How Many Calories Do You Need To Eat To Lose Weight? [Calorie Calculator]
This is the only calorie calculator you will ever need.
Seriously. It’s the one that I use personally and the one I have used with dozens of clients who I have coached through weight loss.
The best part about the calculator, is that you can do it for yourself, no matter how much weight you want to lose.
Before we get to the calculator, there are a few rules that need to be addressed first.
1) You need to know your goal weight.
1B) If your goal weight is greater than 20 pounds, I recommend using a goal weight in 10 pound weight-loss increments so that your calorie deficit calculation is more tolerable and sustainable over time.
For example…say I weigh 200 pounds and my my goal was to lose 25 pounds. Rather than use 175lbs as my goal weight, I am going to run the calculation with 190pounds. Then once I reach the 190 pound mark in my weight loss, I will re-do the calculator with 180 pounds, then again once that marker is hit for 175lbs. This process has been it easier to stick to the plan for many!
2) You need to know where you fall on my 3 levels of nutrition. Click here to read that article.
Spoiler alert- level 1 is needing to make health concious choices. Level 2 is tracking 1 macronutrient variable. Level 3 is tracking two macronutrient variables. The levels of nutrition are great because they meet you where you are at. I can tell you that this calorie calculator starts you at level 2 / level 3.
Okay, ready? Lets get to the calorie calculator
Here’s the math…
Goal Bodyweight x 12 = Daily Calories
That’s it, thats the calculator.
Again, if your goal bodyweight is greater than 20 pounds from where you are at right now, start with 10 pound goal weight increments.
Yes, it is indeed that simple.
Typically one pound of bodyweight needs about 13-15 calories to sustain itself each day. Now remember, that bound of bodyweight includes everything…fat, skin, bone, organs, blood, etc. Calories are used to fuel and take care of the body in a multitude of ways, which is why a general range like 13-15 works.
Side note, if you want to read more about what exactly a calorie is, click here!
So to put your body in a slight calorie deficit, the number 12 gets used in our calorie calculator. The convenient thing about losing weight is that as long as you are consuming that calculated number, your body will start to draw on fat stores to make up the additional energy needed.
Pretty sweet, eh!?
So, now that you have the calculator, start to run some calculations to get going!