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Estimate Your Daily Calorie Expenditure Fill out this form to calculate three estimates of your daily calorie expenditure  The first estimate is computed using the Harris-Benedict Equation (HB) which was developed in 1919.  The second estimate is computed using an equation recommended in a 1989 publication by the National Research Council (NRC).  The third estimate is based on the Cunningham (C) equation, which was developed in 1982. You can find discussions of the equations in Essentials of Exercise Physiology and Fad-Free Nutrition. The formulas used here apply to healthy adults who are not pregnant or lactating.  Sorry, I don't have any formulas for children, teens, pregnant or lactating women. Enter Data Fill out form, then click the "calculate" button when you are done: After clicking, scroll down to read the results. Results include some weight loss advice ... way at the end. Fill in table: Select Male Female Input Height  cm in  Input Weight kg lb Input Age years % body fat (if known) % Select Your Activity Factor.  Select the activity level that describes most of your daily activities. Resting: Sleeping, reclining. Very Light: Seated or standing activities. Office work. Light: Light walking, house cleaning, golf Moderate: Brisk walking, carrying loads, tennis, dancing. Heavy: Heavy manual labor, soccer, digging. If you exercise regularly, fill in the following the following boxes.  It's ok to leave them blank. In addition to my normal daily activities, I burn an additional  calories,  times a week doing vigorous exercise. The individual exercise sessions take  hour and minutes. (You can find the number of calories burned for certain exercises by clicking here.)

Your Daily Calorie Needs.

Based on the average of all equations you need  cal/day if you rest all day.  This is your REE (which is often mistakenly called your BMR.  Your BMR is the number of calories you would need if you slept all day. Resting includes sitting while awake!)

Your calorie requirement estimate accounts for your REE plus the additional number of calories required for normal daily activities and exercise; based on the average of all equations, you burn  cal/day. Eat more calories than you burn, and you gain weight, eat less and you lose weight.  That part is simple.

But guess what, those two estimates were for people with average metabolic rates. You probably think you are unique, right?  Well, you're probably right!

Based on a snippet data reported in "Thin for Life", I estimated that the standard deviation for the resting energy expenditure is 20% of the REE  I'm going way out on a limb here, but based on this standard deviation, I estimated a higher and lower bounds for REE.  These are:

• The lower bound estimate for your REE is  cal/day.
• The upper bound estimate for your REE is  cal/day.

I also predicted lower and upper bounds for the total number of calories you burn a day.  These are:

• Lower bound  cal/day.
• Upper bound  cal/day.

I have no idea how to determine if your REE falls in the lower range. (Well, I have an idea, but it's not easy to do it yourself.)  Based on information in diet books I've read, the following identifiable factors are associated with lower REE's:

1. having a relatively high body fat percentage.
2. heredity factors (sorry)
3. restricting your calorie consumption severely either now or very recently and
4. maybe, chronic dieting.

If you entered your body fat estimate, you might want to compare the third estimate of your REE, shown under column "C" to the two estimates to the left.  The third estimate is based on an equation proposed by Cunningham.  If your body fat % is low for your sex, you will notice this third number is higher than the other two estimates.  If your body fat % is high for your sex, you will notice this number is lower than the other two estimates. (If you don't know your body fat level, you could measure it using a body fat scale. There are a number of body fat scalse on the market which you can find in many stores. Otherwise, you can estimate it using a tape measure.  But I don't have much confidence in the tape measure method.)

If you read the detailed metabolism formula provided below, you will see that your basal metabolism is predicted to increase about 21 Calories a day for every kilogram of lean body mass. That's roughly 10 Calories a pound.  Lean body mass included bone, internal organs and muscle, basically everything other than fat.  So, the Cunningham equation suggests you can burn more calories if you pack on some muscle instead of fat.  Some people believe your metabolism will increase even more than 10 Calories/day/lb muscle.  This is quite possible.  After all the "lean mass" used in Cunningham's equation includes bone and other body parts that may not be as metabolically active as skeletal muscle.

Since calorie restriction and low muscle mass are widely thought to depress the REE, I suggest dieters incorporate strength training and aerobic exercise into their weight management plan.  That way you don't need to overly restrict your calorie consumption to create a calorie deficit level.  This might help keep your REE out of the lower range for your sex, height and weight.  Plus, if you manage to increase muscle and you just might bump your REE into the upper range!  Sure, it might not work.  Still, the difference between the lower and upper estimates for daily calorie expenditures are HUGE, and it's well worth doing whatever you can that might move your resting metabolism into the upper range.

