How To Calculate Calories

There are several methods for calculating calories specie to the needs and
desires of the individual - in this case, men and women who want to pack
on quality weight (i.e. muscle) as a result of their hard work in the gym.

Some formulas are a tad on the complicated side while others are quite
simple. Although the following section will be overly complicated for
some, don’t despair. A far easier method for calculating calories follows,
and the entire e-book uses it for the calculations on diet and calories. Ulti-
mately, we will depend on the simple calorie calculations as our guide in
this section.

It should be noted, however, that the more complicated formulas tend to
be the more precise. An example of one of the more complicated formulas
for guring out calorie intakes based on the person’s gender, activity lev-
els, etc. is below. First, you need to calculate your RMR., then add TEM and
EPEE, to get TEE. Finally, you have to add additional calories if weight gain
is the goal.

Probably the most commonly used formula for calculating RMR., is known
as the Harris-Benedict formula. It di ers for male/female. However, an eas-
ier variant of Harris-Benedict Formula goes like so:

Formula to calculate RMR for men:

RMR = 66 + (13.7 x weight in kg) + (5 x height in cm)
- (6.8 x age in years)

Formula to calculate RMR for women:

RMR = 655 + (9.6 X weight in kg) + (1.8 X height in
cm) - (4.7 X age in years)

To calculate your total calorie needs, multiply your RMR by the appropriate
activity multiplier:

• If you are sedentary (little or no exercise, desk job): multiply your


RMR by 1.2



Chapter 2/The Harris-Benedict Formula


•


•


•


If you are lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/wk): multiply
your RMR by 1.375

If you are moderately active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/wk):
multiply your RMR by 1.55

If you perform heavy exercise (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days/wk):
multiply your RMR by 1.725


Don’t forget: add 10% to account for TEM
Example Calculation:

Using the above formula and other needed information to gure out
how many calories are needed for quality gains, I plugged in my own
stats: 167.5cm tall, 41 years old, and the moderate Activity Multiplier
of 1.55. Because the e-book uses the body weight of 200 lb. through-
out as the example weight in the Simple Method and the rest of the
e-book, I used that weight (though I weigh approximately 175 lb. give
or take) in the formula. So:

Weight in kilograms: 200 lb. / 2.2 = 90.9 kg
Height = 167.5 cm
Age = 41
Activity Multiplier: 1.55

RMR = 66 + (13.7 x 90.9 kg) + (5 x 167.5 cm) - (6.8 x 41 years) = 66 +
1245.3 + 837.5 - 278.8 = 1870 kcal

1870 kcal x 1.55 = 2898.5 kcal - this can be rounded o to 2900 kcal

Now we add 10% (290 kcal) to account for TEM:

2900 + 290 = 3190 kcal

So - for the purposes of this example, my total calorie needs ( TDEE) are
3190 kcal per day.

The above still only accounts for RMR, TEM, and to some degree, EEPA, but
does not take into account the goal of actually gaining weight. We need
to add additional calories for that.

My recommendation would be to add an additional 10% to the number
you come up with if you choose to use the above formula. So, continuing
my example, 3190 kcals plus an additional 10% = 3509 kcals per day for the
above example to account for RMR, TEF, EEPA, plus an additional 10% to
that gure to gain weight.

Remember, those numbers can be quite di erent person-to-person as such
a formula has many potential variables to plug in. Thus, do not use my ex-
amples to decide on calorie intakes.

Also, one does not have to start out with an additional 10%. People who
add fat easily or already have a higher amount of body fat may need to
exercise more caution. One could start out with an additional 5% and see
if weight gain takes place, increasing calories by 5% until weight gain does
take place.

Hardgainers, on the other hand, could start with 20% above RMR, TEF, and
EEPA, to get weight gain moving.

What do I recommend? I recommend you make life much easier on your-
self and forget all about this formula and use the “Simple Method” outlined
in the next section! The point of this section was to highlight the di erent
factors that determine total daily energy needs. Some people like to make
things as hard as they can, but for the rest of us, the K.I.S.S. principle works
just as well.

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