Losing weight by calories. How to count calories to lose weight? An approximate method for calculating the required number of calories per day
The thought of losing weight comes to the minds of many, although a few decades ago this problem did not exist at all. That is, of course, there have always been overweight people, but this was not perceived as some kind of serious disadvantage. Today, the situation has changed - overweight and obesity are recognized as not just a problem: in 2006, the X International Congress on Obesity, which took place in Sydney, Australia, recognized that overweight should be considered a global(i.e. worldwide) epidemic of a non-infectious nature, since excess weight has long ceased to be a concern for individuals.
The World Health Organization reported with alarm back in 2006 that the total number of people who are overweight or obese exceeds 15% of the world's population, with some countries reporting that more than half of their population suffers from this problem. As for 2015, that is, today, WHO predicted that obesity among the adult population of the globe will exceed the level of 700 million people, and at least 2.3 billion people will be overweight.
Since overweight and obesity pose a serious threat to the health of any person, and on such a scale they turn into a real danger for all national health systems, it is not only the desire to look better that calls for weight loss, but also the World Health Organization. Serious concern about this problem at the global level has led to the fact that many people are trying to lose weight: someone goes to the gym, someone goes on a diet, someone takes part in special weight loss programs.
It’s interesting that for almost everyone who is losing weight, the question of how to correctly count calories for weight loss becomes very important.. Although understanding the calorie intake can also be useful for people who simply want to maintain their weight at a normal level.
The Dangers of Overweight and Obesity
A hundred years ago, no one would have imagined that the word “epidemic” could be combined with the word “obesity,” but today this is exactly the situation. Moreover, excess weight to any extent has ceased to be considered an individual concern of each person, but has become a problem of a national scale, since it affects both the social, medical, and even economic spheres of life and government activity.
As for the social component of the problem of overweight and obesity, unfortunately, it is obvious to too many, starting from early childhood, when chubby children are bullied by their peers in kindergartens, in the yard and in any children's company. The World Health Organization reported with great concern that in 2005, at least 20 million children under five years of age worldwide were overweight, and expressed concern that the number of overweight and overweight children is constantly increasing Accordingly, the problems associated with this are growing.
It is much more difficult for overweight adults to find a decent job, since many employers want to have “representative” employees, and this is an indisputable fact. It is much more difficult, and sometimes impossible, for these people to start a family; most often they have a very limited circle of friends, and it is often difficult for them to choose the necessary clothes...
The medical component of the problem of obesity and overweight is probably the most terrible: it is with excess weight that doctors around the world and the World Health Organization associate the risks of developing many very serious diseases.
For example, it is known that cardiovascular diseases are more likely to develop in people whose weight exceeds the norm. But it is cardiovascular diseases that lead among the causes of mortality and claim more than 17 million lives annually (WHO data).
A direct relationship is also determined between any degree of excess weight and type 2 diabetes, a serious disease of the endocrine system. WHO warns national health systems and governments around the world, as well as non-governmental organizations, that mortality from this cause could increase by more than 50% in the next decade.
In addition, overweight and obesity become one of the causes of the development of various musculoskeletal disorders, especially osteoarthritis, which can lead to disability, as well as one of the causes of the development of certain oncological (cancerous) diseases.
We should not forget that in people who are obese or simply overweight, almost all diseases develop more severely, fractures heal more difficultly and any wounds and injuries heal more difficult. In addition, it has been proven that if a person’s weight exceeds normal values by only 10%, then the threat of developing diseases such as atherosclerosis, gout, cholecystitis, metabolic-dystrophic polyarthritis, fatty liver and kidneys increases, male potency decreases, and the menstrual cycle is disrupted. in women. What can we say about people whose weight is almost twice as much as normal, or even more?
Anesthesiologists note that people who are overweight to any degree are much worse at accepting and tolerating anesthesia, which is necessary during surgical interventions, but it is precisely for people with obesity and any degree of excess weight that diseases of internal organs requiring surgical intervention are common, and fractures.
And since obesity and excess body weight cause many health problems, many insurance companies that provide health insurance charge higher prices for their insurance programs for obese people...
Excess weight also affects life expectancy: according to medical statistics, class II obesity reduces life expectancy by about five years, but class III obesity shortens life by 10-15 years.
Attention! Scientists claim that the average human life expectancy depends to a greater extent on obesity than on cancer: if cancer were defeated, a person’s life would increase by an average of one year, and if obesity were defeated, people would live longer by four years.
As for the economic component of this issue, some countries keep statistics that cannot but upset. For example, losses to the UK economy, which are explained by obesity or overweight of citizens of this country, are estimated at 13-15 billion pounds sterling per year. And for the United States of America, losses from this problem amount to more than $70 billion annually...
Many countries practically do not keep such statistics, but this does not mean that the problem, if it exists, does not in any way affect the economy.
The problem, which was previously considered exclusively aesthetic and cosmetic, is acquiring very serious economic dimensions all over the world, which are directly related to the medical and social levels of this problem.
What is the calorie content of food?
The importance of maintaining a healthy weight is almost undeniable, as is the fact that a healthy weight can only be maintained through comprehensive measures. It has been proven that the appearance of extra pounds, which quickly turn into overweight and then into obesity, is influenced by many factors, among which scientists and researchers especially highlight genetic predisposition, environmental influences, metabolic processes in the body, the psychological state of a person, in including bad mood, fatigue, depressive and other conditions, as well as his lifestyle, that is, nutrition as well. And if a person is not able to influence many of these factors and cannot change them, then nutrition can still be regulated, including control over the calorie content of food.