Protein/Carbohydrate and Fat Consumption

The roles of protein, carbohydrate and fat are described below the table.  You can read additional recommendations in The Woman's Guide to Peak Performance which discusses the role of protein, carbohydrate and fats in detail.  Their recommendations are very detailed and rely on recent research into exercise and nutrition.
 
 

Suggested Protein/ Fat / Carbohydrate Consumption

	Lower	Upper
Protein requirement	gram (calories)	grams (calories)
Fat limits	grams  (calories)	grams (calories)
Carbohydrate	grams  (calories)	grams  (calories)

How much protein?

The upper bound is calculated based one of the following two values:

• the recommendation of the American Heart Association, which suggests you should get 15% of your calories from protein.
• If you exercise a lot, my program calculate a higher maximum protein recommendation than I recommend for sedentary people. Results of recent studies which indicate that endurance athletes and body builders may need 65% more protein than sedentary people. Extreme endurance athletes may need even more.  (Strangely, if you exercise moderately, you may need less protein than sedentary people because moderate exercise helps you body use protein more efficiently!)

How much fat?

The table above provides a lower and upper bound for fat calories.  On a daily basis, at least 15%  and no more than 30% of your calories should come from fat.  The absolute minimum recommendation I have read is that  6% of your calories should come from fat; for you this is grams. Any less than that and you are at risk of hormonal imbalances, dry skin, hair loss and other adverse effects. Aiming for 15% of your calories from fat on a regular basis provides a buffer to avoid these health problems.

The upper limit for fat consumption is 30%;  this is taken from the USDA food pyramid guidelines.  The average American diet consists of 40% calories from fat.  People who have taken off weight, and kept it off, generally get about 20% of their calories from fat.

When you diet, it is useful to cut back fat so you can cut calories.  So, I suggest you eat 15% of your total calories from fat when dieting. (You will notice the fat allowance when dieting is below the minimum fat when you are not dieting. This is ok.)

How much carbohydrate?

The minimum value in the table is calculated by subtracting the maximum protein and fat calories from your total calorie needs.  The maximum value is calculated by subtracting the minimum protein and fat calories from your total calorie needs!

What if I'm dieting?

To find out how many calories to eat on your weight loss plan, fill in your desired weight loss, and check whether you think your metabolism is average, high or low.  Then click "update" to calculate the recommendations. (The form will adjust your choices if you request a dangerous weight loss rate. )  Your height, weight and age data entered in the top form are used for this calculation, so scroll back and reenter them if you need to correct those.

I want to lose  per month.
I think my metabolism is:slow average high
I prefer a: (lowest fat, low fat, moderate fat) diet.
I prefer a: (lowest-protein, moderate protein, highest protein) diet.

According to your input, you need  calories a day to maintain your weight.  To lose weight at the rate you desire, you should distribute your calories as follows:

• total calories a day distributed as
• grams carbohydrate; ( calories or % of calories.)
• grams protein; ( calories or % of calories.)
• grams fat; ( calories or % of calories. )

Calories:

Protein-Carbohydrate-Fat Distribution.

Any choice I suggest will help you control your hunger while eating fewer calories!  None are extreme-- in fact all fit into the food pyramid recommendations! Just so you understand, my "low protein" diet is the lowest that makes sense for you, not someone else.

What do I mean by tailored for you. Well, Barry Sears says his "Zone" diet is great for Olympic Athletes.  Are you an Olympic Athlete? Research shows that people who exercise constantly and vigorously need more protein. They also metabolize fat and carbohydrate more efficiently than sedentary people.  Do you really think a diet perfected on Olympic Athletes is the best weight loss diet for you? (By the way, interviews indicate that all those olympians admit to cheating!)

Maybe you wondered which choices are best for you?  Well, all the choices are fine-- I calculated them based on nutritionists recommendations and data describing your metabolism.  I'd pick "low fat" and "moderate protein" for my diet plan. But you might what to know why you should pick any particular range.
 

• The theory in favor of high protein:  Protein tends to be filling, may give your metabolism a boost and when consumed with carbohydrate, helps keep blood sugar swings in check.  Everyone needs an adequate amount based on your weight and total calories. Endurance athletes and body builders need protein to rebuild their muscles.   When should you eat your protein: To give your metabolism a boost, and keep your blood sugar level, try to eat a some protein whenever you eat more than 100 calories (i.e. 25 grams) of carbohydrate. Also, try to spread your protein consumption around fairly evenly all day. If you are an endurance athlete and you are having trouble retaining muscle, do pick high or moderate protein!

