How many Calories do we need?

Last time we looked at the simple equation for weight loss; energy in vs energy out. So, how much energy do you need to sustain your weight? This is almost an impossible question to answer, as everyone is different. But there are a number of formula’s out there that can give you a very good estimate.

As a rough rule, the GDA recommends women consume 2,000 calories and men 2,500 per day to maintain their weight. Although a much larger male who is very active throughout the day (standing/walking for long periods or manual labour) could need upwards of 3,500 or more; small ladies who are inactive (sitting at desk all day) could need as little as 1,500 per day. You need to adjust this calorie amount based on your own situation (size, weight, age, activity levels etc) and keep re-adjusting until you find out what works for you.

How do you know if you are consuming too many calories? Easy, you gain weight. There are unusual situations where you can lose weight whilst consuming more calories than normal, and also situations where you can gain weight whilst on a calorie deficit. But these situations are rare and temporary – usually associated with water weight and not true fat/weight gain/losses. But over longer periods of time (a week/month) if you are eating more than you burn, you will put on weight.

How many extra calories do you need to create/burn fat?

A pound of fat is 3,600 calories - FACT, therefore 10 pounds is 36,000 calories. Not every extra calorie you consume will be stored as fat – some will become muscle and some will go into glycogen stores, so this is the minimum amount of calories needed to create 10 pounds of fat. If you have ever gained 10 pounds (or close to) in a week, it is unlikely that you consumed an extra 36,000 calories. More than likely, it is water weight re-gained, usually after coming off an extreme diet (like Atkins or any other low carb approach). This can be easily put on over the course of a year through a small 100 calorie a day surplus (100 calories times 365 is 36,500 calories extra).

                                                                                                    3,600 calories in a pound of this stuff

The reverse is also true, it would require a minimum of 36,000 calories less than what you take in to burn 10 pounds of fat. As not all of this energy would come from fat, so it would probably be a higher number than this. But once again, this could potentially mean as little as 100 calories a day less would lead to you being 10 pounds lighter in a year.

Control

Our body has a ‘normally’ very tight regulatory system that avoids overconsumption and under-consumption, although, due to our evolutionary past, it is much more biased towards avoiding under-consumption. Generally, once you feel satiated eating, you should stop. The Japanese have an ‘eat until you are 80% full rule’ and also enjoys the lowest rates of obesity and obesity related illnesses (along with long lifespans). Our problem is that we are cultured into having what we want when we want it – eating well past satiation and into ‘stuffed’. Do this a few times a month and you can easily put on weight. Even over-consuming by 10 calories a day could mean just one pound of fat in a year and 30 pounds in 30 years – that’s exactly how people get overweight. When the weight creeps on that slowly, it goes unnoticed until you suddenly ‘wake up’ 30 pounds overweight. 

Overeat a small amount every single day, and this will be the result after many years

Whilst it is very easy to over-consume small amounts of calories over time, leading to big weight gains, the reverse is not true. Eating less than your body needs was potentially life threatening when we were roaming the plains of Africa, so our body sends out alarm signals. Hormones such as Ghrelin raise, increasing hunger, and Thyroid and leptin drop. This puts us in an uncomfortable state mentally – this is where we start to get our cravings. Done over a couple of days is not normally a problem. But try to do it over a year and we will go mad as these hormones go out of control.

The bad news is, losing weight is not and never will be easy, there are just too many mechanisms in our body set up to avoid weight loss. The good news is, I know certain strategies that will make the journey much easier and still allow you to eat every food you eat now and lose weight in the most comfortable way possible. But for now, try to work out what your maintenance calorie intake would be, and start to become aware of how many calories are in certain foods.