What are food calories and calories?
As for calories, the cheerful people came up with the following explanation: calories are small pests almost invisible to the naked eye, which in the dark sneak into wardrobes and mercilessly sew up all the clothes. More seriously, calories are the amount of heat required to heat one gram of water by one degree Celsius, if the water is heated at standard atmospheric pressure. In addition, calories were also used to measure energy and work.
As for the calorie content of food, which is otherwise called energy value, this phrase should be understood as the amount of energy that the body receives by assimilating certain foods. Accordingly, each product that is used for cooking has a certain calorie content.
It is easy to understand that the more calories the body receives, the more energy resources it receives. And if these energy resources are not used by the body to carry out any activity, then they are all stored as reserves, that is, they are converted into fat reserves of the body, which lead first to overweight and then to obesity.
Today there are special tables where the number of calories for each product is already determined, and sometimes you can also find the calculated calorie content of some ready-made dishes.
It should immediately be noted that it is hardly possible to measure the calorie content of any product or dish at home, since the methodology for this process involves the use of special equipment.
Interesting! The energy value, that is, calorie content, of any product or dish is determined as follows: the product is burned in a special device called a “calorimeter”, and then the heat that is released when the product is burned is measured using a water bath that surrounds the calorimeter to measure the heat released. .
It is known that the caloric content of proteins is 4 kilocalories per gram of product, the caloric content of carbohydrates is the same, that is, also 4 kilocalories per gram of product, and the caloric content of fats is 9 kilocalories per gram of product.
On packages of finished products, the calorie content is indicated by the manufacturer, and the calorie content of other products should be checked using special calorie content tables.
How many calories does the body need?
It would seem that the fewer calories the better. But it only seems so, because calories not only make you fat - energy is also needed for the body to function normally, that is, to ensure the vital functions of the body. This means this - even if a person does nothing, but simply lies in a state of complete rest, that is, sleeps, then his cardiovascular system is working, his gastrointestinal tract is working, the person is breathing, some processes are taking place in the nervous system, in the hormonal and all other systems of the body.
And although all these processes are practically unnoticeable, they are still very important and really ensure the vital functions of the body, requiring a certain amount of energy for this. It is this energy, which is spent on the life support of the body in a state of complete rest, that is called the basic (or main) metabolism in the body.
How energy-intensive is the basal metabolism? During various studies, it was found that the human body consumes about one kilocalorie per hour per kilogram of mass. That is, a person whose weight is 70 kg will need 70 kilocalories per hour just to ensure basic metabolism, that is, per day it will be 70x24 = 1680 kilocalories, which are spent by the body just to keep the body alive.
It has been proven that the basic metabolism of representatives of different sexes is not the same. Women's basal metabolic rate is ten to fifteen percent lower than men's basal metabolic rate. Thus, it turns out that the basic (basic) metabolism in women is 1500 kcal per day (average), and men need approximately 1700 kcal per day just to ensure the basic (basic) metabolism of the body.
But this is only a basic metabolism, that is, when a person does not perform any work, and some additional energy costs are not even taken into account. For example, if a person has eaten something, then the energy consumption for digestion will increase by about 200 kcal, energy is also spent on some even minimal movements - turning over to the other side, going to the kitchen or to the toilet... All these are little things, but energy is spent and on them.
That is why, when calculating the basic exchange rate, some average figures are often used. In addition, we should not forget that each person has their own metabolic processes and the speed at which they occur, so it is almost impossible to calculate their energy intensity with an accuracy of one kilocalorie.
But in real life, any person is always doing something, and different types of activities require different amounts of energy. It is absolutely clear that the more intense the work, the more energy is spent on it.
When studying this issue, coefficients were identified that can be used to calculate how much energy a person needs for full life. Scientists and practitioners have identified several groups of work (physical activity) depending on its intensity and the required energy costs.
To determine the amount of energy that the body will require, the basic metabolic rate should be multiplied by the appropriate coefficient (the so-called activity coefficient) depending on the group of physical activity on the body.
- The first group of physical activity includes people whose physical activity is minimal, for example, office workers or, for example, librarians - that is, this group includes people who lead a practically sedentary lifestyle. The activity coefficient for such people is 1.2. This means that for women, with a basic energy metabolism of 1500 kcal, this lifestyle will require 1500 x 1.2 = 1800 kcal per day. For men, this figure will be higher, since they have a higher basic metabolism: 1700x1.2=2040 kcal.
- The second group consists of people whose lifestyle can be called inactive - sedentary work for such people is combined with several simple workouts during the week. For them, the activity coefficient is 1.375.
- The third group includes those whose activity is defined as moderate. This can be sedentary work, which is supplemented by almost daily training, or work that involves not only an office, but also some kind of movement. The activity coefficient for such people is 1.55.
- The fourth group is the group of increased physical activity. The activity coefficient for this group increases to 1.725.
The fifth group includes people whose occupation requires constant significant physical activity, which is comparable to two very intense workouts twice a day. In this case, the activity coefficient is 1.9.
Of course, activity coefficients make it possible to determine the body’s energy expenditure only approximately, but it is quite obvious that a secretary girl and a plasterer girl spend completely different amounts of energy, and therefore they should be replenished in completely different ways.
Attention! Experts point out that the energy needs of basal metabolism can only be correctly determined by taking into account muscle and fat mass. All formulas are designed for the average person, so these formulas are not suitable for determining the basal metabolic rate in people with severe overweight and obesity or in bodybuilders whose muscle mass is much higher than the muscle mass of an average person.
