Calorie Calculator

The Calorie Calculatorcan be used to determine the amount of caloriesa person needs to consume each day. This calculator can also provide basic guidelines for either gaining or losing weight.

Food Energy Converter

The converter above could be utilized to convert Calories and other common units for energy in food.

Related:BMI Calculator | Body Fat Calculator | Ideal Weight Calculator

That Calorie Calculator is founded on several equations and the results of the calculator are based upon an estimated average. This Harris-Benedict Equation was one of the first equations to be used to calculate the basal metabolic rates (BMR), which corresponds to how much energy that is expended daily at rest. It was revised in 1984 to be more accurate and was used through 1990, at which point the Mifflin-St Jeor Equation was introduced. The Mifflin Saint Jeor Equation will also determine BMR, and has been proven to be more precise than the revised Harris-Benedict Equation. The Katch-McArdle Formula is slightly different in how it calculates the resting daily Energy expenditure (RDEE), which incorporates lean body mass into consideration. This is something that both the Mifflin-St Jeor nor the Harris-Benedict Equation do. From these equations, the Mifflin-St Jeor Equation is considered as the most accurate method for calculating BMR with the exception that the Katch-McArdle Formula can be more exact for those who are slimmer and know the percentage of body fat they have. The three equations utilized for calculation by this calculator can be as follows: beneath: Mifflin-St Jeor Equation:For men:BMR = 10W + 6.25H + 5A + 5For women: BMR equals 10W + 6.25H - 5A + 161 Revised Harris-Benedict Equation:For men:BMR = 13.397W + 4.799H - 5.677A + 88.362For women: BMR = 9.247W + 3.098H - 4.330A + 447.593 Katch-McArdle Formula:BMR = 397 + 21.6(1 + F)W

Where:
W is body weight in kg
H is height of the body in centimeters
A is age
F is the amount of body fat in percentage

The outcome of using these formulas is approximate amount of calories an individual can consume in a day to maintain their weight, as long as they're not at the level of rest. This number is multiplied with an amount of activity (generally 1.2-1.95), dependent on a person's typical levels of exercise to determine a more realistic figure for maintaining body weight (since people are more likely to be asleep for the duration of a full day). 1 pound, roughly 0.45 kg, equates to roughly 3,500 calories. So, in order losing 1 pound per weeks, it's recommended that 500 calories be shaved off the estimate of calories needed for weight-maintenance every day. For example, if a person consumes an estimate of 2500 calories per day to maintain body-weight, consuming the equivalent of 2,000 calories each day for a week would theoretically result in 3,500 calories (or 1 pound) per week.

It is vital to remember that a healthy diet and regular exercise is largely accepted as the most effective method to shed weight. It is not advised to decrease calories intake by more that 1,000 calories daily, since losing more than 2 pounds per week may be detrimental and produce the opposite result in the near future by decreasing metabolism. If you lose more than 2 pounds every week could result in reduction in muscle mass, which then results in lower BMR because more muscle mass results in higher BMR. The loss of weight can be due to dehydration which is harmful. Furthermore, especially when working out during dieting maintaining a healthy and balanced diet is crucial, as your body needs to be able to sustain its metabolic processes while also replenishing itself. In the absence of the nutrition it requires as a consequence of heavily unhealthy diets can cause severe negative consequences and losing weight in this way has been proven in some studies to be insufficient, because the weight is typically recuperated in the form fat (putting people in a much worse condition that they were prior to beginning this diet). This is why, in along with monitoring calorie intake it is crucial to ensure that you have adequate fiber intake along with other nutritional requirements to satisfy the needs of the body.

