Norm of calories per day. The norm of calories for women when losing weight

For the daily active life of a person, it is necessary to strictly adhere to the consumption of a certain number of calories per day. After all, every perfect action requires energy costs. The more intense the load the body receives, the more calories it will need. Calorie intake per day for each person individually, it is determined by such factors: gender and age, activity level during the day and lifestyle.

It is believed that the number of calories consumed by a man's body is an order of magnitude higher than the female daily norm, and from the point of view of the age factor, a young body needs much more calories that are spent on development and growth than an elderly one. The more active a person leads, the more calories he will need. The calculation of daily calories is made individually and for each calorie norm is different, however, there are certain patterns. Consider the average calorie intake per day for a man and a woman and their differences.

How many calories per day do men need?

Nutritionists, together with nutrition experts, have come to the conclusion that the number of calories a man needs to live depends on his level of activity. Consider the approximate daily calorie intake depending on lifestyle and age.

With a sedentary lifestyle for men aged 19-30, the amount of calories needed per day is about 2400 kcal, for men aged 31-50 years, 2200 kcal will be required, and for those who are 51 and over, only 2000 kcal will be needed. As for a moderate lifestyle, for men of the mentioned age categories, 2600-2800, 2400-2600 and 2200-2400 kcal, respectively, will be required. Calorie intake per day for men who lead an active lifestyle will be much higher: 3000 kcal for those who are 19-30 years old; 2800-3000 kcal for men aged 31-50 and 2800-2400 kcal for those 51 and older.

Thus, we see that the number of calories men need for a full life depends on their individual needs, especially if you need to adjust your weight or maintain it at the same level. In order to accurately determine how many calories the body will need, it is necessary to make an accurate calculation of daily calories, taking into account all parameters: weight, height, level of exercise and the desired weight that you would like to have as a result. With the help of such a calculation, you can make an approximate menu, knowing the calorie content of all dishes and products in your diet. We figured out the men, and now let's talk about women.

As for women, the picture is about the same. However, women, as a rule, are more scrupulous and responsible in their appearance, they care more about their figure, so they are used to counting every calorie they eat. Just for such cases, an accurate calculation of daily calories is made, taking into account all the above parameters. For those who do not like calculations, for whom it is not so important to know the exact number of calories needed during the day, we will give average data, depending on the lifestyle and age of the woman.

If you lead a sedentary lifestyle, then a 19-25 year old girl will need about 2000 kcal per day; the number of calories for a 26-50 year old woman will be about 1800 kcal, and for those over 51, about 1600 kcal will be enough. With a moderate lifestyle for women of these age categories, the amount of calories consumed per day will be 2200, 2000 and 1800 kcal, respectively. And if a woman leads an active lifestyle, then even more calories will be required, namely: 2400, 2200 and 2000 kcal.

It is very important that when calculating daily calories, you take into account not only individual parameters, but also the desired indicators. It should be noted that if you want to lose weight, then you need to consume fewer calories and reduce the daily calorie intake to exactly the amount that you need to achieve the result. If you need to gain weight, then you need to include additional foods and ingredients in the diet that will allow you to do this by adding a certain amount of calories to the daily allowance. To maintain weight at the same level, you can use the above standard indicators, or those that you individually calculate for yourself.

How to calculate how many calories per day we need?

In the modern world, in order to find out the individual need for calories, it is enough to use the online daily calorie intake calculator, setting all the necessary parameters. However, if you do not have one, you can easily do it yourself. Let's make a calculation using the Harris-Benedict formula, named after its creator.

This formula was compiled back in 1919, and now it is widely used to determine the value of a person's basal metabolism (VOCH), for the implementation of which calories are spent. In other words, it shows the basic intake of calories per day that the body needs to carry out all vital functions.

For women, the SREF is calculated as follows:

VOOC \u003d 655.1 + 9.6 * weight (kg) + 1.85 * height (cm) - 4.68 * age (years)

The only correct and effective way to lose weight is sports and a balanced diet. The rate of weight loss depends on the physiological characteristics of each person, the level of physical activity (training), existing diseases, etc. If you want to lose weight, a woman needs to correctly calculate the daily calorie intake for more effective and faster weight loss and subcutaneous fat.

Why Calculate Calories?

A calorie is the energy weight of a food that is released by the body when food is digested. The balance of proteins, fats, carbohydrates and the caloric content of the dish are associated with working capacity and activity, health status.

With insufficient intake of energy in the body, weakness, apathy, deterioration of the skin, teeth, and hair are observed.

With an excess of caloric intake, fat accumulation in the body and an increase in body weight occur.

For healthy and safe weight loss, it is important to gradually reduce the calorie intake to the desired level. To do this, it is necessary to calculate the rate of individual calorie intake by the body, keep a food diary, which reflects all the foods and dishes eaten per day.

How to calculate daily calorie intake

The World Health Organization has recognized universal calorie norm data: for women, calorie content per day is 2000 kcal, for men 2500 kcal. However, these data do not take into account a number of factors that directly affect the daily calorie intake, such as gender, age, lifestyle, level of physical activity, etc.

The daily calorie intake for a woman when losing weight is calculated using special formulas.

The calculation consists of several stages:

The result is the metabolic rate (metabolic rate).

Multiplying this figure by the coefficient of the corresponding level of activity, we get the required calorie intake per day to keep the weight at a stable level.

To lose weight, a woman needs to reduce the resulting figure by 500 kcal. That is, if in the calculations the required daily calorie content turned out to be 1800 kcal, then in order to reduce weight, it is necessary to limit yourself to 1300 kcal.

To speed up weight loss, you can increase the number of workouts.

Calculation of ideal weight and minimum calorie intake for weight loss

Then multiply the result by:

For example:

Woman 28 years old, height 170 cm, normosthenic build with moderate physical activity. Ideal weight: 170 * 360 = 61.200 kg.

The norm of calories to maintain weight at a normal level: 61 * 33 \u003d 2013, i.e. 2000 kcal.

Mifflin-Saint-Geora Method

This calculation is the most optimal way when compiling a diet.

The disadvantage of the method is the lack of consideration of the ratio of muscle and adipose tissue in the body, tk. the level of muscle mass affects the rate of metabolic processes.

For example:

Daily calorie intake for a woman 35 years old, 160 cm tall and weighing 78 kg with moderately intense CFA: 78 * 10 + (6.25 * height in cm) - 5 * age (full years) - 161 \u003d 1444 kcal

1444 * 1.550 = 2238 kcal - daily requirement.

To lose weight, a woman needs to receive energy in the amount of 2238 kcal with food, but gradually reduce the rate to 2000 kcal.

Harris-Benedict Method

This method was developed in 1919. At present, the method is somewhat incorrect and has a calculation error of +/- 5%.

The daily calorie intake for men and women according to this method is calculated as follows:

For example:

A 33-year-old woman, weighing 65 kg and 173 cm tall, will need to maintain her normal weight:

655.1 + (9.563 * 65) + (1.85 * 173) - (4.676 * 33) = 1442.43 kcal.

Method of the World Health Organization (WHO)

According to this method, the calculation of the daily calorie intake is made taking into account CFA:

For example:

A 25-year-old girl weighing 55 kg with intensive CFA per day requires: (0.062 * 55 + 2.036) * 240 * 1.5 = 1960.56 kcal.

Ketch-McArdle Method

Calculations using this method allow taking into account the ratio of adipose and muscle tissue in the body. The disadvantage of the technique is the lack of consideration of gender, age and height in the calculations, which increases the likelihood of errors in the calculations.

According to the Ketch-McArdle method, daily requirement = 370 + (21.6 * weight in kg, excluding adipose tissue).

For example:

A woman weighing 60 kg per day needs: 370 + (21.6 * 56) = 1579.6 kcal.

By adhering to the rules of a healthy balanced diet, taking into account the required caloric content, a woman can keep her weight at a normal level. If a woman wants to lose weight, then 500 calories should be subtracted from the received calorie intake, but at the same time, the CFA level should be taken into account. A sharp decrease in the caloric intake for the fastest weight loss and an increase in physical activity contribute to the development of serious complications and diseases of the cardiovascular, endocrine, reproductive systems, slow metabolism, and reduce immunity.

Features of calculating the daily caloric intake

The daily intake of calories in the body for men and women is different. Men need more energy. For an accurate and most indicative result, the following individual features should be taken into account in the calculations:

• age,
• height,
• body type,
• lifestyle, level of physical activity,
• type of employment (mental labor, hard physical labor).

When taking into account the level of physical activity, one should take into account the performance of household work (washing floors, dishes, washing, ironing clothes), walking up stairs or riding an elevator, the degree of movement in everyday life, the level of stress resistance.

So, a woman with hard physical work needs more calories to maintain strength than a woman with the same parameters, but working in the office.

Calorie intake during pregnancy

A woman during pregnancy is strictly forbidden to diet, lose weight. Overeating "for two" is also not recommended. Given the interesting situation, a woman needs to calculate the daily calorie intake to maintain the body's natural processes for the development of an unborn child.

Experts recommend gradually increasing the caloric intake with increasing gestational age from 2500 kcal in the first trimester to 3500 kcal in the third trimester. Gaining the required calories should be from plant foods, lean beef and chicken, fatty sea fish, nuts, fruits, whole grains and bread.

The Importance of Proteins, Fats, and Carbohydrates in Calorie Counting

When calculating calories, it is important to consider what calories are derived from. The state of the body, the process of losing weight or increasing body weight directly depends on the ratio of proteins, fats and carbohydrates in food.

So, for example, the 2000 kcal necessary for the body, obtained from “heavy” food, will not benefit the body. But the same 2000 kcal, obtained from fresh vegetables, whole grains, protein products, nuts, will help maintain balance in the body and, if necessary, lose weight.

Specialists use the universal ratio formula in the diet B (1): W (1): Y (4). However, when losing weight, you should increase the amount of protein and complex carbohydrates, and fats should be vegetable, polyunsaturated. It is also recommended to take foods high in potassium, magnesium, iron, iodine, calcium.

Carbohydrates are a source of energy and strength in the body. When losing weight, you need the intake of complex carbohydrates, which are digested longer by the body and give a feeling of fullness.

The intake of carbohydrates should be from the following sources:

• oatmeal, pearl barley, wheat, corn grits, bulgur, couscous,
• legumes: lentils, beans, peas, corn,
• whole wheat bread.

When losing weight for a woman, it is important to take into account the amount of complex carbohydrates, protein foods and fats in the daily calorie intake.

Possible errors when calculating calories

The main errors in calculating daily caloric content:

1. Physiological features.
2. Hormonal changes and disorders. So, hypothyroidism contributes to a slowdown in metabolism, causes a violation of the water-salt balance in the body (which is reflected in the form of swelling).
3. Fluid retention in the body. Due to the use of a large amount of salt, smoked meats, hot spices, water retention occurs, swelling of the body appears. When losing weight, weighing will be incorrect, because due to excess fluid in the body, body weight will be greater than it actually is.
4. CFA in the calculations are approximate. It is impossible to determine the exact number of calories burned during sports.

To avoid possible errors in the calculations, it is recommended to keep a food diary, which will reflect all the foods eaten during the day. So, observing the diet for 3-4 weeks, you can identify excess and high-calorie foods that interfere with weight loss.

A qualified specialist (nutritionist, trainer) will help you correctly calculate the daily calorie intake. Taking into account individual characteristics, gender, age, height and CFA level, a specialist will be able to more accurately calculate how many calories the body needs to consume and perform physiological functions.

Calculating and applying the rate of calorie intake per day is a useful practice that allows you to lead a familiar lifestyle and at the same time noticeably lose weight. Knowing how many calories are in each particular product, you can calculate the rate of consumption of BJU.

The online calculator of daily calorie and BJU will help you understand what rate is needed to maintain shape, gain weight or lose weight. Specify your parameters, choose a lifestyle and a goal. The system will do the calculation automatically!

It's no secret that in order to lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you take in. If it depends only on the consumption of food and drinks, then the consumption is divided into basic and additional. The basic calorie expenditure is the energy expenditure for maintaining life, and the additional one is the amount of energy that we spend on training and any other physical work. To avoid confusion in these concepts, let's look at them in more detail.

Calculation of the basic consumption of calories (Basal Metabolic Rate, BMR)

The body spends much more calories on maintaining vital functions than on training activity. We do not notice this, but our body expends energy on breathing, the metabolism of proteins, carbohydrates and fats, cognitive functions and support of the nervous system, the heartbeat and the work of other internal organs, maintaining hormonal levels, sleeping, moving, and even eating. . The work of the body does not stop even for a minute.

