BMR Calculator: How Many Calories Should I Eat A Day To Lose Weight?
The BMR calculator can be used as a reference to find how many calories can be burned in a day. Many people have asked me how many calories should I eat a day to keep the weight or how many calories should I eat to lose weight. This is the first question that popped up in one’s mind who wants to take a diet plan to lose weight.
To answer this question, you must know your basic body parameters and how much calories your body needs. You can calculate your maintenance calories based on this BMR calculator. You can also find on your own how many calories they need using this BMR.
I will explain with a simple example of myself here that how many calories should I eat to lose weight. You also can calculate how many calories you should eat a day to lose weight using same theory.
Pl note: Currently, BMR calculator is usable only on Laptop & Desktop.
Download link for BMR Sheet: https://vegdietplans.com/bmr-sheet/
What is BMR?
In a simple language, a Basal metabolic rate (BMR) is the number of calories per day burned by animals when they are at rest to maintain their vital body functions. BMR is measured when a person is physically and psychologically in a state of rest in a thermally neutral environment.
When you are at sleep, your body’s vitals still function and keep internal processes going by consuming calories. These vital functions are heart pumping, breathing, maintaining body temperature as against ambient conditions, cell repairs and growth, neurological functions of the brain and muscle maintenance.
All warm-blooded animals generate internal heat, this production of heat is called thermogenesis. You can find out the number of calories burned by the body using thermogenesis.
All the calories required by the body during the state of rest and during the state of activities can be summed up based on BMR. Further, this BMR number then can be used to limit your maintenance calorie and design a low-calorie diet plan.
How to understand BMR?
If I find out how many calories I should burn a day at rest and calories that I burn while doing other household and physical work, I can find out how many calories I should eat a day to keep my current weight.
Every part of your daily activity involves some incremental energy to burn over and above BMR.
For example, if you have just finished your meals, the body needs additional energy to digest food. If it is too cold outside, the body warms up itself to maintain body temperature by burning more calories. When you walk, sing or play also burns calories.
BMR generally reduces with age when the body’s lean mass also reduces with aging. And keep in mind that it also can be increased by increasing physical activities.
Studies observed that when a person is indulged in muscle exercise and endurance training has an upward effect on BMR. When you do muscle training exercise, the tissues are broken as a part of exercise. These tissues are then repaired by the body when you are resting, and new tissues are formed. So, use this BMR calculator to find out how many calories you should eat a day.
BMR Calculator Explained
The BMR calculator is based on the Mifflin St Jeor equation. BMR I have also included calculation for how many calories a person burns a day depending upon its physical activity.
For the readers to choose their healthy meals I have also included parameters to find normal body weight. Also included is how many calories should one eat to lose weight which is a calorie deficit recommendation. On this recommendation the readers can design their own low calorie meal plan to lose weight. However, readers may choose their own calorie deficit based on their own judgement.
You need to inpput In this BMR calculator, your body parameters such as gender, weight, height age and physical activity level. The input is marked in green colour.
There is a reference table given below the input cells on the number to be selected for physical activity. For example, if you are a little physically active, you may choose no 2 as input. If you are a heavy gym goer, you can enter 4 or 5.
I am demonstrating here how I can calculate my BMR and know how many calories I burn a day based on my physical activity and how many calories I should eat to lose weight.
For reference I am considering my body parameters such as a woman with 70 kg weight and 165 cm height age. I shall demonstrate that by just increasing physical activity level I can increase calories expenditure. Increasing calorie expenditure may give readers a scope to add into their diet plan some more calories or achieve faster weight loss by targeting low calories diet.
How many calories should I eat a day?
The BMR calculator my body’s normal body weight shall be around 60 kg which means that I am 10 kg overweight. As per the Mifflin St Jeor equation my BMR is around 1395 kilocalories. Let’s see how the physical activity levels can help me by giving more scope in my veg diet plans.
BMR Calculator results with no physical activity (Case 1)
BMR Calculator results with no physical activity (Case 1)
If I do no or little physical activity my physical activity level is 1. My daily BMR calculator is showing my calorie expenditure as 1674 kCal. It means I should eat 1674 calories to maintain weight.
If I want to reduce weight, I perhaps have to take a calorie deficit of 500 kcal and design my diet at 1174 kCal or say 1200 kilocalories.
Accordingly I can design my 1200 calorie diet by choosing different recipes from the www.vegdietplans.com . In this case the calorie deficit will be around 500 kCal to start your weight loss.
Summary of calories with no physical activity (level 1)
- How many calories I burn a day – 1674 kcal (As per physical activity)
- How many calories should I eat a day to maintain weight – 1674 kCal (As per physical activity)
- How many calories should I eat to lose weight – 1174 kCal (500 kCal deficit recommendations only)
BMR Calculator results with Light exercise (Case 2)
BMR Calculator results with Light exercise (Case 2)
If I do my general household chores or taking a walk my physical activity level is 2. In this case the BMR calculator is showing my calorie expenditure as 1918 kCal which means I should eat 1981 calories to maintain weight.
In case 2, if I wish to reduce weight, I might continue to take a calorie deficit of 500 kcal and design my diet at 1418 kCal or say 1400 kilocalories. Accordingly, I can design my 1400 calorie diet by choosing different recipes.
Here you can add a little more food in your diet than case 1 above to continue with the same 500 kCal deficit. However, if you continue to follow 1200 kCal diet your total calorie deficit may increase up to 718 kCal giving you a head start to lose more weight than in case 1.
Summary of calories with little physical activity (level 2)
- How many calories I burn a day – 1918 kcal (As per physical activity)
- How many calories should I eat a day to maintain weight – 1918 kCal (As per physical activity)
- How many calories should I eat to lose weight – 1418 kCal (500 kCal deficit recommendations only)
BMR Calculator results with Light exercise (Case 3)
BMR Calculator results with Light exercise (Case 3)
My physical activity level is considered as 3, if I do my general household chores, taking a walk of brisk 40 minutes every day or I am doing moderate exercise 3 to 5 times a week.
Tthe BMR calculator in case 3, is displaying my calorie expenditure as 2163 kCal which indicates that I should eat 2163 calories to maintain weight.
If I go for weight loss and continue to take calorie deficit of 500 kcal, my designed diet shall be at 1663 kCal or say 1600 to 1700 kilocalories.
Accordingly, I can select my 1600 calorie diet by various recipes. When you exercise a bit more you get more scope to add food in your diet than case 1 and case 2 above because you are burning more calories.
However, if you remain to follow the 1200 kCal meal plan, your total calorie deficit may further increase to 963 kCal giving you a boost to lose additional weight than in case 2.
Summary of calories with moderate exercise (level 3)
- How many calories I burn a day – 2163 kcal (As per physical activity)
- How many calories should I eat a day to maintain weight – 2163 kCal (As per physical activity)
- How many calories should I eat to lose weight – 1663 kCal (for 500 kCal deficit only)
BMR Calculator results for very active lifestyle (Case 4)
BMR Calculator results for very active lifestyle (Case 4)
If I am actively exercising every day with say 40 to 50 minutes of moderate to heavy activities or equivalent walking, my physical activity level will be 4.
Here the BMR calculator is indicating my calorie expenditure as 2407 kCal which means I should eat 2407 calories to maintain weight.
For weight loss with a calorie deficit of 500 kcal, my designed diet shall be at 1907 kCal or say 1900 kCal. Therefore, I can select a variety of recipes in my 1900 calorie diet.
It may be clear to you by now that when you exercise more you get more options of food in your diet than case 3, case 2 and case 2 above. Let us assume if you were to follow a 1200 kCal meal plan, your total calorie deficit may further increase to 1012 kCal achieving faster weight loss.
Summary of calories with very active lifestyle (Case 4)
- How many calories I burn a day – 2407 kcal (As per physical activity)
- How many calories should I eat a day to maintain weight – 2407 kCal (As per physical activity)
- How many calories should I eat to lose weight – 1907 kCal (for 500 calorie deficit)
BMR Calculator results for extra active lifestyle (Case 5)
BMR Calculator results for extra active lifestyle (Case 5)
I have to be a heavy gym goer to fall into this category doing rigorous muscle exercise. Case 4 shows the BMR calculator displaying my calorie expenditure as 2651 kCal which means I should eat 2651 calories to maintain weight.
If I go with a calorie deficit of 500 kcal, my diet shall be at 2150 kCal a day. Consequently, I can select assorted recipes in my 2150 kCal meal plan.
When you burn more calories choosing a food may matter a little as against low physical activity lifestyle in case 2, case 1 or for 7that matter case 3 too.
Theoretically when you choose a 1200 kCal diet and burn 2651 kcal, your total calorie deficit may shoot to 1451 kCal which is 100% of your BMR. Do you still have doubt that you will not achieve faster weight loss results? Worth a try for 21 days.
Summary of calories with extra active lifestyle (Case 5)
- How many calories I burn a day – 2651 kcal (As per physical activity)
- How many calories should I eat a day to maintain weight – 2651 kCal (As per physical activity)
- How many calories should I eat to lose weight – 2151 kCal (for 500 kCal deficit)
Conclusion
Achieving weight loss is to find optimal balance with how many calories should I eat a day and how many calories I burn a day. Balance creation is based on the principle of conservation of energy.
For the same calorie diet, when you exercise your body converts fats into calories and burns them. Conversely when you don’t exercise your body converts calories into fats and stores them. Use this BMR calculator wisely to choose what you want to achieve. Happy Dietiting.
