How many kilocalories do you need per day to lose weight? Daily intake of proteins, fats and carbohydrates for both sexes
The question of what to eat to lose weight makes many people smile. But there is also some truth hidden here, since losing weight does not mean starving. Judging by the reviews of those losing weight, many diets do not bring the desired results. It is almost not always possible to lose weight, and after some time the weight returns again, and exceeds the initial value before the diet.
In order to get rid of unnecessary pounds and transform your figure for the better, you just need to change your daily diet. Eating a healthy diet at regular intervals is the key to successful weight loss. Learning to eat healthy is not difficult. It is also possible to find out how many calories you need to eat per day to lose weight.
Many factors influence the body's caloric needs. Each person has different calorie needs. How many calories a person needs per day depends on metabolism, weight, height, gender, and also age. The level of human activity throughout the day also plays an important role.
How many calories should a person eat per day?
Nutritionists advise constantly monitoring the number of calories consumed per day. The health of your body depends on this. There is an established daily calorie intake for women; it averages from 2100 kcal to 3000 kcal. For men, this figure is slightly different - from 2600 to 3200 kcal. In order to find out how many calories you need to eat per day to lose weight, you need to calculate how much energy you spend per day. Necessary calories are converted into energy, and excess calories are stored in the body as fat deposits. Equally important is how many calories you need to burn per day. After all, in order for weight to decrease, the number of calories consumed must necessarily be less than the amount of energy used per day.
In order to lose weight, you should not reduce the daily amount of calories too much, since this still will not give the desired result, but will only worsen your health. The minimum calorie intake when losing weight should vary between 1300 and 1500 kcal per day for women; for men this figure is slightly higher. Now it is clear how many calories an average person who does not engage in sports or heavy physical labor needs per day. The number of calories that should enter the human body is also influenced daily by physical activity and sports activities. Therefore, it is best to calculate the number of calories consumed individually. For this, there are many different formulas that allow you to more accurately calculate the required amount of energy potential.
How many calories do you need to burn per day to lose weight?
In order to achieve the desired weight, you need to reduce the number of calories consumed from food; this principle underlies many diets. You reduce your daily diet, and as a result, your body begins to draw energy from existing fat reserves. Energy consumption per day depends on your lifestyle and physical activity. Metabolic processes, which also require energy, also play an important role.
Basal metabolic rate is the amount of energy the body needs to function properly when it is at rest. Therefore, you need to correctly calculate how many calories you need to spend per day in order to lose weight without harming your health. After all, the process of losing weight is not only about losing excess weight, but also about staying in shape after a diet.
You can calculate how many calories a person who wants to lose weight needs per day using a calorie calculator or independently, taking into account all the above characteristics. To this list you can also add food thermogenesis, that is, the energy that is spent by the body to digest food. Proteins are the most difficult to digest in the body. Therefore, their breakdown requires 10 times more energy than the breakdown of carbohydrates and fats.
The diet must be balanced. It is important to know how many calories you need to eat per day. Before you start losing weight, you need to decide what result you want to achieve after finishing the diet. This coefficient also affects the calculation of caloric intake.
What should you eat to lose weight?
Proper nutrition is the key to proper weight loss in the body. Many women begin their journey to their cherished dream by choosing a diet. And it is right. After all, a diet allows you to properly reduce your calorie intake. In addition, you will immediately know the calorie content of a particular dish. You should also clearly know how many calories your body needs per day.
There are a lot of ways to calculate individual calories; there should be no problems with this. But choosing a diet is much more difficult. Therefore, if you cannot decide for yourself, then you should definitely contact a nutritionist. The specialist will select a diet based on the characteristics of your body. It will also calculate how many calories your body needs per day in order to lose excess weight.
Diet nutrition has nothing to do with complete food restriction. An important principle of nutrition for weight loss is not hunger, but satiety of the body. During the diet, you eat the same way, but use low-calorie foods. In addition, you only reduce the portions, and increase the number of doses per day up to 5 times.
