How many calories should I eat if I want to lose weight?
The answer depends on the individual.
ELEVATE now offers 3 cleanse portions to more accurately fit your lifestyle, size and desired goals. When calculating how many calories you should eat to lose weight there are 4 important factors to consider which include height, weight, age, and gender. The cornerstone of weight loss is primarily based on calorie intake minus calorie expenditure (although not nearly the only factor) *(1,3,6,7). Under this structure, to lose weight, we need to create a calorie deficit meaning you burn more calories than you take in every week. However, this in no way means you should starve yourself to lose weight because often times that will lead to a harmful increase in negative hormones such as cortisol and be counter productive *(2,4,6,7). Instead, it is extremely important to keep a well balanced diet and fuel your body correctly with enough calories consisting of proteins, carbs and healthy fats while dieting to avoid negative hormonal changes and stress on the body *(2,5,6,7).
DO THE MATH
The Harris Benedict formula is often used to decipher how many calories your body needs to intake per day to maintain your body weight.
Step 1
First we need to find your Basal Metabolic Rate or BMR. This is how many calories your body burns at complete rest. Calculate here - BMR Calculator
Step 2
Then we multiply your BMR number by an activity factor to account for the time spent moving your body throughout the day. Choose one below.
Activity factors
• If you are sedentary (little or no exercise) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.2
• If you are lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.375
• If you are moderately active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.55
- If you are very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.725
Have your number?
Step 3
To LOSE 1 pound of fat you will need to have a deficit of 3,500kcals.
Subtract 500 calories per day and lose 1 pound per week.
Subtract 1,000 calories per day and you have a 2 pound loss over 7 days.
2 pounds a week is good safe weight loss. *(3,4,6,7)
And as always add increased exercise to help the numbers swing in your favor.
SO WHICH CLEANSE PORTION IS RIGHT FOR ME?
Now that you know the number of calories you should intake daily, you are more capable and knowledgeable to choose the correct cleanse. Below are the approximate calorie breakdowns for each cleanse option. Remember when choosing - a severe calorie deficit can be harmful and may lead to weight gain when reintroducing increased calorie consumption.
Portion Your “Harris Benedict Scale” Number
Athletic Portion 2800+
Original Portion 2001-2799
Low Calorie Portion 2000 or less
This should help your decision, but as always, don’t hesitate to come visit or call us at the shop with any questions.
* Citations
1. Stunkard AJ, McLaren-Hume M. The results of treatment for obesity. Arch Int Med 1959;103:79–85.
2.Kassirer J, Angell M. Losing weight—an ill-fated New Year's resolution. N Engl J Med 1998;338:52–4. CrossRefMedline
3. Wing RR, Hill JO. Successful weight loss maintenance. Annu Rev Nutr 2001;21:323–41. CrossRefMedline
4. French SA, Jeffery RW, Folsom AR, Williamson DF, Byers TE. History of intentional and unintentional weight loss in a population-based sample of women aged 55 to 69 years. Obes Res 1995;3:163–70. Medline
5. Williamson DF, Pamuk E, Thun M, Flanders D, Byers T, Heath C. Prospective study of intentional weight loss and mortality in never-smoking overweight US white women aged 40–64 years. Am J
6. Baechle, T. R., Earle, R. W., & National Strength & Conditioning Association (U.S.). (2000). Essentials of strength training and conditioning. Champaign, Ill: Human Kinetics.
7. Mann, A. Jim. Stewart Truswell
Oxford University Press, 2007 Essentials of Human Nutrition