How to lose weight by counting calories?
So, it is known that a woman who works in an office needs 1800 kcal per day. If such an amount of energy enters the body, then the weight should remain in place, because the body will receive everything it needs, but without excess, in order to store reserves; and without a deficit to spend what has already been set aside.
Thus, it turns out that if a person needs to gain a little weight and become rounder, he must receive a slightly larger amount of calories from food than provided by the basic metabolism and the corresponding formula. But if you need to lose weight, then the number of calories should be less than necessary (calculated using formulas) - then the body will be forced to use internal reserves, that is, it will begin to receive energy from internal reserves of fat deposits. And if a figure is determined, for example, 1800 kcal, then this means that in order to lose weight, this figure should be reduced, that is, provide nutrition in which the body receives less energy than it needs to ensure balance.
However, when reducing the energy content of food, one should not forget about the basic, or basic, metabolism, which requires a certain amount of calories, and if these calories are not supplied, then incomprehensible and extremely unpleasant metamorphoses can occur in any of the body’s organs. That is, even if you need to lose weight, you should not affect those energy supplies that provide basic metabolism.
Nutritionists recommend never trying to lose weight too quickly, since the body perceives this as a stressful situation and will certainly try to catch up at the first opportunity - this is why the weight lost during any restrictive diet with such efforts and suffering very often returns, or even increases.
Attention! In order for the results of weight loss to last as long as possible, you need to lose weight very gradually so that the body has time to get used to it and does not feel stressed. Nutritionists consider 0.5 kg per week to be optimal weight loss, which is about 2 kg per month.
Of course, all processes in the body are very individual, including the process of losing weight, but “miracle” diets that promise the loss of ten kilograms in ten days are, firstly, unscientific fiction, and secondly, even if someone then by some miracle it will succeed, then all 15 kg will soon return.
It should be noted that counting calories does not reduce their number; it simply allows you to constantly monitor how much energy the body has received.
When deciding to lose weight by counting calories, you should understand that any heat treatment of the product requires changing the numbers. For example, the calorie content of 100 grams of rice is approximately 414 kilocalories, but we are talking about a dry product. As you know, when cooked, rice swells, increases in volume and becomes heavier. That is, 414 kilocalories is the calorie content not of one hundred grams of cooked rice, but of the entire cooked portion, if exactly 100 grams were cooked. In a word, you will also have to do mathematical calculations...
The calorie content of foods also changes when they are fried or baked, and calculating the calorie content of fried or baked foods is much more difficult. It is generally accepted that the frying process increases calorie content by about 20%, but different foods absorb different fats completely differently, so it is not possible to accurately calculate this. By the way, nutritionists recommend avoiding fried foods altogether for any diet.
Benefits of Counting Calories
Regarding the disadvantages of counting calories, only one thing can be said - you will have to weigh something all the time (at least until you get into the habit) and constantly write down and count. Of course, constantly walking around with a notepad and writing every glass of juice or every cookie can get boring, but these are the conditions of this event, at the end of which both a good figure and wonderful well-being loom and beckon. So you have to try. By the way, many people who lose weight using this system, in order not to bother with every candy or various other little things, practically give up snacking, which, among other things, reduces the total calorie content of food for the day.
An undoubted advantage of counting calories is that people begin to understand that the reason for their excess weight lies not in some mysterious “wide bones” or heredity, but in banal overeating. Well, their body doesn’t need that much energy! And for so many years they pushed it in, and even smacked their lips at the same time... And as soon as the amount of energy, that is, calories, decreases, the body will begin to use up the reserves and the long-awaited process of losing weight will begin.
Another benefit of calorie counting is that you can eat whatever you want, but stick to a certain number of calories. If you want a cake, then why not. But the trouble is that it is very high in calories, so a piece of cake will mean that the daily calorie limit is almost exhausted. But you can crunch on cucumbers or cabbage with almost impunity - their calorie content is very low.
Scientists who have observed people who choose to count calories say that such people gradually switch to healthy eating because the way a person eats is just a habit. By counting calories, people learn to control and limit themselves, choose lower-calorie foods, and give preference to healthier foods.
Thus, it turns out that daily calorie counting may well ultimately lead not only to weight loss, but also to a healthy diet and a healthy lifestyle.
Many people who have chosen calorie counting among all diets say that calorie counting does not limit their choice of foods, and if you suddenly want candy or ice cream, then this is not forbidden, it’s just that eating high-calorie foods will significantly reduce the proportion of those remaining in the diet. this day of calories and, accordingly, will force you to give up something. But this is an opportunity to choose, which for most people is simply of the utmost importance.
Doctors note that losing weight by counting calories very quickly becomes a habit of controlling everything you eat, and this is much more beneficial than any restrictive or low-calorie diet.
Attention! The essence of any diet is to reduce the energy value of food entering the body, that is, the desire to force the body to begin releasing accumulated reserves. Counting calories in the daily menu is practically the only way to lose weight that does not involve any other restrictions other than monitoring the total caloric content of what you eat during the day.
Conclusions
To lose weight or not to lose weight? This has long ceased to be a question that requires reflection, and the problem left the plane of fashion, beauty, and aesthetics several decades ago. Today, when even in countries with low per capita income obesity has become an epidemic that has even affected children, the World Health Organization persistently draws attention to the need to maintain a healthy weight.
Of course, a healthy weight depends on many factors, but proper nutrition is high on this list, next to the necessary physical activity. And, probably, counting the calorie content of the daily menu is not the worst choice in the fight against excess weight, because this is a fight not only for beauty, but a fight for health, for the opportunity to lead a full life, work, have a family...
