Why Counting Calories Is Important
There are hundreds and thousands of different diets in the world that range from high-fat Keto to plant-based vegan diet. The BetterMe app can offer you a customized meal plan based on your preference and goals. It can offer you numerous healthy recipes, but, whatever the content of your diet plan, your extra pounds will not disappear without a calorie deficit. Consuming fewer calories than you burn is essential for any weight loss program. To understand whether you are choosing the right calorie limit for yourself, you need to know the number of calories your body burns daily. Calories Burned Calculator is a simple tool for calculating burned calories based on your gender, age, and exercise level. Counting calories can let you stick to a healthy yet effective weight loss plan.
According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, adult women need between 1600 and 2000 calories per day in order to support basic functions of the body, maintain the ability to resist diseases, and avoid any kinds of nutrient deficiencies. If you’re an adult woman, this is an approximate range for a healthy weight loss diet. But this range may vary depending on other markers such as physical activity. That is why using a Calories Burned Calculator from BetterMe is indispensable if you’re striving to shed a couple of extra pounds. If you don’t know the number of calories you burn, you can’t understand whether your dietary plan will yield any result at all.
Do You Need A Ton Of Calculations?
Not at all! Your goal is calculating your Total Energy Expenditure.
Total Energy Expenditure, or TEE, consists of 3 aspects: physical activity-related energy expenditure (PEE), which includes non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT), and exercise activity thermogenesis). Another two components are your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) and Diet-Induced Thermogenesis (DIT).
This may sound complicated, but don’t be scared – you won’t need to count all of these parameters to figure out how many calories you burn daily. Instead, you only need two parameters: your BMR and your PAL, Physical Activity Level.
BMR and TEE: Just Basic Maths
To calculate your BMR, use the Mifflin St-Jeor equation, which is considered the most popular and accurate. Here’s how it goes:
- For women = 10 × your weight in kg + 6.25 × your height in cm – 5 × your age in years – 161
- For men = 10 × your weight in kg + 6.25 × your height in cm – 5 × your age in years + 5
Doesn’t look difficult, right? Now, let’s get back to calculating your TEE.
The TEE formula is very simple: you just need to multiply your BMR by your Physical Activity Level, or PAL.
- TEE = your BMR × your PAL.
So, you already know how to calculate your BMR. Let’s clarify what PAL means and how to determine it. Fortunately, it’s even simpler than BMR – you just need to choose a number that refers to your physical activity level.
Let’s Talk About Your Lifestyle
Your overall lifestyle can fit into one of the three physical activity levels:
Sedentary or light activity lifestyle
This lifestyle is typical for people who do not engage in regular physical activity at work or at home. You don’t walk long distances, and you don’t exercise regularly. You commute to work by car or bus, rather than walking or cycling, and your way to relax is lying on the couch scrolling through social media. If this sounds like you, use numbers between 1.40 and 1.69 to calculate your TEE.
Active or moderately active lifestyle
This lifestyle includes more daily physical activity, but still not too much. For example, if you are a construction worker, you spend more energy and are more physically active than an office worker simply because of the nature of your work. Plus, regular exercise also puts you in this category. You can walk or bike quite a lot. If you think this sounds like you, use the numbers 1.7 to 1.99 to calculate your TEE.
Vigorous or vigorously active lifestyle
This lifestyle applies to those who lead an extremely active lifestyle. For example, if you are a farmer who works with an ax for several hours a day and also spends several hours a day carrying heavy loads, you might be in this category. If you are an athlete or dancer who spends a lot of time training, you also belong to this category. If this is about you, use numbers between 2 and 2.4 when calculating your TEE.
Final Step
So, now you can easily calculate your approximate TEE using your BMR and PAL.
For example, if you’re a 40-year-old woman, your weight is 70kg, your height is 165 cm, and you’re leading a moderately active lifestyle, here’s how many calories you’re burning every day.
10 × 70 + 6.25 × 165 – 5 × 40 – 161 = 1370 calories. That’s your BMR. Now multiply it by 1.7 and you get 2329 calories.
Consuming less than 2329 calories while maintaining the same lifestyle should trigger weight loss.
Keep in mind that you need to know your weight in kg and your height in cm to properly use Calories Burned Calculator. One inch equals 2.54 cm, so you need to multiply your height by 2.54 to get your height in cm. One pound equals 0.45 kg. To get your weight in kg, multiply your weight in pounds by 0.45.
What To Do Next?
Calculating your approximate TEE is very simple, you just need two parameters – your BMR and your PAL. But once you’ve found out the number of calories you burn daily, you need to choose a balanced dietary plan to follow and the correct number of calories to satisfy all your nutritional needs. Keep in mind that following extremely low-calorie diets is not recommended since it is harmful and ineffective (your weight will come back). On top of that, it is highly recommended to follow these important tips.
Pro Tips For Your Beautiful Body
Get Enough Sleep
Sleep is essential for successful weight loss. When you don’t get enough sleep, your body tries to replenish its energy reserves with fatty and salty foods. That’s why people who lack adequate sleep often gain unwanted pounds. On top of that, lack of sleep can lead to reduced metabolism, which also stimulates weight gain. Aim to sleep for 7-8 hours per day for sustainable weight loss.
Decrease stress
Unfortunately, stressful life leads to weight gain as well. Sometimes stressful situations can be difficult to avoid, but you can use meditation or yoga to stay calm and balanced.
Install BetterMe App
You can skip the calorie counting and get down to dieting. How? With the help of the BetterMe app! It will count your caloric needs for you and provide you with a personalized diet and workout plan.
