Have you calculated your Basal Metabolic Rate yet?
If not, go to this website, input your info, and write down your BMR. Got it? Good.
Today we’re going to take that number and make it more realistic. This is where the Harris-Benedict Formula comes in! Who is Harris and Benedict? Do you really care? Google it.
We’re going going to use this formula to calculate how many calories your body burns every day when you’re out and about, moving, working, running, jazzersizing, etc.
Take that BMR number you just calculated, and figure out where you fit into this equation:
- Little or no exercise : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.2
- Lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.375
- Moderately active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.55
- Very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.725
- Very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.9
Okay, so we spent the past three days plugging numbers into formulas and multiplying answers by fractions. Boring stuff I know, but as nerds you gotta at least appreciate the simplicity behind it.
(Note: this number doesn’t take into effect extreme amounts of lean muscle mass or excess fat; if you’re built like Brad Pitt in fight club you’ll need MORE calories than it says to maintain your weight, and if you’re built like Fat Bastard from Austin Powers you’ll need LESS calories to maintain your weight.)
Okay, now we get to the fun stuff, actually losing weight! If you learn one thing today, let it be this: 1 Pound of Body Fat is made up of 3500 calories. Do not forget this.
This piece of info will help shape your future as a healthy individual. If you’re looking to lose 1lb of fat, you’ll have to figure out a way to consume 3500 less calories per week, burn 3500 extra calories per week, or some combination of the two.
Further breaking it down, this equates to 500 less calories per day if you want to lose 1 lb of body fat.
WARNING: If you get a crazy idea to to cut your calorie intake drastically and lose lots of weight quickly, it won’t work. If you cut the calorie intake back (I’m talking way down), your BMR will actually slow down to keep the food inside you longer because your body thinks it’s starving.
So, don’t try to lose more than 1% of your body weight per week (generally a loss of 1-2 pounds per week is okay). Nice try, sucka!
If you’re looking for a starting point, this is it. Tomorrow, I want you to keep track of EVERY SINGLE THING you eat, count your calories, and find out where you fit in (gain/lose/maintain).
See if there’s a place for you to cut out 500 calories. If you can only find 200 or 300, then we’ll have to make up the rest with exercise. Which exercises burn the most calories?
-Steve
Previous Posts
- Level up your Life #1 – Making a Change
- Level up your Life #2 – Body Mass Index
- Level up your Life #3 – Basal Metabolic Rate
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