Easily calculate your energy needs

Calculating energy requirements
To calculate your energy needs, you need the following information:
- The level of your basal metabolic rate
- The extent of your daily activities
- Your goal
Basal metabolic rate
Your basal metabolic rate (BMR) refers to the amount of energy you need if you do absolutely nothing for a day. This energy is necessary to keep all your bodily processes running. To calculate this, we use the Revised Harris & Benedict method by Roza and Shizgal. This is a commonly used method for calculating BMR.
The formula is as follows:
- Men 88,362 + (13,397 XG) + (4,799 XH) - (5,677 XL)
- Women 447,593 + (9,247 XG) + (3,098 XH) - (4,33 XL)
Where G stands for weight in kilograms, H for height in centimeters, and L for age. All values ​​are rounded to whole numbers.
Example:
Bas is 25 years old, weighs 75.2 kg, and is 1.80 meters tall. He calculates his basal metabolic rate as follows:
Weight: 75 X 13,397 = 1005
Length: 180 X 4,799 = 864
Age: 25 X 5,677 = 142
Basal metabolic rate is: 88,362 + 1005 + 864 - 142 = 1815 kcal per day
The neutral energy balance
Your basal metabolic rate plus your daily activities determine your neutral energy balance. Now that you know how basal metabolic rate is determined, the next step is to determine the extent of your daily activities. You can imagine that a construction worker uses more energy in a day than a call center employee. Therefore, a scale has been developed for this. You choose the scale that best suits you:

Dish

Description

Energy Multiplier

1. Inactive

Office and little to no training

1.2

2. Light active

Lightly active job and regular training

1,375

3. Average active

Active work and regular training

1.55

4. Very active

Heavy physical work and regular training

1,725

5. Extremely active

Heavy physical work and training every day

1.9

You multiply your basal metabolic rate by your energy multiplier and you know your neutral energy balance.
Example:
Bas from the previous example is a teacher and spends most of his time in front of the class. In his free time, he enjoys doing fun things with friends and his girlfriend. However, his appearance is important to him, so Bas makes time for exercise two to three times a week. Bas rates himself on scale 2.
Bas's neutral energy balance is: 1815 X 1,375 = 2496 kcal per day.
Objective
Next, it's important to determine your physical fitness goals so you can determine the final calorie increase (or decrease, if you're trying to lose weight). It's normal to eat 15-25% above your neutral energy balance. If you find this difficult, you can increase this by 5-10%.
You could even go 25% above your neutral energy balance to grow extra quickly, but it's crucial that you exercise at least 6 times a week. However, you first need to ask yourself if your body can handle this. If you have less time to train or are giving yourself a longer period to grow, an extra 15% might be sufficient.
Example:
We already know that Bas will be training two to three times a week. He wants to look well-muscled in the summer of 2017. He realizes this will give him some time to bulk up and chooses to eat 15% more than his neutral energy balance.
Bas's positive energy balance is: 2496 X 1.15 = 2870 kcal
Finally
You now know how to calculate your positive energy balance. However, keep in mind that this applies to most people. There are always individual exceptions. Do you notice that your body is not growing or is barely growing? Or that you're gaining fat too quickly? Then it's up to you to adjust your calorie intake.
I use this method with everyone I coach, and with myself as well. If you apply it seriously, I guarantee your success. Want some guidance? Click here , and I might help you become stronger and more muscular soon.
Author: Bart Kaats

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