Calories?!

[ions]

How do I figure out how many calories I need for maintenance? My basal metabolic rate or whatever it's called.

I'm going to start doing the calorie counter thing but I have no clue what my maintenance is. If somebody would just gimme the math to it I'll figure it out.

Thanks

[raniali]

http://www.geocities.com/ali91030/diet_info.html

[Tiare]

How many calories are you taking in now and are you gaining, losing or maintaining your weight? That would be your AMR (active metabolic rate), which is what I think you really want unless you plan on spending the entire day in bed.

[ions]

"BMR requirement
100 calories times lean body mass in pounds
100 x 200 = 2,000 calories"
That is from the link (http://www.geocities.com/ali91030/diet_info.html) provided. Something doesn't quite sum up there...what is the correct formula?

I'm working on determining what my intake is and also what I burn daily so I can have a better idea of what's going on with my diet.

[raniali]

read the rest ... it accounts for your activity level and calories needed to maintain both fat and lean mass.

[thalapathi]

ions- if you are getting started check these links out. It really helped me understand the basics.

http://www.thinkmuscle.com/articles/...ne-diet-01.htm

http://www.thinkmuscle.com/articles/...ne-diet-02.htm

http://www.thinkmuscle.com/articles/...rogress-01.htm

http://www.thinkmuscle.com/articles/...rogress-02.htm

[Behemoth]

It's different for everyone, no chart or calculator is goona figure it out for you. You gotta expirement with it and figure it out

[ions]

Originally posted by TryingToBeBig
It's different for everyone, no chart or calculator is goona figure it out for you. You gotta expirement with it and figure it out

Damn. I was hoping it'd be a 15 minute process. Oh well I guess I gotta start somewhere.

I've been listing all the foods I eat and trying to put together their nutrition stats so I can more easily meal plan. That part is pretty easy.

The hard part is figuring out how much I burn in a day then matching the calories to that. When finding the calories burned on different activities - typing this, sleeping, sex, walking, etc. Each day is different making it difficult to be precise about a 150 or whatever calorie surplus for gaining. The same thing for a deficit.

[Relentless]

You're never going to be 100% precise with calories. There's so many variables in a human body and in food itself that you'll make yourself nuts trying to be exact. I assume that any calories counted / burned are rough estimates and I'm happy if I get within 10% of what's likely to be actual.

IMHO the best thing to do, rather than getting super-frustrated with things, especially as you're just getting into trying to manage your diet is roughly this:

1) Make a vow to eat CLEAN. (i.e. eat wholesome, 'good' foods only)
2) Track what you eat, even if you cheat.
3) At the end of each week, weigh yourself and count calories. Compare to previous weeks. Adjust calories up or down accordingly.
4) Don't be afraid to have a 'cheat day' or cheat meals. So long as it's not 1 meal a day, you oughta be fine. If you just GOTTA have that slice of cheesecake, go for it. But count the calories and include it in your calculations.

TryingToBeBig has got it right; managing your diet is not a 'magic bullet' activity. It's a matter of paying attention to how your body reacts to the foods with which you fuel it. Thinking of food as fuel and not as food may also help, actually . . .

For what it's worth,
Callahan

[ions]

That's gonna have to be my plan - I really had no idea it became that complicated. Within 10% has gotta be more than ample for my needs. Just starting and no desire to compete.

Thanks Callahan