Daily Calorie Requirement:
There are several formulas that are used to determine daily calorie requirement.We will use the highly recommended one because it takes into account your activity level and some other body variables .
parameters needed are:
- Body weight in kg
- Height in cm
- Age in years
- Activity level
ACTIVITY LEVEL is the level of activities that you perform in your day to day life,a number is attributed to different levels.So take note of the number that applies to you
Little or no exercise =1.2
Light exercise (1–3 days per week)= 1.375
Moderate exercise (3–5 days per week) = 1.55
Heavy exercise (6–7 days per week)= 1.725
Very heavy exercise (twice per day, extra heavy workouts)= 1.9
The formula that we will use is called Harris–Benedict equation, it will give us 2 values,which are the basal metabolic rate(BMR) and daily calorie requirements
There are separate BMR formulas for men and women,they are:
MEN
BMR = 66.4730 + (13.7516 x weight in kg) + (5.0033 x height in cm) – (6.7550 x age in years)
WOMEN
BMR = 655.0955 + (9.5634 x weight in kg) + (1.8496 x height in cm) – (4.6756 x age in years)
DAILY CALORIE REQUIREMENT = BMR X ACTIVITY LEVEL
So let us consider an example of a 24 year old lady that weighs 65kg and her height is 168cm.
Her BMR will be
655.0955 + (9.5634 x 65) + (1.8496 x 168) – (4.6756 x 24)
655.0955 + (621.621) + (310.7328) – (112.2144) 1587.4493 – 112.2144 BMR = 1475.2349If she does light exercise ,that means her activity level = 1.375
and DAILY CALORIE REQUIREMENT = BMR X ACTIVITY LEVEL
therefore , DAILY CALORIE REQUIREMENT = 1475.2349 x 1.375
DAILY CALORIE REQUIREMENT =2028.5 calories
Please note that the energy in food is measured in kilocalories (Kcal), which is also known as Calories (C).So the calories that we’ve been talking about is actually kilocalories,but most times it is called calories. Just in case you are confused,kilocalories(Kcal) and calories are the same thing in this context,they are used interchangeably.
The purpose of this formula is to allow you calculate the acccurate amount of calories that your body needs daily for optimum performance.The amount of calories derived from this formula just maintains the body weight,If you want to lose fat see the relationship between fat loss and calories
For your calculation to be easy,check this table for the conversion you might need.
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And also calories in common foods.
| Food | Size | Calories |
| Apple | 1 small (4 oz.) | 80 |
| Banana | 1 medium (6 oz.) | 101 |
| Grape | each | 2 |
| Mango | 1 (8 oz.) | 135 |
| Orange | 1 (4 oz.) | 71 |
| Pear | 1 (5 oz.) | 100 |
| Peach | 1 (6 oz.) | 38 |
| Pineapple | 1 cup | 80 |
| Strawberry | 1 cup | 53 |
| Watermelon | 1 cup | 45 |
| Asparagus | 1 cup, boiled | 36 |
| Bean curd | 4 oz. | 81 |
| Broccoli | 1 cup | 40 |
| Carrots | 1 cup | 45 |
| Cucumber | each | 30 |
| Eggplant | 1 cup, boiled | 38 |
| Lettuce | 1 cup | 7 |
| Tomato | 1 cup | 29 |
| Beef, regular, cooked | 1 slice (2 oz.) | 120 |
| Chicken, cooked | 1 slice (2 oz.) | 95 |
| Egg | large | 79 |
| Fish, Catfish, cooked | 2 oz. | 80 |
| Pork, cooked | 1 slice (2 oz.) | 130 |
| Shrimp, cooked | 2 oz. | 70 |
| Bread, regular | 1 slice (1 oz.) | 75 |
| Butter | 1 tea spoon | 100 |
| Caesar salad | 1 serving (3 cups) | 360 |
| Cheeseburger | 1 (Medium) | 360 |
| Chocolate | 1 oz. | 150 |
| Corn | 1 cup, cooked | 140 |
| Hamburger | 1 (Medium) | 280 |
| Pizza | 1 slice | 180 |
| Potato (uncooked) | 1 (6 oz.) | 120 |
| Rice, cooked | 1 cup | 225 |
| Sandwich | 1 (6″ Subway) | 310 |
| Beer, regular | 1 can or bottle | 150 |
| Coca-Cola Classic | 1 cup | 97 |
| Diet Coke | 1 cup | 3 |
| Milk, low-fat (1%) | 1 cup | 104 |
| Milk, low-fat (2%) | 1 cup | 121 |
| Milk, whole | 1 cup | 150 |
| Orange Juice / Apple Cider | 1 cup | 115 |
| Yogurt, low-fat | 1 cup | 200 |
| Yogurt, non-fat | 1 cup | 150 |
CALORIES OF FOOD COMPONENTS
| Food Components | kJ per gram | Calorie (kcal) per gram | kJ per ounce | Calorie (kcal) per ounce |
| Fat | 37 | 8.8 | 1,049 | 249 |
| Proteins | 17 | 4.1 | 482 | 116 |
| Carbohydrates | 17 | 4.1 | 482 | 116 |
| Fiber | 8 | 1.9 | 227 | 54 |
| Ethanol (drinking alcohol) | 29 | 6.9 | 822 | 196 |
| Organic acids | 13 | 3.1 | 369 | 88 |
| Polyols (sugar alcohols, sweeteners) | 10 | 2.4 | 283 | 68 |
Enjoy counting.
cheers
Babajide Adediran