It is very important for people on a diet to eat a lot of vegetables and fruits, since they contain a huge amount of useful substances and fiber, which remove toxins and excess water from the body. Low-fat fermented milk products, low-calorie meat, low-fat fish, various cereals will bring your weight back to normal and significantly improve your health. If you know exactly how many calories you need per day, you can independently create a dietary but tasty menu for every day.
One of the most important questions that every person who wants to lose weight asks is the amount of food they eat, namely, how many calories do they need per day to lose weight. And this is not at all surprising, because almost 90% of success depends on the menu and food you choose. And today we will tell you what and in what quantity you need to eat daily in order to become the owner of a slim and beautiful body.
Each person is entitled to a certain number of calories per day for normal functioning and optimal functioning of all internal systems of the body. Therefore, it is so important to know and understand how much energy value is in certain foods and how to count calories in order to lose weight.
By the concept of calorie content we mean the energy value of food, which is beneficial for the human body, allowing internal systems and organs to function properly. The foods we eat every day may contain the same number of calories, but some of them will be useful for weight loss, while others, on the contrary, will contribute to the accumulation of fat and the formation of extra pounds.
Those who want to lose weight need to saturate their body with fortified and healthy foods that can restore and maintain optimal balance in the future. In this case, there is no need to eat fatty foods with various harmful additives, or to consume food in excessive quantities in order to “stock up” for the coming day.
Those who want to lose weight need to remember the main rule - the number of calories burned and consumed should be approximately equal (balanced). If your consumption of unhealthy foods exceeds your daily caloric needs, and you do not use the energy you receive through food, the balance will be upset. The same will happen if you consume low-value foods and lead an active lifestyle. In the first case, excess energy will be reflected in the deposition of excess fat, and in the second - negative consequences in terms of deterioration of health. In this regard, a completely fair question arises: how many calories does a person need to consume per day for the fight against excess weight to end in favor of those losing weight?
When talking about how much energy a person needs during the day, one must also take into account the individual characteristics of the body. There is no universal advice on this issue, and therefore you should not apply the recommendations of nutritionists intended for another person.
When counting calories, several parameters must be taken into account:
- gender;
- actual age;
- body weight;
- height;
- lifestyle (physical activity).
The minimum amount of calories needed for 24 hours is:
- 1200 kcal for women;
- 1600 – for men.
Individual calculations
Well, exactly how much energy value you need to get from food can be calculated using a special formula. Its developer is Muffin Jeor, who in not so distant 1990 was able to determine a universal way to calculate calories for weight loss. And it is still considered the most accurate method among many others, which helps in determining the optimal amount of kcal recommended for daily consumption.
First you need to weigh yourself and measure your exact height (in cm). Next, taking a calculator, you can make calculations. First of all, you should find out the actual metabolism in the body, i.e. an indicator of energy consumption necessary for normal human life. It is defined as follows:
- Women – 10 x body weight (in kg) + 6.25 x height – 5 x number of years – 161
- For men – 10 x body weight + 6.25 x height – 5 x number of years + 5
Example. Let's use the example of a 28-year-old girl, weighing 65 kg and 173 cm tall, to determine how many calories to eat per day to lose weight. According to the formula, we determine the minimum amount of kcal.
10 x 65 + 6.25 x 173 – 5 x 28 – 161 = (650 + 1081.25 – 140 – 161) = 1430 kcal
At the next stage of calculations, it is important to find out what energy consumption will be during the day at a particular rhythm of life. That is:
- for office workers and inactive people who do not engage in sports at all, you need to multiply the metabolic rate (in our case, 1430 kcal) by a factor of 1.2;
- for people who regularly play sports (at least 2 times a week) - exchange x 1.375;
- those who lead an active lifestyle and devote 4-5 days a week to sports should multiply the exchange by a factor of 1.55;
- those who devote 1-1.5 hours to physical activity every day should make calculations using the formula exchange x 1.725;
- For working people who lead a physically active lifestyle and exercise every day, the formula will help: exchange x 1.9.