Of course, there are diseases in which weight depends on the malfunction of the endocrine system, but how many people suffer from obesity simply because of banal overeating, and continue to stubbornly eat their problems with buns or sausages. But the problem of being overweight will not go away on its own...
And you don’t have to restrict yourself in anything special, you don’t have to give up your favorite foods - just count the calories. And if the result you get makes you think, start thinking about what’s superfluous on the menu and what you can’t do without. Get started. Give it a try. And everything will certainly work out for you, because only those who walk can master the road.
Each person is individual, and each formula may have errors. You need to choose the formula that will work for you.
Start with the average, or a formula approximating the average. If the results are not as effective as expected, try the following value: for weight loss - a lower value, for mass gain - a higher value.
Harris-Benedict equation
Basal metabolic rate according to the Harris-Benedict formula is determined taking into account gender, age and body size. The equation was first published in 1918. The formula is suitable for men and women over 18 years of age.
This formula has a fairly large error - according to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 90% agreement between the results and real data was recorded only in 60% of cases. That is, in 40% of situations the equation may show incorrect data, and mainly in the direction of increase. That is, as a result of the calculation, it may turn out that the need for calories is overestimated and a person begins to consume more calories than he actually needs.
New Harris-Benedict equation
Due to shortcomings of the basic Harris-Benedict formula, an updated equation was published in 1984. Rosa and Schizgal conducted a study on a larger group, with data taken from the research materials of Harris and Benedict in 1928-1935.
This formula already takes into account the features that in the old formula led to excess calories and therefore this formula was most often used to determine basal metabolism before 1990.
Mifflin Formula - St. George
Over time, people’s lifestyles change, new products appear, nutritional schedules and physical activity change. A new formula has been developed; it does not take into account the body's muscle mass, and is also calculated based on height, weight and age. This equation is used in clinical settings to determine calories based on basal metabolic rate.
According to research by the American Dietetic Association, the Mifflin-St. Geor formula turned out to be the most accurate. In other sources it is considered. that this formula is 5% more accurate than the Harris-Benedict formula, but can still give a spread of +-10%. But this equation was only tested on Caucasian patients and therefore may not be accurate for other groups.
Ketch-McArdle formula
The formula was not developed based on weight, but rather on lean muscle mass. Thus, this formula ignores energy aimed at maintaining fat and its accuracy for obese people is lower than for athletic people.
If you are in good physical shape, the result of this equation will be quite accurate for you. If you have just set out on the path to improving your figure, use the Mifflin-San Geor formula.
WHO formula
The World Health Organization formula is based on the Schofield formula (gender, age, weight) taking into account height, which is currently used. Previously used in US dietary guidelines. Based on basal metabolic rate, thermic effect of food, physical activity and thermoregulation.
Based on body area
The formula is suitable for people over 20 years of age. Energy expenditure (or metabolic rate) at rest is proportional to body surface area, usually expressed in kcal per square meter of body surface area per hour (kcal/m2/m). Body surface area can be calculated based on your height and weight.
Calorie calculation
Why do you need to calculate the number of calories per day?
The answer is simple - in order to maintain, gain or lose weight, you need to know how many calories your body consumes. If you want to lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you consume. You only get calories if you eat or drink something. And you have to constantly spend calories - on the work of the body itself, on physical and mental stress.
Average number of calories per day
In general, women require 1500-2000 calories to maintain weight. For men, this value is higher - 2000-2500 calories.
How many calories do you need to lose weight or gain weight?
Using an online calculator, you can calculate the calorie needs that you need for your existence, and calculate the number of calories for losing weight, gaining or maintaining weight. Calories are calculated based on weight, height, age and activity. Based on the data received and your desired weight, the calculator will calculate the number of calories you should consume per day to lose, gain or maintain weight. As a rule, calculations are made using several methods that will show the approximate range. This is done to minimize the error of each individual calculation method.
Minimum calories per day for weight loss
The calculation of the number of calories is shown in the “Weight loss” column. "Extreme Weight Loss" will show you the minimum possible calorie values for reference, but it is not recommended to use them. If you reduce your calorie intake below the minimum, your body will begin to burn not only fat, but also muscle to obtain energy. The metabolic rate will drop and even a slight excess of calories will be stored by the body. In addition, muscles consume several times more energy than fat cells. Therefore, burning muscles does not lead to positive results.
Zigzag calories
The calculation results contain a table for calculating calories by day, the so-called “zigzag”. It is believed that the best results are obtained if you vary your daily caloric intake slightly, maintaining an average value.
How to count kilocalories
A kilocalorie is a thousand calories. One calorie is how much energy is required to heat 1 ml of water by 1 degree. But there is also a food or dietary calorie, which is equal to a kilocalorie. Product packaging may indicate the calorie content of products as either “kkak” or “cal”, and this will be referred to as kilocalories.
Calorie calculation example
Anna, office worker, two children. Does household chores when not at work. He goes in for sports three times a week. Height 163 cm, weight 65 kg, age 35 years. Wants to reduce weight to 57 kg. According to the Mifflin-San Jeor formula, the daily calorie consumption will be 1833 kcal, on average 1918. To lose weight, Anna needs to reduce her daily calorie intake by about 500 calories per day, that is, consume 1400 kcal.
Should you eat the same amount of calories?
You can stick to the same number of calories per day, or you can move 200-500 calories to the previous or subsequent day from the day of training. Also, if your weight suddenly stops (weight plateau), then consuming calories according to the Zigzag pattern will help move it off the ground.
