How to calculate the ideal weight and daily requirement for calories

Every person knows that if you need to adjust the weight( and, in any direction), then first of all you need to determine how many calories a specific organism needs for normal vital activity of the body.There are several methods that allow you to calculate the number of calories needed - choosing one of them, experts recommend checking the results in some other way.This is due to the fact that the values ​​obtained have some variability.

Table of contents: Basic metabolism Elementary methods for determining the daily requirement for calories Harris-Benedikt formula

Basic metabolism

In dietetics there is such a thing as the value of the basic metabolism - this is the amount of calories that the body needs for vital activity at rest.It's about the energy that is spent during a person's sleep - calories are spent on both blood circulation and maintaining normal body temperature.The main metabolism is the main indicator that can tell a person how many calories it needs to maintain weight, lose weight or gain weight.

The value of the basic exchange is made up of certain factors :

1. Gender of the person.According to statistics, the representatives of the male in the body contains less fat and more muscle tissue, so their basal metabolic rate will be much higher.
2. Weight.The heavier a person is, the indicator of the value of the basic exchange( SBI) will be greater.
3. Genetics.This factor is congenital - someone exchange processes pass quickly, and someone is born with a low rate of these processes.
4. The amount of body fat.The less the fatty deposits in a person, the greater the intensity of the basal metabolism.
5. Body temperature.It is known for certain that an increase in body temperature even for half a degree provokes the acceleration of metabolic processes.
6. Body surface area.We are talking about the ratio of weight and height of a person: in high and lean people the indicator of the value of the basal metabolism will be much higher.For example, it is worth comparing two people with the same weight, but different height.A year later, with the same diet, a tall person will remain within the initial weight, and a low one will get better.
7. Diet.Strangely enough, but starvation and even a low-calorie diet reduces the rate of metabolic processes by 20-30%.
8. Hormonal background.When calculating the value of the basal metabolism, it is necessary to take into account the amount of thyroxine produced by the hormone - it is produced by the thyroid gland.If its amount in the body is increased, then the SBI is almost doubled, and if there is a lack of thyroxine, the SBI will be reduced by 40%.In addition to these factors, the age of a person affects the SBI( after 20 years, the metabolic rate slows down every 2 years by 2%), and the level of physical exertion, and even the external temperature( in the cold, metabolic processes in the body are activated).

   Elementary methods for determining the daily requirement for calories

   The simplest way to find out how many calories a day is needed for a normal vital activity of an organism, referring to scientific research.Physiologists William McArdle and Frank Kachi found that a man needs to consume at least 2,700 calories per day a day, for women the same figure is slightly lower - 2,100 calories.But these values ​​are very conventional: human activity is not taken into account, its initial body weight - for example, weightlifers are generally shown to take at least 6000 calories per day!There is another simple and affordable way to find out the required number of calories per day for a particular person, for which you need to know exactly the mass of the body. It is enough to remember the following rules :

   • for burning fat, you need to consume no more than 29 calories per 1 kg of a person's weight per day per day;
   • if you want to maintain the weight in the framework of enough intake of 35 calories per 1 kg of weight per day;
   • if necessary to gain weight( yes, there are people and with such problems!) It is necessary to ensure the intake of at least 40 calories per 1 kg of a person's weight per day.

   But this method will not give exact results - does not take into account the growth of a person, his physical activity, the degree of obesity.For example, a woman at 50 years weighs 117 kg and leads a low-activity lifestyle - according to these data, you can calculate that she needs to consume 3000 calories a day!It is unlikely that with such calculations it will be possible to achieve effective weight loss.

   Harris-Benedict formula

   This calculation method was adopted in the early 20th century( 1918-1919), two scientists( by their names, and the formula was called), but the formula was adjusted in 1984, because during this timeBoth the biometric indicators of a person and the way of life of people have changed.As a result, the currently accepted as correct formula following variant:

   metabolic level calculation( BMR) for women	447.593 +( 9.247 x weight in kg) +( 3.098 x height in inches) -( 4.330 xage in years)
   metabolic level calculation( BMR) for males	88.362 +( 13.397 x weight in kg) +( 4.799 x height in inches) -( 5.677 x age in years)

   ButTo calculate the level of metabolism in the body of a particular person is small - you need to know how many calories per day you can get for adjustingki body weight.And for this you can use the table below.

   level of physical activity	number of required calories per day
   Completely absent or very low	BMR x 1, 2
   activity low( maximum of 3 sessions per week)	BMR x 1, 375
   moderate activity( 3 to 5 workouts per week)	BMR x 1, 55
   activity is high( 6-7 workouts per week)	BMR x 1, 725

   If a person is too activetsya exercise and spends 8-10 workouts per week, the number of calories needed per day can be calculated as BMR x 1, 9.

   formula Features Harrison - Benedict

   disadvantages considered the formula for calculating the number of calories needed per day for a particular organismThere are :

   1. There are genetic and physiological factors - some people exchange processes at a fast pace, and someone - in slow motion.Yes, and the level of physical activity is often assessed inadequately - for example, if a person goes to work every day and ignores elevators, this does not mean that his activity is at a high level.
   2. It is necessary to take into account exactly what physical exercises are performed in the framework of weight loss - cardio-loads( classical) burn much fewer calories than plyometric or resistance exercises.
   3. It is very important to consider the type of diet - if it is protein, then the body will need much more energy to burn protein than carbohydrates and fats.