At this stage, a person can understand how much time he needs to devote to physical activity per day in order to set a minimum limit for calories consumed if he wants to lose weight. For example, for a woman who wants to be slim and who regularly exercises (2-3 times a week), it is necessary to consume no more than 1966 (1430 x 1,375) kcal per day. This amount of valuable energy will allow her to remain in the same physical shape without losing or gaining weight. At the same time, she only needs to reduce the number of calories consumed by 20% in order to gradually and safely lose excess body weight.
But if we are talking about rapid weight loss, you can decide on more radical measures, cutting the calorie intake to 1000 kcal per day. Proponents of this “diet” claim that with its help you can get rid of up to 8-9 kg in just 1 month with minimal physical activity.
What can you eat for 1000 kcal?
Elementary - products with low calorie content, but high nutritional value. It can be:
- fresh light vegetables;
- vegetable soups and broths;
- eggs;
- chicken or turkey meat;
- low-fat or low-calorie dairy products.
Moreover, some daredevils decide to cut calories to lose weight, up to 500. Of course, with this diet, you will have to eat only soups or vegetables, boiled buckwheat with chicken fillet and fresh vegetables in small portions per day. As many adherents of this method of combating excess weight note, the promised -12 kg per month is worth it. However, we should not forget about the dangers of missing calories. When wondering how many calories to consume to lose weight, do not forget that the ideal weight loss is 1 kg per week. This way of losing excess body weight will preserve health and muscle tissue.
A special program called a “calorie analyzer” will help you correctly calculate the required amount of calories per day. By filling out several fields in it according to the purpose (weight, height, etc.), based on the results of the calculations, you can get an individual caloric value. In addition, it allows you to keep daily records with tables of nutrition and energy expended.
Such a calorie counter shows how much the total caloric intake should be reduced as a percentage (it should be less than the cost). If you consume foods within the prescribed limits, but the weight does not decrease in two weeks, again reduce the overall indicator by 20-30% of energy consumption. Even if there are no positive results in this case, consult a nutritionist. Perhaps the reason for weight stagnation is not in the diet.
What to do if this method does not work?
If cutting calories does not help, you should look for another reason that is preventing you from losing weight. Typically, eating too infrequently is the main reason for slow (or absent) calorie expenditure. Even if you eat small portions, they should be divided into 5-6 meals. The more often you eat, the faster your weight will decrease.
Using the calorie counter, you may notice that the program additionally provides information about the optimal ratio of consumed fats, proteins, and carbohydrates. Improper distribution of these substances will also hinder the desired results. By saturating your body with proteins, you can preserve your muscles. Therefore, your diet must be structured so that there is more protein and less fat and carbohydrates. Thus, the body will convert fat reserves into energy, and this is very important when losing weight.
And, of course, minimal physical activity. If you are wondering how many calories to eat to lose weight, change not only your diet, but also your lifestyle. You don't have to sign up for a gym if you don't really want to. It is enough to do more useful movements during the day. Walking in the park, taking the stairs instead of taking the elevator, riding a bike 2-3 days a week are some minor exercises that will help you speed up your metabolism and burn excess fat. Remember, losing weight requires a comprehensive approach.
Many people these days are asking questions about how many calories you need to consume per day to lose weight. Fortunately, this is not difficult to calculate. There are special calculation options that use different coefficients, we will talk about this below. Don't forget that diet is not enough to effectively eliminate calories. Physical activity is also necessary. Especially when working sedentary.
When a person sits in one place all the time, the calorie content of all the dishes he eats becomes a terrible threat to his physical fitness. Without additional physical activity, calories are deposited on the sides, buttocks, stomach and other parts of the body. In order to avoid this, it is necessary to calculate the coefficient, which must be used in a certain formula. Calculating calories will help you determine the amount of food you need to eat per day.
