Calorie intake per day for a woman - how to calculate

Hello my dear readers! You and I must know the whole truth. How to stay fit and not harm your body? First of all, you need to know what is the daily calorie intake for a woman.

The fact is that for everyone this is their own norm. Men spend a lot more energy, and therefore consume more. Children also need a lot of strength to grow. But the older we get, the fewer calories we need. Much also depends on the activity. For example, athletes need to consume about one and a half times more calories.

By the way, I have a simple one on my website calorie rate calculator. Well, if you are still interested in understanding the "physics of the process", then we continue to read the article ?

What are calories

We all eat. All foods contain nutrients and vitamins. They also have their own calorie content. The only exceptions are some drinks and certain types of foods with a conditionally "zero" calorie content.

Calorie content is the amount of energy that our body receives from food.

Many will be surprised at this. We know from the school curriculum that energy is measured in kilojoules. But the kilojoules obtained from food are converted into calories. For convenience, 1 kilojoule has been equated to 4,186 calories.

We need heat energy for life. We cannot perform any action without energy. Even when we sleep, our body continues to work. A person needs to consume at least 1200 kcal per day. The rate is individual for everyone. It ranges from 1200 to 5000 kcal. Much depends on age, gender, climate and the intensity of physical activity.

What happens if we eat more than we need? We will start putting on those extra pounds. All unused calories go into fat stores. Our body also reacts negatively if we are not getting enough. We become lethargic and irritable. At the same time, we almost never achieve the desired result.

Why you need to know your norm

Many of us want to lose those extra pounds. To lose weight, you need to first calculate your daily calorie intake. It is important not to overdo it here. After all, our body tends to make reserves. Some begin to drastically reduce their calorie intake. As a result, not what you want is burned at all. The muscle mass melts, but the fat remains.

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When we talk about our health, it's not just the quantity that matters. Quality is even more important. Be careful when composing your menu. Foods must be sure to contain the correct proportions of fats, proteins and carbohydrates. Fat contains more calories, so the amount should be lower. But it is completely contraindicated to exclude them.

For a better understanding of this topic, read the book " Stop counting calories ". Author John Briffa lucidly explains how not to be mistaken in choosing a weight loss strategy. He talks about how to properly lose weight without losing harmony with your own body.

Daily calorie intake for a woman

Today there are more or less accurate ideas about how many calories a woman needs. Ladies from 18 to 30 years old should consume about 2000 kcal. If she leads an active lifestyle, then the daily rate increases.

Women a little older are advised to consume less. If you are in your 30s and 50s, reduce the number to 1800. However, any physical activity is encouraged. It requires energy expenditures at any age. Therefore, the daily calorie intake for women will increase by about 200 kcal. Ladies over 50 are supposed to have about 1600 kcal per day.

Formulas for calculating the daily rate

If you want to know more accurate numbers, then you cannot do without a special formula. There are two most common formulas:

• Harris-Benedict formula,
• and the Mifflin-San Geor formula.

The Harris-Benedict formula was developed back in 1919. But today its revised version is used for calculations. The second calculation formula has emerged quite recently.

I will give examples of calculations for each of them. For correct calculations for both of them, first measure your height and weight.

Plus, each of these formulas has a coefficient of physical activity:

• if you lead a passive lifestyle, your coefficient is 1,2,
• go in for sports 3 times a week - 1,375,
• 5 times a week go in for sports - 1,4625,
• if you are also working physically or intensive training - 1,550,
• with daily sports, your coefficient will be 1,6375,
• Do it intensively every day or a couple of times every day - 1,725,
• add physical labor to daily sports loads and get a coefficient equal to 1,9.

Harris Formula - Benedict

(447,6 + 9,2 * weight in kg + 3,1 * height in cm - 4,3 * age) * coefficient of physical activity

Now let's count for an example. A 35-year-old woman weighing 72 kg and a height of 175 cm goes to the gym three times a week.

(447,6 + 9,2 * 72 + 3,1 * 175 - 4,3 * 35) * 1,375 = 2065 kcal

Mifflin Formula - San Geor

(10 * weight in kg + 6,25 * height in cm - 5 * age - 161) * coefficient of physical activity

Let's count again for our example.

(10 * 72 + 6,25 * 175 - 5 * 35 - 161) * 1,375 = 2031 kcal

As you can see, the difference in the result is very small. So you can count at least according to the first, at least according to the second, at least calculate the arithmetic mean ?

By the way, I have more calorie calculator for weight loss. This is if you need not only to know your rate, but also by how much to reduce it when losing weight ?

I found here a very intelligible video about the calorie content of food and how to properly regulate your calorie intake: