A Simple calculation to determine your Daily Caloric needs
Understanding how many calories your body burns daily will help you make wise decisions and get results. If you want to lose body fat then you must consume 300-500 less calories than you need most days of the week.
Here is a real life example featuring Shelly, 5 feet, 6 inches tall, weight 155 lbs, who wanted to lose body fat and weigh less than 140 lbs. First, we need to find her Estimated Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE):
Men’s (Basal Metabolic Rate or BMR) in calories = 1 x (Body weight in lbs./2.2) x 24 hours. Women’s (Basal Metabolic Rate or BMR) in calories = .9 x (Body weight in lbs./2.2) x 24 hours.
For Shelly = .9 x (155/2.2) x 24 hours = 1,522 calories required per day.
Start by writing down your estimated (Basal Metabolic Rate) here: _ _ calories
Take your BMR and multiply it by your activity level (use the table above).
Shelly is lightly active – so using the equation above = 1,522 x 1.35 = 2,055 calories/day is what she needs.
Next, write down your BMR x Activity Level or your estimated Total Daily Energy Expenditure(TDEE) here = _______
| Activity Level | Description | BMR x Activity Level |
| Sedentary | Desk job, very little if any exercise | BMR x 1.2 |
| Lightly Active | Light exercise 1-3 days a week | BMR x 1.35 |
| Moderately Active | Moderate exercise 3-5 days a week | BMR x 1.55 |
| Very Active | Hard exercise 6 or more days a week | BMR x 1.7 |
| Extremely Active | Extreme exercise 2 a day training, marathon, etc. | BMR x 1.9 |
For Shelly to lose weight she will need to eat a diet filled with nutrient dense food that also supplies her with around 1,700 calories. Her goal is to eat 3 meals with 500 calories each and have a mid-afternoon snack that supplies 200 calories.
Whenever anyone is trying to lose body fat I strongly encourage them to make sure to supply their body with the nutrients it needs…if you don’t, you will end up losing muscle, not fat. Our goal is to FEED our muscle, so that muscle can burn FAT!
For information on Dietary Supplements that help, check out:
Thermo Lean – 1 serving in the morning. Increases energy and enhances thermogenesis.
Greens + Wild Berry Burst – 1 serving 30 min before breakfast, and 1 serving mid-afternoon. Reduces appetite and supplies essential vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients.
Greens + Vegan Crisp Bars – they are delicious and make for a great afternoon (200 calorie) snack.
Dr. Travis Illian received his Ph.D. from the University of Alabama in Human Performance. He is certified nationally as a strength and conditioning coach and has published several scientific studies on Greens+ Products.
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