Calculation using the coefficient is not as complicated as it seems at first glance. You need to substitute the values into the formula, which is different for men and women.
Formula for men
OO = 10 * weight (kg) + 6.25 * height (cm) – 5 * age + 5
Formula for women
OO = 10 * weight (kg) + 6.25 * height (cm) – 5 * age – 161
In order to calculate the required daily calorie consumption, you should multiply OO (basal metabolic rate) by the following coefficients:
- Sedentary lifestyle – OO * 1.2;
- Low level of physical activity (sports 1-3 times a week) – OO * 1.375;
- Average level of physical activity (sports 3-5 times a week) – OO * 1.55;
- High level of physical activity (sports daily) – OO * 1.725;
- Very high level of physical activity (playing sports several times daily) – OO * 1.9.
How many calories should a 30-year-old woman, weighing 70 kg and height 160 cm, need to consume in order not to gain extra calories, given the fact that she does not exercise?
OO = 10 * 70 kg 6.25 * 160 – 5 * 30 – 161 = 1389 kcal
Calculation: OO = 1389 * 1.2 = 1667 kcal - this is how many calories you need to consume. If you exercise regularly, you will be able to lose extra pounds much faster.
Now let’s calculate the daily amount of calories for the same woman so that she can lose weight without physical activity. To achieve weight loss, in this case you should slightly reduce your kcal intake per day. But how to do it right? In order to properly get rid of extra pounds, nutritionists recommend reducing your daily calorie intake by 20%. That is, multiply the daily norm by a factor of 0.8.
Some try to reduce calories even more for faster weight loss; for this, when calculating calories, the coefficient is not 0.8 (20%), but 0.6 (40%). So, in the case of our example, we get: 0.6 * 1667 = 1000 kcal. But do not forget that if you are not observed by a nutritionist, the safe limit for you is the following norm: for women 1200 kcal, and for men - 1800 kcal. So, the calculation for our example is 0.8 * 1667 = 1334.
Expert opinion
Egorova Natalya Sergeevna
Dietitian, Nizhny Novgorod
I agree with the author of the article: you should not consume less than 1200 kcal per day, since this is the lower limit of what is acceptable. And you need to count the number of calories consumed taking into account the person’s level of physical activity. It is logical that with more physical activity the body requires more energy.
As an example, let's compare two people of the same age with the same weight and +/- the same basal metabolic rate. The first sits in the office for days, drives a car and does not like to walk. And the second one works as a security guard, walks a lot, and goes to the gym three times a week. It is logical that each of them will require a completely different amount of calories per day. After all, the first one consumes relatively little energy, the second one – a lot. And the second one will feel exhausted if his body does not receive the calories it needs.
I would like to draw your attention to the fact that for weight loss, not only the calorie content of foods is important, but also the ratio of fats, proteins and carbohydrates in them. If you eat foods with a lot of “fast” carbohydrates, it will be more difficult to lose weight. In general, if anyone is interested, look at the website, there were articles about the ratio of BJU in the diet and the glycemic index.
Flow calculator
Your age | 0-3 months |
4-6 months |
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Floor: | Pregnant: yes nursing (1-6 months) nursing (7-12 months) pregnant: no |
Your weight in kg.
- Your physical activity
- light physical activity light physical activity moderate physical activity high physical activity very high physical activity
- Correctly calculating the number of kcal for weight loss is not all that you need to do in order to reduce your weight. Firstly, do not forget about physical activity, and secondly, pay attention to those foods that need to be excluded from your diet. These are fatty foods, dairy, sweets and flour.
- Weigh yourself daily and write down your weight in a special notebook;
- Weigh your portions on a kitchen scale, the permissible error is no more than 1 gram;
- If you take lunch with you to work or school, carry foods in which you have calculated the kilocalories in advance;
- Increase physical activity, start jogging or going to the gym;
Write down your daily calories in a separate notebook;
During the diet, it is better to give up alcohol, as it contributes to gaining extra pounds;
Try to eat 4-5 times a day in small portions.
