Have you failed to maintain an optimal weight despite your regular exercise sessions and weight training? This can be because you are missing one of the essential parameters for weight control – keeping the count of your calories.
How many calories your body needs? How many do you burn in a day?
Does it matter? Yes, it does, especially when your goal is to maintain optimal body weight with composition.
If you are eating more than your body is using throughout the day, the excess energy is stored as additional fat resulting in unwanted weight gain. Therefore, it is vital to keep a count of the calories you consume and how many your body consumes.
The proportion of calories can easily be counted by calculating 2 essential factors:
Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), and
Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE)
We are talking about the simple and accurate way of calculating both parameters. Let’s read along to understand the concept in detail and answer some of the commonly asked questions.
What is BMR, and how to calculate it?
Basal Metabolic Rate or BMR is the total amount of energy your body burns in its resting state. In simple words, it is the energy that your body consumes even if you rest for the entire day.
BMR can also be understood as the minimal amount of energy that helps to keep the body functional without feeling any dizziness or fatigue. However, it doesn’t include the energy or calories your body requires for its general movements and intense exercise sessions.
Let us now have a look at an efficient and simple method to calculate BMR –
Use any of the following formulas, depending upon your gender:
- For women: 10 X body weight (Kg) + 6.25 X height (cm) – 5 X age (years) – 161
- For men: 10 X body weight (Kg) + 6.25 X height (cm) – 5 X age (years) + 5
These formulas are derived using the Mifflin St. Joer equation, which is considered the best accurate compared with the other available formulas. To use any of these formulas, you should be sure and accurate about your body weight (measured in Kg) and your body height (measured in centimetres).
Importance to calculate BMR:
BMR is one essential parameter to help in weight management. Since it indicates the total calories the body needs, a person can have a better and clear idea of what to consume and in how much quantity.
For example, suppose a person is trying to lose weight. In that case, BMR can help understand just to consume the minimal number of calories to keep the body functional and avoid excess consumption.
On the other hand, if the person is trying to gain weight, BMR can be the true companion to ensure the extra calories to consume to put on the required weight.
Is it possible to change the BMR?
There are a lot of factors that contribute to finding the accurate measurement of BMR. However, amongst all these factors, body weight and composition are the only two factors that can be altered to change the BMR measurements.
Therefore, decreasing the body’s weight and increasing the lean muscles can alter the BMR value. You can achieve lean muscles and reduced body weight by trying these simple ideas:
- Eating a balanced and healthy diet
- Practising resistance training regularly
- Daily undergoing cardiovascular exercises
What is TDEE, and how it is calculated?
TDEE is commonly known as Total Daily Energy Expenditure, which refers to the energy or calories a body needs to perform its everyday functions. It is also used to refer to the calorie count for daily physical movements and exercises.
It can be trusted to ensure the maximum calorie consumption for your body to facilitate and maintain, lose or gain body weight.
According to many health experts, the average TDEE required for a female body is around 2000 kcal per day. On the other hand, the TDEE necessary for a male body is about 2500 kcal. Many reports indicate the other side of the reality that there is no fixed amount of TDEE that suits all body or gender types.
There are a lot of additional factors which helps in determining the exact varying amount of TDEE suitable for the body. Some of the essential factors are as follow:
- Age
- Gender
- Height
- Weight
- Activity or movement level
- Genetics, etc.
Let us highlight an accurate formula to calculate TDEE. You can rely on the following steps:
- Start with measuring and observing the accurate value of BMR
- Monitor and maintain observation of the various activities planned and performed throughout the day. The daily activities can be expressed using physical activity level (PAL).
- Here are some of the PAL numbers corresponding to the standard and functional activities –
| Activity Level | PAL value, on an average |
| Light activity lifestyle | 1.5 |
| Moderate active lifestyle and exercise | 1.8 |
| Heavy and intense activity lifestyle and exercise | 2.2 |
- Once you have analyzed and monitored both the parameters (BMR and PAL), multiply both of them to find the accurate value of TDEE.
TDEE = BMR X PAL
Finding an accurate value of TDEE is the first step to get in the best of your body shape and retain the optimal health for the maximum time possible. Whether you are trying to lose weight, enhance your athletic performance, improve your body’s energy levels or optimize your body composition, calculating TDEE is the first step in the direction.
Final Words:
Both BMR and TDEE are reliable to estimate the right balance of calories. Its precise measurement is helpful in weight management in individuals. It can provide a clear idea and understanding of how many calories should be consumed to achieve the required weight goal without any hassles.
There are many devices to measure BMR and TDEE; however, it is best to get a consultation from a reputed health expert for an accurate calculation. Maintain transparency about your health conditions to know the exact number of calories needed.
If you still have any doubts about BMR and TDEE calculation, please raise your concerns in the comment section. We would love to hear from you.
Whether you want to gain muscle sustainably, lose weight, or do both—Mirganshi is the person you reach out to! She has a B.Sc in Nutrition and Dietetics from Lovely Professional University (LPU) and certification from Gold’s Gym Fitness Institute (GGFI). She grew up and completed her schooling in Jaipur, Rajasthan back in the early 2000s. Currently, she helps hundreds of individuals in correcting their diets, lifestyle habits, and physical health.
She currently lives with her husband in Navi Mumbai, and they have been happily married since 2017. She is also a fitness freak herself and has completed several marathons like TATA Mumbai Marathon, Pinkathon, and more! In her free time, she likes to listen to music while writing her journal. Discipline is her best friend, and she ensures to impart this virtue in her clientele as well.
Due to her impeccable grip on body nutrition and well-being, Mirganshi understands precisely what is right for your body and recommends/reviews products she only truly has faith in. Mirganshi is also a champion for mental health advocacy and understands how keeping your brain fit and mind sane is an essential part of well-being.