Calorie Counting as a Means for Weight Loss

Calorie counting with the intent of losing weight, at its most basic levels, can be broken down into several basic steps:

1. Determine your BMR by using one of these equations. If you are aware of your body fat percentage and you are able to calculate it, using the Katch-McArdle Formula might be a more accurate depiction on your BMR. Make sure to remember that the results from these equations are approximate and subtracting 500 calories from your BMR does not mean that it will yield exactly one kilogram lost every week. it may be less, or it could be more!
2. Find out your weight loss objectives. Keep in mind that 1 kilogram (~0.45 kg) corresponds to around 3500 calories, and reducing daily caloric intake to an the estimated BMR at 500 calories per day can be able to result in an average loss of 1 to 1 pound per week. It is not recommended losing more than two pounds per week, since it can have negative impact on your health. i.e. set a goal for a daily reduction in calories of around 1000 calories per day. Speak with your physician or one of the Registered Dietician Nutritionists (RDN) is highly recommended if you intend in losing 2 or more pounds per week.
3. Pick a method that tracks your calories and the progress you make towards your goals. If you're on an iPhone there are numerous easy-to-use apps that allow you to track calories as well as workout progress, among other things. Some, but not all of these, have estimates of the calories within a wide range of brands or restaurant dishes, and if not they are able to estimate calories using the amounts that each component is present in the food items. It's not easy to grasp of the proportions of food items and the calories they're a source of - which is why counting calories (as as well as other approaches) is not for everyone - but if you take care to measure and keep track of the amount of calories in your regular meals it will be much easier to estimate the amount of calories without the need to measure or weigh the food each time. There are websites that will help you achieve the same result, but should you prefer to do it manually, maintaining an Excel spreadsheet, as well as a pencil and paper journals are definitely options.
4. Be aware of how you're progressing over the course of time, and modify your routine to achieve your goals as needed. Be aware that weight loss isn't the only determinant of fitness and health, and you should also take other aspects like fat vs. the loss or gain of muscle in addition. Additionally, it is suggested that measurements are taken over longer durations like one week (rather as daily) as large variations in weight can be caused dependent on your water intake or time of day. It is also ideal to make measurements in consistent conditions, like you weigh yourself the moment you get up, and also before breakfast instead of at different times throughout the day.
5. Keep at it!

The steps above represent an attempt to create the most basic type of calorie count. Calorie counting is not an exact science, but could be as complex as you'd like it. This does not take into account the percentage of macronutrients consumed. While there is no known, ideal proportion of macronutrients (fats protein, carbohydrates, fats) however, a certain amount of balance is surely recommended. Moreover, different foods have been discovered to affect health in different ways appetite, feeling of fullness, and number of calories burned. The majority of the time, plant and animal proteins are thought to favor maintaining and losing weight in a healthy way.

There are a variety of approaches to weight loss, and there's an ideal approach which is applicable to all individuals that's why numerous diets and workout methods are offered. While certain strategies are more effective for every individual but not all weight loss methods are equal, and research indicates that certain strategies are healthier than others. This being said, one of the most widely used ways to lose weight is to count calories. In its most basic form, calories consumed minus calories expended will result in weight gain when the outcome is positive, and weight loss in the event that the outcome is negative. But, this is far from an accurate picture, and many other variables play a crucial role in the process of achieving healthy sustainable weight loss. For example, there exist divergent studies on how the nature of calories or foods consumed, or the way they are consumed, influence the loss of weight. Studies have proven that food items that require people to chew more , and take longer to process can result in an increase in calories which is sometimes referred to as the thermogenic effect of food. Although the increase in burned calories could be small the foods that are difficult to digest such as vegetables typically are healthier and have more nutrients with fewer calories over processed foods.

It is in line with the idea that with regard to weight loss the net calories are significant as opposed to their source of energy, there are cases such as for instance the Twinkie diet, in which someone who counted only calories as they ate a variety of cakes and snacks was able to shed 27 pounds in two months. Although this is as effective as it could be, it's not suggested. While the participant did not seem to suffer any noticeable physical or mental health problems in this particular case, there are other less measurable factors that should be taken into consideration, such as the long-term effects of such a diet on the risk of developing cancers, heart disease, and diabetes. But, in the absence of efficiency and well-being, continuous, massive reduction in calories consumed or increased physical activity will result in weight loss and tracking calories is a viable way to achieve this sole result.