Getting rid of extra pounds is not so difficult. To lose weight properly, you just need to make a calculation using a special coefficient, the result of which will show how many calories you are allowed per day to lose weight. And don't forget about physical activity. They will not only help you lose weight, but will also significantly improve your health.
Women need to consume fewer calories per day than men. This is due to the peculiarities of metabolism. Consumption is higher for people who engage in various sports or lead an active lifestyle. Pregnant women also need more calories, as do children. And older ladies, especially those with a low level of physical activity, will have to constantly limit themselves due to the low energy needs of the body.
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- the activity in which a person is engaged;
- physical activities that are included in his life;
- age.
- the older a person gets, the lower the norm;
- the daily requirement for women is lower than for men;
- Pregnant and lactating women must provide energy for the child, so they eat more;
- people who do intense training should eat twice as much.
- Digesting food requires about 200 more calories;
- active sports activities consume a lot;
- additional energy is also needed for mental work.
- With little or no activity:
- girls aged 18-25 years need about 2000 kcal;
- from 26 to 50 - about 1800;
- from 50 - the norm is 1600.
- With average activity you can use:
- 18-25 years old - 2200;
- 26-50 - 2000:
- women over 50 - 1800.
- For high activity the norm will be:
- for young girls - 2400;
- for others - 2200;
- after 60, 2000 is enough.
Show all
Daily norm
The daily norm for men and women is radically different. Not only age plays a role, but also lifestyle, metabolism, and the goal that needs to be achieved. If you want to lose weight, the amount of food consumed should be reduced. If you need to gain weight, the calorie content should exceed the daily requirement.
The course of metabolic processes in women and men is different. Therefore, on average, the consumption rate (in kcal) for a woman is 2000, and for a man - 2500. But with the help of formulas, tables and examples, you can calculate more accurately. The result must be correlated with lifestyle.
First you need to understand what a calorie is. A person spends 2000 kcal per day, but for convenience they are simply called calories (although everywhere we mean thousands). This is a unit of energy that a person spends on life processes.
When there is too much of it, the excess is stored as fat. It happens that there is not enough energy for life support, then energy is taken from reserves. At the same time, weight loss occurs. Any activity, physical or mental, requires additional energy, so calculating the norm depends not only on what gender it is done for, but also on lifestyle. The following factors may influence:
Young people need a lot of energy per day. This is due to the fact that a lot is spent on the development of organs and systems. At a more mature age, these needs do not exist. People who work in an office need significantly fewer calories than those who work in a factory. If a person regularly engages in intense training, then the consumption in this case is higher. Research shows that they need to consume twice the normal amount for his age. Main points:
How to eat
Basically, everything is simple with quantity, more difficult with quality. Food should always be balanced. Something like this: 30% should be fats, 50% carbohydrates, 20% proteins.
A slight deviation from these proportions does not have a significant effect. However, a strong disorder, for example, eating a large amount of fatty foods with a small amount of proteins and carbohydrates, turns into fat deposits.
In most cases, the menu should contain a lot of fruits and vegetables. Then there will be no excess weight. If only carbohydrates are consumed, a sufficient amount of energy is supplied for life and little protein. This can lead to painful health.
Every element - proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals - is necessary to maintain health. If something begins to be supplied excessively, then the second, naturally, is not enough. In order to guarantee comfortable weight loss, it is necessary to remove confectionery products, animal fats and sugar from the daily diet. This will ensure a sufficient level of health. To start losing weight quickly, you need to limit the number of calories you consume.
Calculation of norm
The body spends one calorie to provide a kilogram of weight per hour. Let's say your weight is 60 kg, then multiplying by 24 gives you a daily requirement of 1440 calories. This amount is enough to keep the body in working condition, but also:
From the table you can see approximate examples of daily intake for women and men. But it can be set more accurately than shown above, since the data may differ. For example, a short person requires fewer calories, while a tall person requires, on average, more.
