me when I say though that your chances of success go up dramatically if you do so. Some of the calorie tracking websites will let you put in goals or targets, and then indicate to you if you have met that target daily.
A Few Additional Words About Reducing Caloric Intake
There are a few considerations to keep in mind if you begin to reduce your caloric intake and start to see weight loss.
- Don’t Go Below 1000 Calories A Day: This is generally considered to be getting pretty low and should be done only under a doctor’s supervision and guidance.
- Be Willing To Adjust: You may not be losing weight as you would like. You can bump up your caloric deficit a little bit and see if that helps.
- Stick To What Is Reasonable: This isn’t television. What is considered both safe and effective long term for weight loss is 1% of your bodyweight per week. Try not to go over that.
- Inform Your Doctor Of Significant Weight Loss With Respect To Medications: Weight loss can affect the dosage required of some medications, so make sure to update your doctor when you start to see the weight coming off.
- Don’t Make Fat The Enemy: Fat is an essential macronutrient. It is generally recommended to not go below 20% of your daily caloric intake from fat.
- Get Sufficient Protein: If you do not consume adequate protein, it is possible that your body can begin to catabolize and begin to break down muscle for energy along with the fat. It is generally recommended that people get 10% to 15% of their caloric intake from protein. This is extremely general however as the protein source, quality, and levels and types of exercise can all affect how much protein should be taken in.
- Your BMR Will Change: As you lose weight, your BMR will change. This means that you will hit a plateau if you don’t alter your daily caloric intake. For every 10% or so of bodyweight lost, it’s a good idea to go back and recalculate your BMR, and readjust your caloric deficit accordingly so that you continue to reach your goal.
Many people know that they need to lose weight, and that caloric intake plays a big role in that objective. The question of how many calories do I need to lose weight is best addressed by figuring out your BMR, and then developing a plan to consume less than that amount, thereby creating a deficit. There are many great ideas and diets out there can bring about weight loss, but every single one of them at some point comes down to creating a caloric deficit and requiring the body to pull from fat for energy. By implementing the principals in this article, as well as the 7 considerations aimed toward healthy weight loss, you can be well on your way to achieving your weight loss goals.
Paul Owens is a personal trainer in the Cleveland area. He is a Certified Personal Trainer through the National Strength and Conditioning Association, and the National Council on Strength and Fitness. He is also a Corrective Exercise Specialist through the National Academy of Sports Medicine. He can be reached at http://www.clevelandpersonaltraining.com.
