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Caloric Intake Formula

Your caloric intake is the amount of calories your body expends each day through routine activities and performing bodily functions such as breathing, circulation, and metabolism. Most people have a daily caloric intake near 2,000, but using a caloric intake formula allows you to calculate a more accurate number for yourself. Knowing your personal caloric intake can allow you to more finely tune a weight loss, weight gain or weight management program.

  1. Base Metabolic Rate

    • Calculating your caloric intake actually requires two formulas: the Base Metabolic Rate (BMR) formula, and the Harris Benedict Equation (see Resources for a BMR calculator). The BMR formula will calculate your caloric needs based on gender, weight, height and age. For women, BMR = 655 + (4.35 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) - (4.7 x age in years). For men, BMR = 66 + (6.23 x weight in pounds) + (12.7 x height in inches) - (6.8 x age in years).

    Harris Benedict Equation

    • The second equation to finish calculating your caloric intake is the Harris Benedict equation, which factors in how active your lifestyle is. For this equation, you simply take your BMR and multiply it by 1.2 if you get little to no exercise, by 1.375 if you exercise 1 to 3 days a week, by 1.55 if you exercise 3 to 5 days a week, by 1.725 if you exercise 6 to 7 days a week, and by 1.9 if you have a physically demanding job and/or are in fitness training.

    Weight Management

    • The resulting number from these equations is your daily caloric intake. If you eat the same amount of calories each day as you expend, you will stay the same weight, as you will "break even" by providing your body with exactly the energy it needs to function. Ideally, this occurs when you have reached a healthy weight, and you maintain your healthy weight by remaining in "caloric balance."

    Weight Gain/Loss

    • If you eat more calories than you expend, you will gain weight, as your body will store the extra energy (calories) as fat. This is known as "in caloric excess," and has led to high obesity rates in the U.S. To lose weight that you have already gained, you must eat fewer calories than you expend each day, becoming "in caloric deficit" and forcing your body to retrieve the calories stored in fat to perform everyday activities.

    Method

    • Increasing and decreasing your caloric intake is relatively easy if done right. Both the CDC and USDA provide websites to help count calories eaten and expended each day with food and activity diaries. Increasing your activity level even a little bit raises your caloric intake and can either allow you to eat more to remain in "caloric balance" or not change your diet and move toward becoming "in caloric deficit." Similarly, cutting high-calorie foods out of your diet reduces the amount of calories you take in and can lead to weight loss.

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