Ok, before we get to the good stuff, I’d like to provide some necessary background info about basic nutrition…
What is a calorie?
Real Talk…
A Calorie is a unit of energy. In nutrition we use it as a measurement to express how much energy someone gets from the food they eat. We (humans), as well as every other living thing on the planet, need energy to survive. Every day, via our daily activities, we expend energy. This is why we must eat to survive. This concept should be pretty intuitive. Think about it this way: we are born instinctively knowing that our mothers have milk in their breasts, and that we should try to drink it.
The number of Calories we eat determines whether we lose, or gain, weight over time. If we chronically eat too many Calories, we will gain weight; if we aren’t eating enough Calories, we will lose weight.
Understanding Maintenance Calories
The number of Calories you need to eat, in a day, to maintain your bodyweight is referred to as your maintenance Calories. Your specific number of maintenance Calories will depend on several factors: age, gender, body composition, and daily activity.
Below I am going to outline one simple, and effective, way to calculate your maintenance Calories. There are more complicated ways to do this, but this is the easiest way for you to get started. If you do pick a Calorie target in an attempt to reach a specific goal, follow the plan for 3 weeks. At the end of the 3 weeks, look at the weight trend over that period of time. If the scale/body measurements aren’t doing what you expect, make adjustments and wait another 3 weeks. If something is working don’t change it. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Determining how much you should eat, to lose or gain weight, is often as much of an art as it is a science. Just remember, it is better to start moving toward your goals than to get hung up on calculating the perfect number of calories. In this world, consistently trying trumps perfection every single time.
How to calculate your Maintenance Calories
Step one is to decide what your average daily activity level is: minimal, light, moderate, or strenuous.
Minimal – This group will include students and people who primarily work at their desk (sitting most of the day). They might exercise 2-3 days per week for an hour at a low intensity, but they aren’t always consistent.
Light – This group includes people who sit most of the day, but not the whole day. They might walk/bike to work or school, and they exercise 3-4 days per week for an hour. They move more than the people in the Minimal group do.
Moderate – These people work on their feet (teachers, nurses, etc.). They also exercise 3-4 days per week for an hour.
Strenuous – These folks work in the hard labor fields (construction, landscaping, etc.). They also workout vigorously 5-6 days per week.
Now that you have found the category that you fit into best; you can apply a simple multiplier to your bodyweight to find your maintenance Calories.
Minimal – your goal bodyweight (lbs.) x 12/12 calories Light – your goal bodyweight (lbs.) x 13/14 calories Moderate – your goal bodyweight (lbs.) x 14/15 calories Strenuous – your goal bodyweight (lbs.) x 15/16 calories
***Notes about the above***
- Men will be the higher number, women the lower number.
- If you don’t find you fit into an exact category take your best guess.3. These estimates are for the average gym going population. People who are competitive athletes and spend 3+ hours at the gym every day might require more calories than the strenuous level suggests.
2 examples:
- A man whose goal bodyweight is 175 lbs. with a light amount of activity, will have a 14x multiplier. His maintenance calories will be 175 x 14 = 2,450 Calories
- A woman who wants to weigh 145 lbs. with a light amount of activity will get a 13x multiplier. Her maintenance Calories will be 145 x 13 = 1,885 Calories
You figured out your maintenance calories… now what?
Before we move ahead, think about what your goal is (maintaining your current weight, loosing fat, or gaining muscle).
If you want to maintain your current weight you already have the number to do just that, that’s exactly what maintenance Calories are. To lose fat, a general rule is to subtract 300-500 Calories from maintenance, and if you want to gain muscle, add 250-500 Calories to your maintenance. This will get you started. The goal should be to lose fat at a rate of 1-2lbs. per week, and gain weight at about a rate of 2lbs. per month. The speed at which weight is lost/gained will be determined by the amount of Calorie deficit or surplus you choose. If you want a faster weight loss or weight gain try +/-500 and if you want it slower, try +/-300.
“Brett, you’re crazy! Why wouldn’t I want the fastest weight gain or weight loss I can possibly get?”
I completely understand this question, most people want fast progress. It’s why we are attracted to shows like The Biggest Loser, and why so many people use steroids and try and Fat burning pills.
Here are a few things to know:
For gaining weight: Generally speaking (steroid use aside) when we commit to gaining weight, we have to accept that we will gain both muscle, and fat. For beginning lifters, studies show you can gain about 0.5lbs of muscle per week starting out. We often prescribe a 500 Calorie surplus to make sure we maximize muscle gain during the first year. Anything over 500 Calories is probably going to be overkill. You can choose a lower surplus, say 300 Calories, which will cause less fat gain BUT, the fear here is you could potentially be leaving muscle gains on the table. You also have to be much more accurate with a smaller surplus to gain weight.
For losing weight: The reason we don’t want to lower Calories below our maintenance by too much is that too large of a deficit can be unsustainable for long amounts of time (you’ll probably be really, really, really hungry). This can result in binge eating, other forms of disordered eating, or simply not adhering to the deficit. A deficit too large can cause you to lose muscle. Muscle takes a lot of time and effort to build, so it’s optimal to preserve as much of it as you can when losing weight.
Fun Fact: The main reason most adults loose 2-3% off their overall metabolism per decade is due to muscle loss. This happens because adults (in general) perform less activity as they age, which results in muscle loss. Having less muscle lowers our Basil Metabolic Rate (the amount of energy your body burns at rest). So basically, the more muscle you have, the more Calories you can eat. Why wouldn’t you want to be able to eat more and stay the same weight?
Now, if there’s one thing I want you to take away from this article it’s that changing your body composition is all about energy balance.
Here’s the formula most of the supplement companies and fitness influencers don’t want you to understand.
