Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Calculating Calories

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Are you one of those passionately curious people and want to know how we built our calculator?

Step One:

To calculate your caloric needs, you first calculate your BMR (basal metabolic rate). The equation most commonly used is the Harris-Benedict Equation (the one we featured in the calculator). Though there are three, the other two are used for special populations. Here's the breakdown for men and women:

Men BMR = 88.362 + (13.397 x weight in kg) + (4.799 x height in cm) - (5.677 x age in years)=

Women BMR = 447.593 + (9.247 x weight in kg) + (3.098 x height in cm) - (4.330 x age in years)=

Step Two:

Take the number you get from the Harris-Benedict Equation and use the multiplier in accordance with your activity level:

Little to no exercise daily kilocalories needed = BMR x 1.2

Light exercise (1–3 days per week)Daily kilocalories needed = BMR x 1.375

Moderate exercise (3–5 days per week)Daily kilocalories needed = BMR x 1.55

Heavy exercise (6–7 days per week)Daily kilocalories needed = BMR x 1.725 Very heavy exercise (twice per day, extra heavy workouts)Daily kilocalories needed = BMR x 1.9

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To give this a try, please visit our Nutrition 101 page or click here.