Lean body mass (LBM) calculation:

LBM = [weight (kg) × (100 - %fat)]/100

BMR = 370 + (21.6 × LBM)

The basic calorie expenditure is related to both the amount of fat and the amount of muscle mass. The more muscle you have, the more energy your body expends at rest.

Additional energy expenditure is divided into calories that we spend in training and calories spent on non-exercise activities.

In training, we spend relatively few calories - an average of 400 calories per hour of intense training. With three workouts per week, this gives us only 1200 calories. However, if the training is aimed at strengthening muscle tissue, then the basic energy expenditure will increase. The body burns more calories to build and maintain muscle than it does to store and retain fat.

Any spontaneous or routine physical work is implied: walking, shopping, cleaning, cooking, playing with a child, and even working at a computer.

Knowing the energy expenditure allows you to correctly calculate the calorie deficit for weight loss, but it is quite difficult to predict the exact weight loss.

Difficulties may arise due to:

• Errors in counting calories consumed;
• Erroneous assessment of one's own activity;
• Fluid retention in the body;
• Fluid retention in the female body in certain phases of the cycle;
• Simultaneous growth of muscle mass and fat burning;
• Inattention to slow down basic calorie expenditure.

To avoid the above difficulties, eat right within the calorie and BJU corridor, soberly assess your own non-training activity, trying to maintain it at approximately the same level every day, exercise regularly, weigh yourself and measure volumes at the same time, and also take into account the phase of the menstrual cycle.

To always stay alert and energetic, a person needs fuel. This, of course, is about food, not gasoline or coal. It should be noted that in this case, more does not always mean better, and there is even a daily calorie intake for men and women.

In physics, the word "calorie" refers to a unit of heat. In other words, it is a measure of how much energy one body can transfer to another. In the case of food, everything is very similar - any product has a certain composition and its corresponding energy value. The ratio will look like this: 1 gram of protein and carbohydrates corresponds to 4 calories, and one gram of fat - 9 calories.

Modern Homo sapiens do not have an urgent need to chase their prey in order to get enough. Most people, on the contrary, work in a "sedentary" position, lead a sedentary lifestyle, and buy groceries in a supermarket, which is within walking distance from home. That is why health problems associated with being overweight are now coming to the fore, and if we continue to express ourselves figuratively, the question of how much fuel you need to refuel has become one of the most urgent.

Daily calorie intake

For men and women, the amount of energy that should come from food is somewhat different. This is primarily due to physiological characteristics. Men, who have always acted as a hunter-producer, tend to have more muscle mass, and it takes a lot of energy to maintain it.

In addition, the number of calories that a person can absorb depends on his age and genetic predisposition to be overweight or thin (the so-called "somatotype"). An important factor for determining the optimal ratio of energy received from food and necessary for life is the lifestyle of the individual. If physical activity takes place during the day, then the metabolism spins up, and the body needs much more energy.

It is quite difficult to calculate the daily calorie intake for a particular individual, but there are so-called "average" values. They meet the needs of most people, and it is worth focusing on these numbers.

So, according to numerous scientific studies, for men it should be at the level of:

• 2000-2400 with a sedentary lifestyle;
• 2400-2600 calories per day with a moderately active lifestyle;
• 2600-3200 calories per day with an active lifestyle.

For women, these indicators will be respectively:

• 1600-1800 calories;
• 1800-2200 calories;
• 2200-2500 calories.

The right ratio of proteins, fats and carbohydrates

After the norm of daily calories for men and women was established, nutritionists noticed that some people who strictly adhered to it still gained weight or felt unwell. In fact, this is not surprising. After all, each nutrient, be it proteins, fats or carbohydrates, has certain functions. So, the main function of fats is to provide nutrient reserves, carbohydrates - to provide the body with energy, proteins - to produce enzymes, hormones and build new cells.

That is why not only the daily calorie intake for men and women should be taken into account, but also the qualitative composition of the food consumed. In the diet, it is desirable to adhere to the following ratio: 10-15% proteins, 25-30% fats, the rest should be carbohydrates. At the same time, depending on what goal is set (weight loss or, conversely, weight gain), you can change the amount of consumed components.