Daily value for a woman
A woman needs less energy than a man. It depends on factors such as height, age, working conditions and even climate. A woman quickly gains weight, this is due to the physiological processes of the body, which is trying to put aside reserves in case of pregnancy. Therefore, the accumulation of fat mass occurs instantly. This is not the case for everyone, however, most people have to limit their consumption of sweets and starchy foods.
How to calculate correctly
It all depends on the purpose for which the calculation is being made. If you need to maintain your body in its current state without losing weight, you can choose one of the options below:
When losing weight
In order to organize comfortable weight loss, you need to subtract 500 kilocalories from the daily norm. This will help you lose 0.5 kg of weight every week, eliminating skin curling from sudden weight loss. If you increase this amount to 1000, the woman will lose 1 kg per week. It is necessary that the daily norm is not lower than 1200, since in this case the body will experience stress and go into economy mode. The weight loss stops there.
There are several formulas for calculation. The most popular of them is the Mifflin-San Geor formula. He introduced it several years ago. Today it represents the most accurate calculation by which you can find out the daily norm:
10 x weight (in kg) + 6.251 x height (cm) – 5 x age – 161
The result obtained is multiplied by the following activity coefficient
Harris-Benedict formula
This formula was developed back in 1919, so it is a little inaccurate for modern women. But as an example we can consider this:
655.2 + 9.562 x weight (in kg) + 1.85 x height (cm) – 4.675 x age.
The resulting number is multiplied by the coefficient from the list above.
The norm for a man
The daily calorie intake for men is different from that for women. Their body requires more protein to build muscle mass, if the man leads an active life. Fat is stored on the stomach, not on the thighs. Therefore, if you need to lose weight, then it is easier and faster. It is enough to increase physical activity, eat less flour products and sugar, and within a week you will see results.
They have a harder time tolerating varied diets. When the weight loss norm for women, which should not be exceeded, is 2 kg per month or half a kilogram per week, a man can easily lose weight twice as fast. It is more difficult for them to recover, since the dose needs to be significantly increased.
In order for the body to work without interruption (to maintain weight), it is necessary:
Formulas
The calculation is slightly different from that for women and is as follows:
10 x weight (in kg) + 6.251 x height (cm) – 5 x number of years + 5
The resulting value must be multiplied by the activity coefficient, which is the same as for women. The Harris-Benedict formula is calculated as follows:
66.51 + 13.752 x weight (kg) + 5.0031 x height (cmr) – 6.7751 x number of years
The result obtained is multiplied by the activity coefficient.
Norms for weight loss
Considering that a suitable option from the list above has already been selected, it is necessary to subtract 20% for comfortable weight loss. For example: when determining the daily requirement of 2000 calories, in order to lose weight, you need to get up to 1600.
To quickly lose weight, you need to remove 40% of the norm. In this case, you need to eat no more than 1200. The minimum amount, as for women, should not be less than 1200.
If we take the average norm for men and women, it will look like this:
Labor intensity | Age | ||||||||
Men | Women |
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Work involves mental work | |||||||||
Work related to the service sector | |||||||||
Work involving significant physical effort | |||||||||
Elderly people | |||||||||
Norm for children
Based on age, the norms per day are:
The norm for a teenager is equal to that of adult women and men. It is worth paying attention to the child. Some children are very active and energetic. They need to eat more, they will burn more. Others are more relaxed, so their daily allowance may be lower. Mom and dad must determine for themselves how many calories the child needs to consume per day.
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I was especially distressed by my eyes, which were surrounded by large wrinkles, plus dark circles and puffiness. How to completely remove wrinkles and bags under the eyes? How to deal with swelling and redness?
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Our calculator is designed for those who adhere to a flexible diet, or just want to switch to this nutrition system.
