Nowadays, when someone has a fitness goal, there’s so much focus on what diet to follow, or how few carbs should be eaten, rather than focusing on what matters the most: overall energy balance.
Which is energy going into our bodies (food, calories), and energy going out of our bodies, or being burned (activity, exercise, digestion, living, etc).
Here, we’re gonna dive into the energy input side of things. Aka, the big question.. how many calories should you eat?
Calories are simply units of energy, and make up the food we eat. And in terms how much we eat and fitness-related goals, there are three main scenarios:
- Weight maintenance – eating at “maintenance” calories
- Weight loss – eating in a caloric deficit
- Weight gain – eating in a caloric surplus
These are the three primary scenarios. We’re either in an energy balance, energy surplus, or an energy deficit.
Of course, activity level plays a huge role too, but again, let’s focus on the caloric input.
AVERAGE RECOMMENDATIONS
I’m sure you’re familiar with the typical average caloric intake being 2,000 calories per day. This, of course, varies person-to-person.
Things like height, weight, metabolic health, and activity level, all play a role in determining how many calories someone should eat. A person’s real intake might be 1800 cals, 2200 cals, or maybe even 3000 cals! (depending on situation and goals).
SO HOW DO YOU FIND YOUR CALORIE RANGE?
Of course, the simple and quick answer would be to go on Google and find any one of the probably thousands of calorie calculators online, enter your info, and it’ll spit out a range for you to follow. This is obviously generalized, and not specific to you.
**This method can still work if you’re following certain numbers and making the progress you want, even if those numbers might not be totally accurate, your progress still can be!**
THE BEST METHOD
Google calculators and apps can be effective, BUT, there is still a much more accurate way to determine your actual caloric needs..
- Track your calories. You don’t have to be 100% accurate, but the idea is to track as best as you can, and jot down your range each day.
- Daily weigh-ins. Each morning, after using the bathroom and ideally not drinking or consuming anything, weigh your damn self. Jot down your weigh-ins each day, as well.
- Compare week to week. As you’ve been taking note of your weigh-ins, and food intake, you should start to see a pattern emerge week to week. Hopefully calories are relatively consistent each day, and you will be able to see if your weight has been fluctuating up, down, or staying constant compared to how you’ve been eating.
With this, you can get a pretty solid idea of your specific calorie needs. And with that knowledge, you’ll be better able to properly plan and execute a weight loss, or weight gain program.
It is gonna take a little time (a couple weeks) and a tiny bit of effort and consistency. But once you’re familiar with your calorie intake, any fitness endeavors from then on out will be much easier to navigate, and take control of.
Thanks for reading!