Is it possible to lose weight only on a diet?
You can lose weight, but when you reduce your daily caloric intake, a person loses not only fat, but also muscle. Try to lead a more active lifestyle, do exercises, add small physical activities
Weight loss rate
Weight gain rate
The ideal amount for increasing muscle mass is 1 kg per month for men and 0.5 kg per month for women. A large increase will lead to an increase not only in muscle, but also in fat.
Should I drink water?
Drinking clean water is necessary when losing weight.
Warning
All calculations are based on mathematical and statistical formulas. But only a doctor can give an accurate assessment and recommendations. Please consult your physician before starting a diet or changing your exercise level.
The most effective way to lose weight may be to count calories. If you follow the norm and do not overeat, this approach will give one hundred percent results. In addition, this way you can join a healthy diet, that is, after losing weight, the weight will not return.
There are special formulas that can be used to calculate how many calories per day you need for health and weight loss.
How many calories should you consume while on a diet?
If we talk in general about how to calculate the number of calories, then you need to pay attention to the initial parameters of the body and lifestyle. That is, in order to gradually lose weight, you need to consume a little less calories than you spend on energy per day. For example, if you eat 1600 kcal, then you need to burn about 1900-2000 kcal per day. Nutritionists recommend that for active weight loss without discomfort, reduce calories by 15-20% of calories consumed per day.
The procedure for calculating calories for a diet:
Now you need to eat as many calories per day as you got in the second point or a little less
This way you can lose weight without torturing yourself with complex physical exercises or strict diets.
How to correctly calculate how many calories per day you need to eat for the normal functioning of the body
There are many formulas for calculating the required calories per day, but the most popular is the Harris-Benedict formula. Over the years, it has been slightly edited and improved, as living conditions change and energy costs change along with them.
447.593+(9.247x weight in kilograms) + (3.098x height in centimeters) - (4.330x woman’s age)
88.362+(13.397x weight in kilograms) + (4.799x height in centimeters) - (5.677x age of the man) 
Thanks to these formulas, you can calculate how many calories the body requires per day for normal functioning if physical activity is approximately zero throughout the day. Therefore, you need to find out the activity coefficient.
Activity coefficients:
sedentary and recumbent lifestyle - 1.2
1-3 workouts per week - 1.375
3-4 workouts per week - 1.55
5-7 workouts per week or heavy physical work - 1.7
professional athlete, work in a mine - 1.9
To find out your caloric intake per day, the activity coefficient is multiplied by the calories considered basic. This way you can find out how many calories you can eat without fear of gaining extra pounds. To start losing weight, you need to reduce the number of calories - subtract 20% or a little less from the norm and not exceed the resulting number of calories per day. Less is possible, more is not possible.
Calorie counting example:
Let there be a woman, weight 56 kg, height 168 centimeters, age 25 years old, works as a journalist, goes to training a couple of times a week.
447.593+(9.247x56) + (3.098x168) - (4.330x25) = 1377.639
1377.639 - basic number of calories
activity coefficient - 1.375
1377.639x1.375 = 1894.2536 - this is the calorie norm
To get the number of calories for weight loss, you need to calculate 20% of the calories and subtract them. 20% = 378.8507
1894.2536 - 378.8507 = 1516 calories approximately need to be consumed per day to lose weight.
You can use an online calculator to quickly calculate calories for your body.
If, after following the caloric intake, the weight does not gradually come off, the calculations may have been carried out incorrectly. Most often, problems in calculations arise because people cannot always objectively assess their activity, hence the incorrect activity coefficient. It is also often impossible to correctly count the calories consumed, so you need to have a special notebook in which you need to honestly write down all the calories you eat.
Example of a menu with calories suitable for weight loss
- Oatmeal with milk - 200 kcal
- Coffee with milk (can be with or without sugar (a teaspoon)) - 50 kcal
- Medium-sized sour apple - 70 kcal
- Black or green, herbal tea - up to 5 kcal
- Low-fat cottage cheese about 100 grams - 120 kcal
- Vegetable salad dressed with oil - 140 kcal
- One loaf of bread - 20 kcal
- Buckwheat porridge with chicken breast - 300 kcal
- Cheese pie small piece - 200 kcal
- One medium-sized apple - 70 kcal
Thus, it turned out that there are even fewer calories than needed for a losing weight. That is, he will definitely gradually begin to lose kilograms, especially actively if he starts doing physical exercises at the same time.
How to calculate calories for your weight?
It must be taken into account that if a woman has a child, the number of calories will increase, because the mother will have to lead an active lifestyle, that is, the activity coefficient will also increase. The same applies to women who dance, go to the gym, or do hard physical work throughout the week - the higher the level of physical activity, the more calories the body needs. In some cases, you can even eat sweets without fear.
In most cases, most of the calories are left for lunch, but it doesn’t matter, you can plan your diet so conveniently. The main rule is not to replace healthy products with useless ones. For example, you can eat 50 grams of chocolate or 200 grams of Caesar salad. But chocolate will not help satisfy your hunger, and salad will easily cope with this. Chocolate may cause a breakdown, since the body has received the necessary dose of calories, but the hunger has not gone away.
If you build a diet correctly, the body will always be full, even if calories are in short supply. The secret is in choosing foods - you need to choose those that contain few calories. These include, for example, vegetable salads, fish, cottage cheese and others. Since they contain few calories, you can eat large quantities of them, which means you will feel full.