The basic principle of a flexible diet is that you can eat almost anything, as long as the following conditions are met:
- it is necessary to adhere to your individual level of daily calorie intake;
- the correct ratio of proteins, fats, carbohydrates is maintained.
That is, you must provide your body with a stable supply of the correct amount of calories and the required ratio of proteins, fats, carbohydrates (BJU), but the sources of these elements and energy can be represented by an endless number of foods and dishes.
When using a flexible diet, you not only count the total number of calories you consume, but you also need to manage your ratio of calories.
For example, you can spend your entire calorie budget on a pancake breakfast, but remember that you need to provide the right amount of fat and protein. And don’t be surprised that by lunchtime you may feel tired - you’ve used up all the carbohydrates and now you have no energy left.
Use this calculator to calculate your daily caloric intake and optimal macronutrient ratios based on your age, height, weight, gender and physical activity level. Apply these results to flexible dieting to lose weight, keep it off, or gain muscle.
Physical activity level
High levels of physical activity are accompanied by higher calorie expenditure. To accurately control the calories burned (and therefore calculate the daily caloric intake required for consumption), you need to determine how many calories you burn during sports activities: for this, use our.
Too much physical activity coupled with low calorie intake can lead to muscle catabolism (the breakdown of muscle tissue), which in turn slows metabolism and weight loss. Typically your metabolism starts to slow down after 3 days on a reduced calorie diet.
Weight loss and loss of fat mass do not always mean the same thing: weight can be lost due to loss of muscle mass, while the amount of fat tissue remains the same. To prevent this from happening, it is important to calculate the optimal ratio of macroelements - BZHU.
Incorporating regular exercise into your new lifestyle helps maintain your muscle mass levels even when you are in a calorie deficit.
But remember:
- The body spends 5-25% of total energy expenditure on physical activity, and this is not only special fitness classes, this also includes walking, doing our daily activities, etc.;
- about 10% of energy is spent on digesting food;
- about 60-80% of energy is spent on the basic functioning of the body.
Therefore, physical activity will definitely help in the process of losing weight, but still, the most important thing is limiting calorie intake.
Moreover, it should be taken into account that the body can spend a limited amount of calories per day; it cannot work endlessly, even if we constantly throw new energy into it. Therefore, if you spent a lot of calories on sports today, your body will optimize your daily calorie expenditure and will spend fewer calories on other processes. As a result, the total daily calorie expenditure of this day will not be much more than yesterday.
Physical activity is very important in itself, for both physical and psychological health, but with its help we can regulate a maximum of 5-25% of our daily energy expenditure.
What happens if there are too few calories? And is it possible to lose weight through diet alone?
With an extremely low calorie intake, muscle catabolism begins, muscles melt, and accordingly, the body begins to spend less energy on its basic life activities. That is, your basal metabolic rate decreases. This means that as soon as you return to your normal diet, you will not only regain your weight, but you will also gain more. Therefore it is very important:
When losing weight, be sure to introduce physical activity; this will help you not to lose muscle mass while reducing your calorie intake or even increase it, which means increasing your basal metabolism. This will help you lose weight much more effectively and prevent you from gaining weight when you return to your normal diet.
Macronutrients: proteins, fats and carbohydrates
Squirrels
Proteins are important for the growth of new tissue as well as the repair of damaged tissue - this is what happens when you exercise.
Protein should be your best friend if you want to gain or maintain muscle mass.
But protein isn't just about muscle, it's also about satiety, which will help you stick to your diet.
Protein sources: eggs, milk, cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese, meat, fish, nuts, beans, peas, lentils, soybeans and other legumes.
Fats
Fat is often wrongly demonized.
Fats can be very beneficial for achieving your body shaping goals, they also affect hormones - too little fat can be harmful to the body.
25% of all calories provided by a flexible diet are allocated to fat. This can be adjusted later, but this is what the initial proportion looks like.
Sources of fat: olive oil, coconut oil, natural peanut butter and other nut oils, avocado, almonds, walnuts, cashews, red fish, mackerel, egg yolks.
