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- Thread starter ELITE_1
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there is no way other than by keeping your own diet log and finding out. everyone is different so there is no way for another person, book, or website to tell you. adding a few small meals between meals is usually the way to go. extra protein and carbs in each. just be careful you dont make it impossible to eat your next meal.
he's 100% right. those online calculaters are estimated for the "average person". id be a fat shit if i followed their maintenance recommendations. start at step 1. record everything you eat and body composition changes for a few weeks - months and see what happens. in 6 months you should have a pretty clear idea where you stand.
While I do somewhat agree with this....You can find a ballpark figure to work with if you do not know your body or have not kept a food journal.
Here are the two formulas to use. The first one is most commonly used. The second will work if you know your approximate body fat. If you do know your body fat I suggest you use an average of both formulas. This should set you in the right direction.
The Harris-Benedict formula (BMR based on total body weight)
The Harris-Benedict formula uses the factors of height, weight, age, and sex to determine basal metabolic rate (BMR). This makes it more accurate than determining calorie needs based on total bodyweight alone. The only variable it doesn’t take into consideration is lean body mass.
This equation will be very accurate in all but the extremely muscular (will underestimate caloric needs) and the extremely overfat (will overestimate caloric needs).
Men: BMR = 66 + (13.7 X wt in kg) + (5 X ht in cm) - (6.8 X age in years)
Women: BMR = 655 + (9.6 X wt in kg) + (1.8 X ht in cm) - (4.7 X age in years)
Note: 1 inch = 2.54 centimeters
1 kilogram = 2.2 lbs.
Once you know your BMR, you can calculate TDEE by multiplying your BMR by the
following activity factor.
Activity factor
Sedentary = BMR X 1.2 (little or no exercise, desk job)
Lightly active = BMR X 1.375 (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/wk)
Mod. active = BMR X 1.55 (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/wk)
Very active = BMR X 1.725 (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days/wk)
Extr. Active = BMR X 1.9 (hard daily exercise/sports & physical job or 2 X day training, marathon, football camp,
contest, etc.)
Katch-McArdle formula (BMR based on lean body weight)
The Harris-Benedict equation has separate formulas for men and women because men usually have a higher lean body mass and a larger bodies. Since the Katch-McArdle formula accounts for LBM, this single formula applies equally to both men and women and it is the most accurate method of determining your daily calorie needs.
BMR (men and women) = 370 + (21.6 X lean mass in kg)
To determine TDEE from BMR, you simply multiply BMR by the activity factor
I think this will give you a accurate BMR if you know your approximate body fat% or LBM.
Katch-McArdle formula (BMR based on lean body weight)
The Harris-Benedict equation has separate formulas for men and women because men usually have a higher lean body mass and a larger bodies. Since the Katch-McArdle formula accounts for LBM, this single formula applies equally to both men and women and it is the most accurate method of determining your daily calorie needs.
BMR (men and women) = 370 + (21.6 X lean mass in kg)
To determine TDEE from BMR, you simply multiply BMR by the activity factor
the problem i think with alot of the calculaters comes with the activity factor. i think those are way overestimated by many people.
i look at it like this. you lift 4 to 5 times a week, say a total of 6 hours (thats alot in my opinion but ill give it) and do cardio for lets say 4 hours (again, alot, but always go higher than lower). there is no way this is or should be considered alot of exercise.
construction workers or anyone doing hard physical labor, yea, that is alot of activity. if training for 10 hours out of 168 hours a week is all you do, thats a low activity factor, regardless of effort. its less than 10% of your week, closer to 6% actually.
the numbers they give me prior to any activity factor, those are where i fit in. right when they do the activity factor, they put me well above maintenance.
this is where the everyone is different factor comes into play.
They give me crazy low numbers. My only strain now is the gym. They all give me numbers like 3500 instead of the 7000+ that I eat. I have gone down to 5000 and lost weight. One time I was sick and took in 3900- 4200 per day for 3 days and lost an average of 3 lbs per day and got flat as hell.
You both make great points here. Where do you tell someone to start though? Would you rather go off of one of these calculators and adjust accordingly over weeks/months or do you just throw a random number out and start there?
good point. youre right about that, go with one of the formulas and start there.
