The cornerstone of any good fitness plan is getting your diet right, and to do that, the first thing you need to do is to determine what your daily calorie needs are.
There are a lot of different online calculators you can use to find your daily calorie need. Some of them are ok, but most of them oversimplify the calculation by only using your age, weight, and gender. If you are a fitness nerd like me, you will probably want to know the correct scientific way of calculating what your daily calorie needs are.
It’s a very easy 5-step process. I have used my own data in the example below to show you how I work out what my daily calorie needs are.
How to calculate your daily calorie needs
Step 1: Find your body weight in kilograms (if you live in the US, just divide your weight in pounds by 2.2 to get your weight in kilograms).
Step 2: Multiply your weight in kilograms by 0.9 if you are a woman or 1.0 if you are a man.
Step 3: Multiply by 24
Step 4: Multiply by your “Lean Factor” from the table below (read on to learn how to find your body fat percentage if you don’t know it)
Example using my stats: 61 kg (134.5 lbs.) x 0.9 (female) x 24 x 0.95 (20% body fat) = 1252
This number is called your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). It’s how many calories you would burn in a day if you just lay on the couch all day and did nothing. To find out how many calories you actually burn in a day, you need to multiply with your “Activity Modifier” from the table below.
Step 5: Multiply by Activity Modifier
My daily calorie need would be: 1252 (my BMR) x 1.55 (Light Activity) = 1940 calories/day
As you can see, calculating your daily calorie needs is actually pretty simple, as long as you know your body fat percentage. Most gyms should be able to measure that for you, or a trainer can give you a very good estimate just by looking.
You can also use a tape measure and this online calculator to estimate your body fat percentage. It’s not as accurate, but you really only need an approximate number, so it should be good enough.
The main mistake people make when using this calculation is to overestimate their activity level. Even though I live a very active lifestyle and work out almost every day, I still only use the “Light Activity” multiplier. And that may even be on the high side because I also spend a lot (too much) time in front of a computer.
The higher multipliers are for people who use their bodies almost constantly throughout the day, like construction workers, pro athletes, etc.
If you are pretty fit and active, you should probably use the “Light” or “Very Light” multiplier. If you are just starting a fitness program, use the “Very Light” multiplier.
Now that you know how many calories you burn in a day, the next step is to decide if you want to lose or gain weight. If you are trying to lose weight, I recommend you eat around 400-500 calories less than you burn each day. That should lead to a weight loss of about 1 lbs. per week, which is a very healthy and sustainable rate.
If you want to gain muscle, start out at 500 calories/day more than you burn and see what happens. If you find that you are also putting on a little too much fat, decrease your calories slightly.
To make sure that you reach your daily calorie targets, it’s a good idea to follow a meal plan. You can either create your own or simply pick one from my meal plan library.
Good luck with your fitness program! If you need a little more help working out your daily calorie needs or anything else, you can always contact me for online training and meal plans.
Suggested next post: How To Lose Weight When You Live With Diabetes
If you liked this post, please sign up for our newsletter (and get a sign-up bonus) in the form below. We send out a weekly newsletter with the latest posts and recipes from Diabetes Strong.
hello, my name is Salma and I would like to diet on a 700calorie diet per day
I am a Diabetic T2. I heard Dr David Lloyd advise people like me to lose 20kg on this 700Cal per day. The diets available are full of stuff that I do not eat.For example Peanut butter,Sandwiches,American food stuff. My diet is mainly grilled food and lots of salad.Thanks
I would generally not recommend any of the extreme diets such as the one you’re mentioning here. If you’re to eat such low calories you should be monitored closely by a medical professional
Hey I am about 13 years old and it shows that i should be eating 1,110 calories but when i research “how many calories should an INACTIVE 13 year old get” is says about 2000-2200. Also i usually eat around 1,400-1,700 calories. I am not trying to lose weight, but i have to know how many calories i should get for a project i am doing. thx for your help.
Hi Sofia, great that you are doing the research! The formula we use here is only intended for adults. You need more calories compared to your body weight as a teenager so 1,110 calories/day is definitely not enough.
This is probably the article you read and it’s a good place to start: https://www.eatright.org/food/nutrition/dietary-guidelines-and-myplate/how-many-calories-does-my-teen-need. I don’t know of a more accurate calculator or formula that works for teenagers.
Dear Christel
I exercise 4 days a week including cardio at gym and sometimes burn 300 – 400 calories in the machines .
I put my daily activity as Moderate . My BRM is 1080 and I need 1947 calories a day . And on the fitness pal When i burn 350 or 400 calories i need 2000 calories .
Did I put my activity level right ?
Remember this is just a calculator that will help you estimate your needs. It’s what I’d call a good starting point, so try it out for a few weeks and adjust if needed.
As for MFP, no I don’t recommend adding in the calories burned to the calorie goal as it’s already included in the calculation
Hello. I’m a 65 yr old with type 1 Diabetes. I’ve struggled my entire life trying to reduce my weight. I’ve finally settled on a low carb diet of about 1,000/day. My HA1C last week was 6.5, and I weigh 150. I have a 15 min resistance exercise routine and a 3 mile walk almost daily. My Endocrinologist is thrilled with me. I generally do not eat before 3:00-4:30pm daily. (I am not hungry.) My difficulties come every 4 days or so….i feel the need for a mid day meal, and then I usually over eat. I spend a lot of time watching my sensor data on those days. Needless to say, my weight does not change. Is it fair to say I should give up this quest. It’s been a very long haul getting to this point in life, and I’d like to come to peace with this challenge. Thank you
I’m 171 cm tall, 22 y.o, 75 kg, ~15% bf, and according to the formula, I need 2821.5 calories daily. I’m a little surprised, how can you explain that please ?
75 x 1 x 24 x 0.95= 1710
1710 x 1.65= 2821.5
I thought my caloric need was way less.
It’s a formula based on the majority of the population. Given your age, most formulas will assume you have a high BMR. I’d say that most people overestimate their activity level and should use the 1.3-1.55 activity multiplier, which would put you at 2223-2650 calories. I don’t know you or your lifestyle, but if you’re active I don[‘t think the 2800 calories is a bad starting point
Deal. Thank you and merry christmas & a new year full of success
ma’am my hight is 182 cm and weight is 60 kg I want increase my weight approximately 80 kg . May you help me
You’ll need to increase your caloric intake. If you’re looking to add muscles I would suggest focusing on lifting weights and eating in a surplus