   But the Harrison-Benedict formula can become a "point of reference" on the path to a perfect body.It is recommended every week to carry out recalculations - in fact, under the influence of dietary nutrition and physical exertion, a person's weight decreases and, probably, it will be necessary to correct the amount of calories entering the body per day.To make sure that the presented formula is calculated correctly, it is not less than once in 14 days to calculate the body mass index.

   How to calculate the body mass index

   It is well known that the ideal weight can be calculated by a simple formula: a person's height is 110. But how perfect is the result obtained?After all, the general rule does not include taking into account fatty deposits, the amount of muscle tissue, the way of life.Therefore, to determine the body mass index, it is necessary to use the formula of Adolphe Ketel: the weight divided by the height, squared. The results will indicate what a particular person needs to do to adjust the weight of the :

   1. Body mass index 18, 5 - 24, 9. This is considered the norm, so you just need to keep yourself in shape.For this, it is not superfluous to calculate the number of calories needed per day by the Harrison-Benedict formula.
   2. The indicator was less than 18, 5. This is very small, a person probably wears the nickname "thin."This index of body mass index is very disturbing - anorexia may soon develop.
   3. The figures after the calculation are more than 25. The same very disturbing sign is a clear sign of impending obesity( or already taken place), it is necessary to urgently adjust the nutrition and begin to conduct regular physical training.

   Note: calculate the body mass index according to the given formula can not be pregnant, nursing women, and also at the age of less than 20 and over 65 years.

   Perspectives for a non-ideal body mass index

   It is believed that if you get the results of calculating the body mass index far from ideal, you need to "sound an alarm". To understand the importance of such a statement, you need to know what the looks like:

   1. If the body mass index is too low, the necessary nutrients do not enter the body and the result can be hair loss, brittle nails, tooth decay.In addition, with a body mass index of less than 18, fragility of bones develops, anemia, menstrual irregularities, a violation of reproductive function in women( up to the total impossibility of conceiving a child).

   Important: if the body mass index is less than 18, then you need to calculate the number of calories per day, change the diet and, when making the menu, ensure that the body receives all the necessary nutrients from the food.If a person by nature is thin and does not feel any pathological changes in the body, then there is nothing to worry about.

   1. With a high body mass index, the risk of developing heart diseases increases significantly, habitual edemas appear, and large and small vessels undergo pathological changes.Figures more than 25 when calculating the described magnitude is a sign of obesity.It is necessary to urgently reconsider your diet in the direction of reducing the calories consumed daily and exercise.

   Important: with a too large body mass index( above 40) is diagnosed with obesity, which means visiting a nutritionist and other doctors - adjust the diet yourself and immediately exercise yourself with exercise.

   1. The ideal indicator of the described value is 19-25.According to statistics, this is a great rarity, so if you were lucky enough to see such results of calculating the body mass index, then you just need to adhere to the principles of proper nutrition and regularly engage in your favorite sport.

   

   Recommendations for high body mass index

   Having seen too high a value of the considered value, many people simply "rush" into rigid diets, begin to actively run, engage in simulators.But even such measures should be carried out competently - large loads with obesity can be dangerous for the health of the heart system and the musculoskeletal system.Therefore, it is recommended to visit a nutritionist and get a competent consultation - how much and what to eat each day, what level of exercise can be allowed, how to reduce the appetite.No fat burners, miraculous pills, dietary supplements and even popular liposuction today will not help to normalize the index of body mass index.After these procedures, as a rule, the weight returns to its original position and even becomes higher.To lose weight, you need to calculate the necessary number of calories per day for a particular organism, engage in sports every day( sometimes simple walking and cycling are very helpful in achieving the goal) and generally lead an active lifestyle. Please note: can not be hungry for weight loss purposes.A critical reduction in the number of calories per day can lead to serious consequences - in the best case, organs and systems will suffer.The critical amount of calories consumed per day is 1200. In some cases this is the recommended amount for a certain category of people, but this is the prerogative of doctors alone. For weight loss it is important not only to know the formulas for calculating the number of calories needed per day, but also to change your lifestyle.Diet and exercise, of course, help get rid of extra pounds, but you need to lead a correct lifestyle.For example, a day you need to drink at least 8 glasses of water( only not at night!), Breakfast should be dense and high in calories, and dinner is very easy.Therefore, for proper weight loss, without harm to one's own health, it is advisable to seek help from specialists - nutritionists know all the subtleties of the weight loss process and will be able to choose a weight loss program individually. Tsygankova Yana Aleksandrovna, medical reviewer, therapeutist of the highest qualification category