A Simple Formula Calculates How Many Calories Will Let You Eat And Lose Weight At The Same Time!

One thing that’s omnipresent on the internet is weight loss articles. These articles list almost everything you would ever need to know about shedding those extra kilos – from the exercises you should do to the diet you should follow, from the number of exercise hours you should put in a day to the amount of food you should eat.

But one information it falls short in giving you is the number of calories you should have in a day when you are hell bent on losing weight. Sure, it offers you a rough estimate based on your gender and weight loss goals, but you never get to know the exact number of calories your body needs in order to support your weight loss plans.

Your body has its own specific requirements, which can never exactly match anyone else’s. So, these generalized numbers are pretty much useless. No wonder then, you never lost the amount of weight the article said you would lose! You probably actually ended up having more calories than your body needed. Luckily for you, there exists a calorie-calculating formula that simply works and is exact.

Just read on to know more!

The Mifflin–St. Jeor Calorie Formula: The Only Calorie-Counting Formula You Need

Back in the early 1900s (1919, to be precise), two scientists of American origin, James Harris and Francis Benedict, released an in-depth research paper on the human body’s BMR or what is also known as “basal metabolic rate.” BMR is basically the amount of your energy your body needs (when resting) to carry out all its functions in a proper manner.

In their paper, these two researchers, mentioned a specific formula that was devised to calculate the exact sum of calories a person needs in order to stay healthy. The number was calculated by taking the person’s gender, weight, height, and age into account (1).

However, it’s been almost a hundred years since Benedict and Harris first published their paper, and times have drastically changed since then. Which means their formula is no longer as accurate as it used to be. So, in the year 1990, 71 years after Benedict and Harris’ paper came out, another duo of scientists by the name of St. Jeor and Mark Mifflin updated the formula to accommodate for the changes in lifestyle with the help of their team (2).

They kept the basics of the formula intact, but they changed the values to be put in each place of the formula in order to make it better suited for the modern lifestyle. The Academy Of Nutrition and Dietetics states that the formula of Mifflin and St. Jeor is highly accurate (3). Here’s their formula:

Formula For Women:

(10 x her weight in kilos) + (6.25 x her height in centimetres) – (5 x her age in years) – 161

Formula For Men:

(10 x his weight in kilos) + (6.25 x his height in centimetres) – (5 x his age in years) + 5

So, if we take for example that a woman is 25-years-old, weighs 55kg, and is 160cm tall, the number of calories her body needs to function optimally as per the formula is:

(10 x 55) + (6.25 x 160) – (5 x 25) – 161 = 1,264 kcal

However, if you indulge in physical activity, the number of calories for you can vary. Fortunately, the formula takes this into account:

• If your lifestyle is nearly devoid of physical activity, multiply the result you get by 2.
• If you exercise about 1 to 3 times each week, multiply it by 375.
• If you indulge in medium-intensity physical activities about 3 to 5 times each week, multiply it by 55.
• If you have full workout sessions 6-7 times each week, multiply it by 725.
• If you have a physically strenuous job and work out twice each week, multiply it by 9.

Therefore, if we take the values from the example of the woman given above and accommodate for little physical activity, her calorie count would be 1,264 x 1.375 = 1,738 kcal. If we change that to intense exercise, the result will be 1,264 x 1.725 = 2,180.4 kcal.

How You Can Incorporate This Formula Into Your Weight Loss Plan?

According to research, the flaw of this formula is that it doesn’t apply to everyone since every individual’s BMR and muscle mass are different (4). Moreover, the formula does not take obesity account, being only suitable for people with normal weight. However, a simple tweak can make it work.

For example, if you intend to shed extra kilos in a slow and safe manner, you should subtract 250 calories from the result you get. If you want rapid weight loss, subtract 500 calories from the result. Just bear in mind that the total value of calories should not fall below 1400 for men and 1200 for women.

So, taking the example of the woman given above, let’s see the result if she exercises moderately with the intent of weight loss:

(1,264 x 1.55) – 250 = 1,709.2

That means her daily diet should be chalked out in such a way so that her daily calorie consumption does not exceed 1,710 kcal.

You can try this formula yourself to find out the magic number that works for you. We assure you it’s accurate. You can ask your doctor!

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