Carbohydrates
Your body uses carbohydrates to make glucose, which is our body's preferred form of fuel or energy. They are the ones who give us the opportunity to stay active.
Fiber, which is important to watch if you want to stay healthy, is also a source of carbohydrates, but it contains no calories.
Sources of carbohydrates: To cereals and cereals, bread, cereals, pasta, potatoes, fruits, vegetables, flour products.
Carbohydrates are simple and complex.
Complex carbohydrates
Complex carbohydrates are digested more slowly, which means the energy released during their processing is distributed by the body evenly throughout its life activities, without turning into fat reserves. And what’s also important is that the energy from complex carbohydrates is evenly released over 3-4 hours, which means that all this time the body will have enough energy and will not require additional food.
Typically, foods containing complex carbohydrates are darker in color than simple ones.
Examples — oats, brown rice, starchy vegetables, whole grain bread.
Simple carbohydrates
Simple carbohydrates are absorbed too quickly, the body does not have time to use them up and they go into fat reserves. In addition, the body receives energy in the form of a short burst, and then a breakdown occurs.
Examples — white rice, white bread, cookies and sweets.
Serving frequency and size
A large portion for one meal, even if you meet the daily calorie intake, can trigger fat deposition.
This happens according to a principle similar to the assimilation of simple carbohydrates: the body immediately receives a lot of calories, a lot of energy, the body may not have time to use it all and then some of the energy may be deposited as fat.
If the daily diet is divided into a larger number of small portions, then each meal will contain fewer calories, which the body is more likely to absorb. Also in this case, the load on the digestive organs - the stomach, pancreas, etc. - is reduced.
In addition, it is recommended to eat before any active activity (physical: for example, before a walk, or just before going to work, or even mental - with increased mental activity, the body also spends more energy). But you shouldn’t lie on the couch or sleep after eating.
Calories for reducing fat mass
There is a belief that a pound of fat equals 3,500 calories, so a daily deficit of 500 calories should help you lose a pound of fat per week.
In fact, everything is not quite like that.
In general, the body's energy expenditure gradually decreases as a person begins to lose weight. This means that you will inevitably find yourself at the plateau stage - stopping weight loss. The amount of food that previously led to weight loss will one day lead to weight maintenance. What follows from the warning:
Always try to aim for your daily caloric expenditure at the "Normal Weight Loss" level.
The “Extreme rate of weight loss” level is the most extreme and dangerous to health. Don't try to switch to it right away in hopes of a quick effect. Ultimately, the result may be the opposite of the desired one. This option provides the lowest level of calorie intake that can be considered. It should be seen as the exception rather than the rule. It is healthier to burn fat than to get rid of it through fasting.
Weight loss plateau - why weight stops falling when you reduce calorie intake
Over time, the body adapts to the reduced amount of calories consumed.
The body begins to use energy more efficiently - it slows down metabolism, so it burns less fat. This is why many people reach a weight loss plateau.
At this stage, the only option is to speed up your metabolism by:
- increasing cardio loads, strength training,
- eating “deceptive” food (i.e. periodically introducing high-calorie foods into the diet);
- periodic changes in the number of calories (the so-called “zig-zag” diet - used in our calculator, in a detailed calculation of calorie consumption by day); Link
- changes in the proportions of macroelements.
Important:
Only reducing the number of calories, in the absence of physical activity, will slow down your metabolism, and the moment you return to a “normal” diet, the weight will return again. Try to pay more attention to the exercises.
Learn to eat slowly - Research shows that people who eat quickly tend to be overweight.
Zig-zag diet
For more effective weight loss, it is recommended to follow a zig-zag diet, that is, it is necessary to alternate days according to the level of calorie consumption - sometimes less than the norm, sometimes more than the norm, leaving the calculated number of calories on average. This prevents the body from adapting to the reduced calorie intake and slowing down the metabolism.