Tips for those who want to lose weight while observing the permissible calorie intake per day:
- Formulas do not provide the most accurate information about how many calories you should consume per day. It is only approximate, and a healthy diet for weight loss can be based on it;
- Weight loss is also affected by stress, physical exercise, and mental work; all this must be taken into account when counting calories. You don't need to rely only on calories. It is important, it needs to be monitored, it is also important to observe how the body reacts to certain changes in nutrition;
- There is an opinion that the greater the calorie deficit, the sooner the weight will come off. In reality, this is not so: what will go away is not the excess fat that needs to be gotten rid of, but the muscles necessary to maintain a beautiful body;
- If you lose muscle and not fat, your body will become ugly. The proportions will be lost, the body will seem to sag. For this reason, you need to ensure that your calorie deficit is small.
What do nutritionists think about losing weight by cutting calories?
According to nutritionists, to lose weight you need to consume about 1300-1500 kcal per day.
1500 kcal is the norm at which weight will begin to gradually disappear. At the same time, you need to remember that you need to engage in physical and mental activity, it is best to go to the gym.
1500 kcal is breakfast, lunch and dinner. If desired and possible, you can even include in this figure something sweet, but as harmless as possible - ice cream or dark chocolate. It is best to eat them in the morning, this way the body will process sugar and use up this energy during the day.
- Recommendations for creating a daily diet
Breakfast
In the morning, it is best to eat cereal dishes - porridge, muesli. You can cook with water or milk and add fruit to it. Cereals contain complex carbohydrates, thanks to which the body can produce energy for about three hours and will not want to eat. The healthiest breakfast cereals are buckwheat and four-grain porridge.
Porridge made with water is also healthier, since porridge made with milk, although tasty, is destroyed when heated and the protein in the milk is no longer beneficial to the body. In addition, the combination of cereals and milk is not the best for gastric function. It is better to add cream or yogurt to the finished dish.
Dinner
In most cases, this is the most satisfying and complete meal. For lunch you can cook both soup and main course. For example, you can eat soup made from vegetables, meat or fish, and for the main course serve a vegetable side dish and baked fish or meat. The most important thing is that this meal contains carbohydrates and proteins. Thanks to proteins, you feel full, which is very important so as not to break down, as the body feels hungry. Carbohydrates are needed for the body to function normally. If your diet contains less than 70 grams of carbohydrates (preferably complex) per day, you may experience weakness, fainting, breakdowns and stress. Healthy carbohydrates have a low glycemic index and include vegetables and grains.
Fats, despite losing weight, are also needed by the body; there should be about 30 grams of them per day. Thanks to this component, food becomes tastier, and this is very important on a diet. People who eat slowly and enjoy the taste of the food they receive do not overeat, because the feeling of fullness comes quickly.
There is also a myth that you should not eat after 6 pm so that the body absorbs food well. Some nutritionists say that this rule is based on human hormonal levels. After about 9 pm the body is ready to go to sleep, so it is important that the food is digested as much as possible by this time. During sleep, the body cannot digest fats normally and therefore they contribute to the deposition and growth of fat. 
Calories are the energy that the body receives from food and then spends on any activity. A person eats foods, and the body uses them to produce energy, which it then supplies to the vital organs. Energy is needed for all vital processes: mental work, breathing, heat exchange, heartbeat, and even for movement. Each product has a special chemical composition, but they all consist of the same substances, but in different proportions. So, the components are:
- carbohydrates;
- microelements;
- proteins;
- water;
- vitamins;
- fats.
Why do you need to count calories?
Without following a diet, a person tends to exceed his daily caloric intake, even if he does not eat too much, because the calorie content of all foods is different. Snacks that are not considered a full meal are swallowed and forgotten. In addition, calories are divided into “harmful” and “useful”. By consuming them in unlimited quantities, women have a desire to lose weight with the help of diets, the essence of which is the same - reducing daily caloric intake.
All diets have a common significant drawback - a limited list of products. Even if you have followed a strict diet to lose weight and achieved the desired result, you still have not abandoned your previous eating habits, so they will quickly “ruin” your slimness. Calculating the energy value of foods and the amount of food consumed should not become a temporary diet for you, but a way of life - only constant monitoring and a table will help you always have a beautiful figure and be healthy.
How to count
Having decided to switch to PP and use a calorie counting table for weight loss in everyday life, purchase a diary in which you will record your achievements. When following your daily calorie intake, write down every food you eat during the day, and also set aside a place where you will keep track of your physical activity. The third column of the table will show your weight changes - you should record your morning weight in your weight loss journal.
By comparing your weight loss results, you can adjust your diet. At the same time, focus on the minimum required by the body, and keep in mind that in order to lose weight, it must burn more calories than it received. The required amount is calculated individually for each person, because the condition of the body, the age of the person losing weight, and his physical activity are taken into account. For example, a woman who moves little can eat 2200 kcal per day; for men whose activities are not related to physical activity, the number increases to 2800 kcal/day.
To lose weight, you need to do the calculation a little differently, reducing the permissible daily caloric intake:
- women who do not engage in sports need 1000-1200 kcal/day to lose weight, men 500-600 kcal more;
- women involved in training should consume 2000-2200 kcal per day, men need to add 500 kcal to this number.
How to correctly count calories to lose weight - table
Once you decide to reduce your body weight, you need to control your intake of high-calorie foods. The table of calorie content of weight loss products will become your faithful assistant in creating a menu, but you need to take into account other points:
- Water, tea and coffee have zero calories, but that doesn't include sugar, honey, milk or any other extra ingredients you choose to add to your drink.