While it is a great method of assisting in weight loss however, it has benefits that are less tangible, such as helping to increase nutritional awareness. A lot of people are unaware of, or overestimate the amount of calories they consume daily. Counting calories will help increase awareness of the different kinds of foods, their amount of calories they're a source of, and how those calories have a different effect on the feeling of satiety. Once a person has the knowledge of the amount of calories are contained in that bag of chips that they are able to eat in a matter of minutes, how much portion of the caloric content of their diet is consumed, and how little the chips contribute to satisfying their cravings, the control of portion sizes and avoidance of food items with empty calories is likely to be easier.

Achieving accurate caloric measurement will also help with losing weight, as specific calorie goals can be set, as opposed to simply trying to eat less. Additionally, while this is not necessarily directly tied to counting calories Studies have proven that controlling portion size by eating from a smaller plate can reduce calories, since people tend to take their food to the limit and eat everything on their plates. Many people do not realize that they're eating more than they should, as they've grown accustomed to eating portions that are large for a restaurant as commonplace, even though these portions can be up to three times or more than necessary for a typical dinner.

Monitoring calories helps put exercise in an objective way, which can increase an individual's understanding of how much exercise is necessary to counteract a 220-calorie M&M's bag. Once a connection has been established on the quantity of workout that certain snacks represent, many people find abstaining from the bag of chips to be the preferred option instead of doing the same amount of exercise - which can result in healthier lifestyles.

However, in the end the key is choosing an approach that will work for you. Calorie counting is just one strategy to get weight loss amongst many ways, and even within this approach there are numerous options one could choose. Making sure you choose a method that works in with your lifestyle and believe you'll be likely to stick to is most likely to yield the most sustainable as well as the desired results.

Zigzag Calorie Cycling

Zigzag calorie cycle is a strategy for losing weight that aims to overcome the body's natural adaptive nature. The process of counting and limiting calories like the one described above can be a successful method to shed weight, however over a period of time, it's feasible for your body adapt to the decreased amount of calories consumed. When this happens the body may experience a plateau in weight loss that is difficult to surmount can result. This is the reason why zigzag calorie cycling can aid, by keeping the body from having in adjusting to the low energy level.

Zigzag calorie cycle involves changing the number of calories consumed in a specific day. Someone who is following a zigzag diet should be able to mix high-calorie and low-calorie days , in order to achieve the same overall weekly calorific goal. For instance, if your intended calorie intake is one-fourth of a million calories per week, you can consume 2,300 calories every day in addition to 1,775 calories the remaining four days of the week, or you could consume 220 calories every day. In both scenarios 14,000 calories would be consumed over the course of the week. However, the body's body won't adjust to compensate for a 2,000-calorie diet. It also gives people to be more flexible with their diet, allowing them to plan around occasions, such as social gatherings or work events, where a person may consume more calories. Consuming a lower number of calories on other days could allow a person to enjoy these events or even enjoy"cheat days" or "cheat day" where they enjoy eating whatever they want and not feel guilty about it, as they'll be able to make up the extra calories when they are eating low-calorie meals.

There is no definitive guideline or research that outlines the most effective approach to divide or mix the consumption of calories. The best way to alter the amount of calories consumed is up to your own decision-making. In accordance with the person's level of activity and level of activity, it is recommended that the high-calorie and low-calorie days can differ by between 200 and 300 calories while the high-calorie day is typically the number of calories an individual needs to consume in order to maintain their current weight. For someone with a higher activity level the difference in calories must be larger. The calculator presents two zigzag diet schedules. The first includes two days with higher calories and five days with lower calories. The second plan increases and reduces calories slowly. In either case the total daily calories consumed is identical.

It's all about the details, no matter the method you decide to employ when it comes to weight loss, what's important is picking a strategy that works for you. Calculating calories and zigzag cycling are just two of the methods (that are in fact interconnected) employed to attain weight loss. There are many other methods, and even within these approaches, there are many possible options one could choose. Making sure you choose a method that fits into your life and lifestyle that you believe you'll be able to follow is likely to produce the most lasting and desired result.