(Calories eaten) – (Calories burned) = weight gained/lost
That’s it! That’s the secret. That’s the only thing that will work.
There are 3,500 Calories in a pound of fat. If you burn 500 Calories more than you eat in every day for a week, you should be on track to lose about a pound of fat/week.
Why don’t they want you to know that? Because if you know and can apply that, then they won’t be able to sell you magic weight loss diets and expensive mass gainers anymore.
You should now understand what it takes to gain or lose weight. Let’s take this a step further. Let’s talk about Macronutrients, and why they matter if weight loss is simply just a matter of Calories in minus Calories out.
What is a Macronutrient? (Often referred to as a “Macro”)
A macronutrient or “macro” as I will refer to them from here on out, describes either a protein, carbohydrate, fat, or alcohol (yes, the kind of alcohol you shouldn’t have been drinking in high school). In nutrition science, macros are measured in grams (g). 1 gram of any macro can be converted straight to Calories.
Here are the conversions: 1 gram of Protein = 4 Calories 1 gram of Carbs = 4 Calories 1 gram of Fat = 9 Calories 1 gram of Alcohol (100% ethanol, otherwise known as a reeeeaaally stiff drink) = 7 Calories
*There are good alcohol trackers on the internet that you can use to calculate your beer/wine/margaritas, etc.*
Often, you will hear fitness nerds talk about “tracking their macros.” Really all they are referring to is a slightly more complicated version of tracking Calories.
Here’s what you need to know about each Macro before we figure out how much we should eat:
Protein:
Protein is what our body uses to build itself. Often referred to as our body’s “building blocks,” protein makes up the majority of our muscles, bones, skin, teeth, etc. When we eat protein (like from a chicken breast, or a steak) it gets broken down by our body in the stomach, and the protein is essentially repurposed for our current needs.
Protein – How much?
Protein recommendations vary greatly on the internet. The Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for protein is 0.8g/kg bodyweight. This is roughly 0.4g/lb. of bodyweight. This is the amount of protein the Institute of Medicine determined we need to eat daily to maintain our health.
However, since you are reading an article from a personal trainer, I will assume you are interested to find out how much protein would be optimal for your physique. Studies suggest that for people who strength train or participate in endurance activities, such as running, biking, etc., should strive to eat a higher protein diet. I usually will tell people to aim for 0.7-1.3g/lb. of bodyweight People who exercise simply need more protein to recover from their exercise than people who don’t. A safe bet for most people is to eat 1g/lb. of bodyweight.
Fat:
Fat is essential for life. Your body uses fat for things like absorbing vitamins, hormone regulation, protection for your vital organs, helping to send signals to the brain, along with various other functions. Fat is also the main way our body stores energy long term (we all need a little fat on us in case we get stranded out in the woods one day).
Fat – How much?
Generally speaking, fat can make up the rest of your diet aside from your protein requirements (keto anyone?!). However, most people who exercise, unless they have a specific health condition (such as diabetes, epilepsy, etc.) and are following a diet given to them by a Registered Dietician or their Doctor, are going to perform, and feel, better eating carbohydrates. Therefore, generally I like to set fat Calories anywhere from 15%-45% of a person’s diet. 30% is a pretty good “sweet spot” to start with. However, you can play around with this. Some people feel great having a higher percentage of carbs in their diet, some people simply prefer to eat more fat. Everyone’s preferences and bodies are different. Remember, what works for you might not work for your daughter/son/husband/girlfriend etc.
CARBS!!!?
Fun Fact: Carbohydrates are non-essential for life. Despite this, they seem to be our bodies preferred fuel source (some people love to argue against this. If you’re ever up for a twitter war, come at someone who’s a die-hard Keto or the Carnivore, you’re guaranteed to have a good time). The benefit of having carbs for training is that having carbohydrates in your body, stored as glycogen in your muscles and liver, can have strong anabolic (muscle building) effects and even inhibit some catabolic (muscle breakdown) processes. To calculate cabs for a client I use whatever Calories are left over after accounting for the protein and fat macros I already have set.
Example scenario:
I’ll calculate the macros for a 150lb man with moderate activity level, who wants to build some muscle. 150lb x 15 (activity multiplier) = 2250 Calories. To gain weight, he will add 500 Calories to this number. 2250 + 500 = 2750 Calories
Protein: 150lb x 1g/lb bodyweight = 150g of Protein. (150g x 4) = 600 calories in diet due to protein.
Fats: 2750 calories x 30% = 825 calories in diet from fat. (825/9) = 92g of fat **Remember 1g fat = 9 calories**
Carbs: (2750 calories – 825 calories from fat – 600 calories from protein) = 1,325 calories leftover for carbs. 1,325/4= 331g of carbs.
What are some foods that are good sources of each?
*Note this is obviously not a comprehensive list.*
**SPECIAL NOTE** If you follow a vegan or vegetarian diet this does limit your protein options. Protein Powders are probably more important for you to add to your diet. Tofu/Seitan are two natural sources of protein for you. To ensure you are getting a proper mix of Essential Amino Acids (EAA’s make up protein, and our bodies can’t produce them) eating a mix of legumes and whole grains in your diet is important. If you utilize protein powder, it will be best for you to use powders from multiple sources (Pea, brown rice, and hemp for example).
What can I do with this information?
Hey, that’s for you to decide. If you want to build muscle, get on a strength/muscle building plan that supports your goals, and applies the information. If you want to lose fat and get shredded, do the same thing. Resistance training with added cardio is my preferred way to support a fat loss plan, because it minimizes muscle loss.
Whatever you do, pick a goal and be consistent.
If you are a complete beginner, check out this article. I go deep into what I wish I would have known in regard to nutrition and strength training when I first started out.
-Brett