- When preparing a complex dish, keep in mind that in order to calculate its energy value, you need the energy value of the products included in the composition.
- When frying, add the calorie content of the product to the calorie content of the oil in which it is fried.
Food calorie table
Knowing your allowable daily calorie intake for weight loss, you can adjust your menu and plan your diet correctly. A calorie counting table for weight loss will help you with this - thanks to it you will find out the composition of dietary fat and the calorie content of food products that are considered the most popular and accessible to everyone. In the table, data on calorie content and composition are displayed per 100 g of product.
| Product name | Calories (kcal) | Carbohydrates |
||
| Berries, fruits |
||||
| Orange | ||||
| Cowberry | ||||
| Grape | ||||
| Grapefruit | ||||
| Strawberries | ||||
| Gooseberry | ||||
| Mandarin | ||||
| Currant | ||||
| Greens, vegetables |
||||
| Eggplant | ||||
| Green peas | ||||
| White cabbage | ||||
| Broccoli | ||||
| Brussels sprouts | ||||
| Cauliflower | ||||
| Red cabbage | ||||
| Sauerkraut | ||||
| Boiled potatoes | ||||
| Potato | ||||
| Fried potatoes | ||||
| Onion | ||||
| Green onion | ||||
| Red onion | ||||
| Pickled cucumber | ||||
| Fresh cucumber | ||||
| Parsley | ||||
| Sweet pepper | ||||
| Celery | ||||
| Red beans | ||||
| White beans | ||||
| Walnut | ||||
| Pine nut | ||||
| Pistachios | ||||
| Ostrich egg | ||||
| Quail egg | ||||
| Chicken egg | ||||
| Dried mushrooms | ||||
| White mushroom | ||||
| Fried mushrooms | ||||
| Raincoats | ||||
| Boletus | ||||
| boletus | ||||
| Dried foods |
||||
| Prunes | ||||
| Dried apples | ||||
| Cheeses, dairy products | ||||
| Cow cheese | ||||
| Yogurt 1.5% | ||||
| Whole milk | ||||
| Milk 3.2% | ||||
| Ryazhenka 6% | ||||
| Curdled milk | ||||
| Cream 20% | ||||
| Cream 10% | ||||
| Sour cream 20% | ||||
| Sour cream 10% | ||||
| Parmesan | ||||
| Dutch cheese | ||||
| Lambert cheese | ||||
| Russian cheese | ||||
| Processed cheese | ||||
| Sausage cheese | ||||
| Curd cheese | ||||
| Cottage cheese 18% | ||||
| Low-fat cottage cheese | ||||
| Bakery products |
||||
| Rye flatbread | ||||
| Butter pastries | ||||
| Wheat bread | ||||
| Bread Darnitsky | ||||
| Rye bread | ||||
| Cereals, legumes, flour |
||||
| Green peas (canned) | ||||
| Green peas (fresh) | ||||
| Dried green peas | ||||
| Rye flour | ||||
| Wheat flour | ||||
| Pearl barley | ||||
| Wheat cereal | ||||
| Barley groats | ||||
| Cornflakes | ||||
| Pasta | ||||
| Oatmeal | ||||
| Lentils | ||||
| Barley flakes | ||||
| Seafood |
||||
| Chum salmon caviar | ||||
| Granular caviar | ||||
| Pollock caviar | ||||
| Fried carp | ||||
| Canned fish in its own juice | ||||
| Canned fish in oil | ||||
| Shrimps | ||||
| Smoked salmon | ||||
| Fried salmon | ||||
| Sea kale | ||||
| Atlantic herring | ||||
| Sprats in oil | ||||
| Meat products |
||||
| Brisket | ||||
| Fried beef | ||||
| Beef stew | ||||
| Smoked sausage | ||||
| Boiled sausage | ||||
| Rabbit meat | ||||
| Boiled chicken | ||||
| Fried chicken | ||||
| Beef liver | ||||
| Pork chop | ||||
| Pork stew | ||||
| Sausages | ||||
| Veal | ||||
| Fats, sauces |
||||
| Rendered fat | ||||
| Creamy mayonnaise | ||||
| Sandwich margarine | ||||
| Margarine for baking | ||||
| Creamy margarine | ||||
| Light mayonnaise | ||||
| Ghee | ||||
| Corn oil | ||||
| Sunflower oil | ||||
| Butter | ||||
| Soybean oil | ||||
| Olive oil | ||||
Calculator
A calorie chart helps, but many people find it tedious to use. For this reason, those who are losing weight should take a closer look at a reference book indicating the calorie content of ready-made meals, or popular online calculators. Electronic counters can be used not only to count calories, but also dietary supplements, vitamins and minerals in a particular dish. The online program helps calculate how many beneficial components meat, vegetables, fish or fruits lose during cooking.
Calculation of daily calorie intake for weight loss
How many calories you can consume per day can be easily calculated. You just need to multiply the value of your weight in kg by 24 - the resulting number will be the rate of calorie consumption for the body at rest (due to this amount of energy, it will ensure the functioning of the processes necessary for human life). Even when calculating the daily calorie intake for weight loss, you need to take into account the recommended dose of BJU: the daily menu should consist of 20% fat, 40% carbohydrates and 40% protein.
Physical activity rate
The amount of daily calories depends on how active a person is. In this case, the number of acceptable norms must be multiplied by a coefficient expressing motor physical activity. This indicator has an average value:
- 1.2 – for people who are very overweight or lead a completely inactive lifestyle;
- 1.4 – for those who play sports at least 3 times/week;
- 1.6 – for people working in an office and those who rarely do physical labor;
- 1.5 – for those who train daily and do physical labor.
Basal metabolic rate
A calorie counting table will help you lose weight, but to calculate your daily calorie intake, you need to take other values into account. So, to maintain weight, your basal metabolic rate needs to be multiplied by your activity ratio. To lose weight, the daily norm needs to be reduced: for women to 1200 kcal, for men - to 1800 kcal. To lose weight, you need to either reduce your calorie intake by eating less or increase your physical activity. It is worth noting that before increasing the load when losing weight, you need to calculate how many calories you can eat before training.
Calorie diet
For those who have problems with weight, nutritionists have developed a special system - calculating the calorie content of consumed foods according to a table. While on this diet, you don’t need to give up your favorite delicious foods, because the system’s design is as simple as possible - you just need to reduce the number of servings and their volume. Reviews of this diet suggest that you can easily lose 4 kg of excess weight in a month (depending on your initial weight). The diet is absolutely safe for health, provided that you do not reduce your daily caloric intake below the minimum threshold of 1200 kcal.
A calorie-counting diet won't make you hungry. You can see this by looking at its sample menu:
- breakfast - 200 g of salad (fresh cabbage and carrots), seasoned with 0.5 tsp. vegetable oil, a piece of boiled sausage (50 g) or chicken cutlet, bread and unsweetened tea;
- snack – 100 g of citrus jelly, a glass of lemon jelly;
- lunch – 150 g of bean soup, 150 g of vegetable roast with pork, a cup of rowan tea, 100 g of potato cookies;
- afternoon snack – a glass of kvass made from the extract, 2 loaves of bread covered with a thin layer of apricot jam;
- dinner – 100 g of buckwheat, 100 g of boiled chicken fillet, a cup of tea with an apple;
- at night - a glass of low-fat kefir.
How to choose calorie-rich diet recipes
A calorie chart for weight loss may not help you achieve your goal if you systematically break the rules. So, when you are planning to count calories, you should:
- Limit your fat intake. Animal fat has twice the calorie content of carbohydrates. If the menu contains no more than 30% fat, then the body does not require an increase in the dose of carbohydrates and protein, due to this the calorie content of the diet becomes 10% less.
- Minimize your sugar intake. Any type of sugar or its substitute increases appetite, which causes a person to overeat, which is unacceptable when losing weight. A healthy menu should contain no more than 20 g of sugar/day.
- Increase your consumption of fiber (found in cereals, fruits, vegetables) and pectins. This kind of food is the best for weight loss - it is digested more slowly and fills you up faster.
Video
Admit it, many of you are not enthusiastic about the need to go on a diet precisely because you will have to limit yourself in everything, both by reducing the usual amount of food you eat and narrowing the variety of your menu.
It turns out that you can do without such sacrifices if you simply count calories: knowing your daily calorie intake and carefully calculating the calorie content of your menu, you can gradually lose excess weight.
Yes, this is troublesome, but in return we get the opportunity to eat almost all foods (except, of course, those that are obviously harmful) and even sometimes the amount of food does not change, you just need to pay attention to the total amount of calories.
Calorie diet: the essence of this method and the necessary calculations
The principle of this diet is simple: you can achieve weight loss by individually determining the required daily calorie intake and reducing it proportionally.
Let's figure out exactly what and how to count. It’s easiest with foods: there are special calorie tables; all you have to do is have them in front of your eyes and do the calculations. No one forces you to do this with your fingers or in your mind, the calculator will help you, so there is nothing complicated in this part.
Kitchen scales and containers for measuring volume will also be useful, because the tables usually indicate calorie data per 100 grams of product. Therefore, you will have to weigh and take into account all the products included in a particular dish. And in order not to completely get confused in these numbers, we advise you to keep a special food diary.
The calorie diet also has another numerical indicator - this is the maximum calorie intake per day at which weight loss is possible. It is determined individually, and it is influenced by too many factors:
- gender (you need to take into account at least the fact that men have more muscles, and therefore need more calories);
- age (after 20 years, every 10 years the amount of calories decreases by 2%);
- height (tall people need more calories because they have a larger body area)
- actual and desired weight;
- intensity of physical activity;
Calculation of calories needed by any person per day can be determined using formulas that take into account all these points.
Calorie diet: important points
Due to the complexity of such calculations, the menu for the day should be prepared in advance.
It is important to stick to 5 meals a day, distributing calories in the following ratio:
breakfast - 25%;
second breakfast - 10%
lunch - up to 30%,
hearty afternoon snack - up to 25,
dinner - only 10%.
So that when reducing calories, the body does not suffer from the lack of some necessary substances, you need to include foods from 5 groups in your daily menu: vegetables, proteins, grains, fruits and polyunsaturated fats should always be present in your diet.
1200 calorie diet: pros and cons of this method of losing weight
How to use calorie counting to lose weight? It is enough to calculate the daily amount of calories at your current weight using formulas and reduce this norm. But, unfortunately, this figure cannot be reduced indefinitely; a moment may come when, as a result of a sharp restriction of the number of calories, the body itself will suffer, irreversibly, and possibly depletion. Therefore, for safe weight loss, it is better not to cross the line of 1200 calories - the minimum number of calories at which safe weight loss is still possible, but this figure is limiting.
1200 calorie diet
There is a 1200 calorie diet, following which, within a month you can see the first results - minus 3-5 kilograms. You can choose any product, but only carefully calculate it so that the overall result does not exceed this norm.