fit tips
Creating
a Calorie
Budget
by HAC Assistant Fitness Director,
Rachael Ling
Just like a financial budget is
important to get a grasp on
the “bigger” picture and aid in
financial success, so is creating a
calorie budget. It is important to
understand where your “money”
or calories are going in order to
be successful in either endeavor.
Here is an easy breakdown most
will understand:
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Maintain Body Weight:
Calories In = Calories Out
Lose Body Weight:
Calories In < Calories Out
Gain Body Weight:
Calories In > Calories Out
HOW MANY CALORIES SHOULD
I CONSUME IN ORDER TO LOSE
WEIGHT?
Losing one pound requires that you burn
approximately 3,500 more calories than
you consume. Your estimated daily calorie
budget is the number of calories you should
consume in order to create the deficit
required to achieve your goal. It is computed
using two factors:
1.
An estimate of the number of calories
your burn each day.
2. The number of pounds you are
attempting to lose per week.
Research shows that losing 1-2 pounds
per week is the healthiest route to go. For
example, if you are attempting to lose one
pound per week and you normally burn
2,500 calories per day, then your daily
calorie budget would be 2,000 since
3,500 / 7 is 500.
STEP ONE
Determine your RMR (Resting Metabolic
Rate). Simply put, this is how many calories
you utilize on a daily basis to just “be.”
Meaning, maintaining basic life functions,
digestion, etc.
The Mufflin Equation for RMR
FOR MEN:
(10 x w) + (6.25 x h) - (5 x a) + 5
FOR WOMEN:
(10 x w) + (6.25 x h) - (5 x a) - 161
Where:
w = weight in kg
h = height in cm
a = age
(Journal of the American Dietetic
Association, Volume 103, Issue 9 , Pages
1152-1159, September 2003)
STEP TWO
Multiply this number by an activity factor
based on your judgment of how active
you are.
1.2
1.375
1.55
1.725
1.9
STEP THREE
Subtract 500 calories from this total number
to get how many calories you should be
consuming in order to lose 1 lb a week.
A word of caution: If you find this final
number to be below 1,200 calories, you
should consider increasing your activity
level. Even if we ate perfectly everyday,
every meal, it becomes extremely tough
to eat a balanced enough diet to maintain
appropriate health and avoid nutritional
deficiencies with such a low caloric intake.
ON A FINAL NOTE
In order to be successful, you must ensure
you follow this “Energy Balance” at least
six days a week, allowing yourself one free
day. The only way to do so is to track your
calories burned vs. calories consumed on
a daily basis. In order to accurately track
these numbers we suggest you utilize
a program that facilitates this effort. Our
favorite is www.myfitnesspal.com.This is a
free online program (or mobile app) that
helps you stay accountable with diet and
exercise.
Activity Factor
Sedentary
Lightly Active
Moderately Active
Very Active
Extremely Active
enhance magazine | NOVEMBER 2017
17