He needs 2800 calories to maintain his bodyweight based on his everyday activity levels. John is an 80kg male, working a 9-5 with a lot of walking.
Let’s illustrate this example so it makes a little more sense.
You’ll know if you’re using the right amount based on what happens to your physique and on the scales. However, these are estimates and you’ll only know if you’re working with the right number based on what happens to your body when you change your diet. The amount you use on a daily basis is called your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) and you can use calculators to get a general estimate. This is how the body’s weight change happens and it’s important to notice that it all starts with maintenance levels. Therefore, your body will start burning stored fat and even muscle mass to produce the energy needed. On the other hand, if you are not reaching that maintenance level, you are telling your body that you are not consuming enough energy. If you go past that amount, it then isn’t necessary for function, so you start storing fat. It’s easier to reduce your intake by 200 calories than it is to burn 200 calories! Focus on YOUR Maintenance NeedsĮvery day your body needs to consume a certain number of calories for its weight and activity level. It doesn’t have to be restrictive – it should be empowering! Diet does most of the work and being aware of calorie intake is a really useful tool to put you in charge of your diet. But they don’t lose weight – because their balance is incorrect.Īctivity levels alone won’t usually help people lose weight. Often, people will tell you they’re doing high reps with light weights to cut down and to ‘burn more calories’ and ‘shred down’ or doing cardio to lose weight. It’s the relative calorie intake that matters – so don’t treat calories like the problem. The idea is that you should eat the number of calories you need to make your body do the things you want (i.e. It’s about eating the right amount for you: calories are only good and bad depending on your goals and your own needs! Sometimes calories can seem scary – but it’s not all about cutting back. The balance matters because your calories in includes food, while your calories out includes your resting metabolic rate, your activity levels through the day, and then any structured exercise or sport you do on top of those. That energy is used to fuel the body and repair it after intense activity or exercise. It’s why people track calories when they’re on a diet or performing intense exercise: calories tell you how much energy you’re taking in. Eat less than you use? Lose either muscle or fat. Eat more than you use? Gain either muscle or fat. Weight changes in response to calorie balance. Here’s the single most important lesson you need to learn: Case 2: Doing cardio if it makes you feel good 1- How do you lose or gain weight? These are simple maths!.Case 1: Doing cardio at the end of your cut.So how do you keep all your muscles whilst only losing fat?.2- Bulking and Cutting: Weight Change Goals.