• Theory in favor of lowest protein: Basically, if you eat less protein, you'll end up eating more carbohydrates. Complex carbohydrates tend to be very filling too.  (Refined carbohydrates are not filling, and for this reason, you should avoid them when trying to lose weight.) You will find more low fat carbohydrate choices around.  Also, if you do accidentally overeat, your body tends to waste some calories converting carbohydrate too fat.  Carbohydrates also provide your body with lots of instant energy. This is important for athletes.

• Theory in favor of moderate fat: Fat slows down digesting, it's tasty and it helps slow the digestion of carbohydrate.  People who eat some fat are more likely to stick to their diets.

• Theory in favor of low fat: Although fat slows down digestion and keeps you full longer, it doesn't fill you up as fast as other foods.  If you eat a lot of fat, it's very easy to snarf down a huge number of calories before your stomach gives you the "I'm full" signal.  (You may feel really full later though. )  You'll probably eat less over all if you pick a lower fat choice.

Here's some advice about carbohydrates!

If you want to feel full, the type of carbohydrates you eat matters.  Eat complex carbohydrates like whole grains, fruit, beans and vegetables.  You are allowed to eat some refined carbohydrates but try to limit them. Why? Because complex carbohydrates take longer to digest than refined carbohydrates.  As a result, they are more filling than refined carbohydrates like sugar, white flour and white rice.  If you do eat refined carbohydrates be sure to eat them with a little protein. Both protein slow digestion; this prevent swings in your blood sugar.

Good luck balancing your diet!  Your calorie needs will change as you lose weight. You should revisit this page you have lost 10 lbs.   For a quick estimate of the number of calories in a menu, visit my menu analyzer page.  You'll need to fiddle to test your diet. In general, more protein and dairy choices will increase the amount of protein in your diet.  More grain and fruit choices will increase the amount of carbohydrate.  Lower fat choices will decrease the amount of fat.

Lucia

Detailed formulas:

The exact formulas used by the tool are provided for those who wish to know more.
 

Harris-Benedict

• Harris J, Benedict F. A biometric study of basal metabolism in man. Washington D.C. Carnegie Institute of Washington. 1919.

Total Caloric Requirements equal the REE. multiplied by the activity factor. Activity factors range from 1.2 to over 2.

Consequently, your calorie requirements are determined using this equation:
 

I refer to the following product as your "weight  factor". If you do the analysis in kilograms, his factor estimates the number of additional calories you must consume to maintain an extra kilogram of body weight for a long time.  Otherwise, it provides the number of additional calories you must consume to maintain an extra pound of body weight. . These are the formulas to calculate the number in Calories/Day/kg.

For men, WeightFactor = ActivityFactor x 13.75

For women, WeightFactor = ActivityFactor x 9.563

I will be putting together a page to explain the significance of this factor at a later time.
 

National Research Council

• National Research Council, 1989. Recommended Dietary Allowances, 10th ed. (pp. 26-29). Washington DC: National Academy Press.

I refer to the following product as your "weight  factor"; if you use these formulas, the units are Calories/Day/kg
 

Average the Resting Energy Expenditure (REE) in Calories/Day.

age	Female	Male
18-30 years,	WeightFactor = ActivityFactor x 14.7	WeightFactor = ActivityFactor x 15.3
30-60	WeightFactor = ActivityFactor x 8.7	WeightFactor = ActivityFactor x 11.6
>60	WeightFactor = ActivityFactor x 10.5	WeightFactor = ActivityFactor x 13.5

---

Cunningham Equation

Cunningham, J.J. Body Composition and Resting Metabolic Rate: The Myth of Feminine Metabolism.  Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 36:721  1982.

In 1982, Cunningham described another method to predict Resting Energy Expenditure.  His method collapsed the data for men, women and all age groups using fat free mass instead of body weight, age, height and sex.  The formula is not as widely used at the other two formulas.  I suspect this is partially due to the relative difficulty of determining fat free mass. You must determine your body fat percentage and weight to calculate your fat free mass.

According to Cunningham, the resting energy expenditure can be predicted using:

REE = 370 + 21.6 * FFM (kg)

FFM is a persons "Fat Free Mass".  It can be calculated using

FFM = Weight * (1- %bodyfat/100).

So for example, if a person weighs 100 lbs and has a body fat percentage of 30%, their FFM = 100 lb * (1-30/100) = 70 lbs.  This can be converted to kg, and used in the equation for REE.

According to this equation, a person can increase their resting metabolism by increasing their muscle mass.  However, people typically lose muscle mass when they lose weight by dieting. So, generally, your metabolism will decrease if you diet.  But, you may be able to avoid the decrease in metabolism through strength training.

References:

Created: June 28, 2002. Revised: August 21, 2002
© 2002 , All rights reserved.