Como Calcular Las Calorias Que Necesito Para Bajar De Peso

What are calories and how do they relate to weight loss?

Calories are units of energy that come from the food and drinks you consume. Your body uses these calories for various functions, including:

• Basal metabolic rate (BMR) - energy needed to keep your body functioning at rest
• Physical activity - energy used during exercise and daily movements
• Thermic effect of food - energy used to digest and process food

To lose weight, you need to create a calorie deficit by consuming fewer calories than your body burns. A typical weight loss goal is 0.5 to 1 kg (1 to 2 lbs) per week, which requires a deficit of 500 to 1,000 calories per day.

How to calculate your calorie needs for weight loss

Calculating your calorie needs involves several steps:

1. Determine your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)
2. Adjust for your activity level to get Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE)
3. Create a calorie deficit by reducing your intake below TDEE

The most accurate method uses your BMR formula based on age, weight, height, and gender, then multiplies by an activity factor to get TDEE.

The calorie calculation formula

The standard formula for calculating daily calorie needs is:

Where the activity factor depends on your daily activity level:

• Sedentary (little or no exercise): 1.2
• Lightly active (light exercise 1-3 days/week): 1.375
• Moderately active (moderate exercise 3-5 days/week): 1.55
• Very active (hard exercise 6-7 days/week): 1.725
• Extra active (very hard exercise, physical job, or training twice per day): 1.9

Worked example

Let's calculate the calories needed for a 30-year-old woman who is 165 cm tall, weighs 60 kg, and has a moderately active lifestyle:

1. Calculate BMR: 447.593 + (9.247 × 60) + (3.098 × 165) - (4.330 × 30) = 1,350 calories
2. Apply activity factor: 1,350 × 1.55 = 2,092.5 calories/day
3. Create a 500-calorie deficit: 2,092.5 - 500 = 1,592.5 calories/day

This woman should aim to consume approximately 1,593 calories per day to lose weight at a healthy rate.

Maintenance calories vs. deficit calories

Your maintenance calories are the number of calories you need to maintain your current weight. To lose weight, you need to consume fewer calories than this maintenance amount.

Common deficit strategies include:

• 500-calorie deficit: ~0.5 kg (1 lb) weight loss per week
• 1,000-calorie deficit: ~1 kg (2.2 lbs) weight loss per week

Activity level factors

Your activity level significantly impacts your calorie needs. Here are common activity descriptions: