Daily Calorie Intake Adjustment (approximations)

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For people on a fat loss mission "calorie" is the one word that probably gathers more attention than the fat loss itself. Weather one should calculate their daily calorie intake is a highly individualistic decision. Not all benefit from this and in some cases it may lead one in the opposite direction of their goal, if done wrongly.

Some factors which influence the calorie calculations are goals of the individual, their body composition (height,weight,body fat, etc.), exercise type and intensity, metabolism, etc.

For example, if an individual wants to gain weight they should eat a little more than their current intake and not less. If an individual thinks she/he is eating enough to feed their body and not getting any results, then they may most likely benefit from calculating their daily calorie requirement. Conversely, if an individual is getting results along with improved health from eating in a specific way, then they may have no need to calculate their calorie intake.

For those who wish to not get into the hassle of calculating their daily calorie requirement following two ways may be helpful:

1. Consider the current food intake as the standard, and based upon the goal (fat loss or weight gain) slightly decrease or increase the quantity of food. Do this for a couple of weeks and then again change (decrease or increase) the quantity. This can be repeated for a few weeks/months.

2. Instead of the current food intake, a standard intake of say, 2000 kcal can be set. With this level as the base the food intake can again be decreased or increased, as per the specific goal, every 1 - 2 weeks by about 150 - 200 calories. This method does involve some minimal calculations.

Like every thing else on earth, the process of going over or under your calorie intake is also bound by time. A maximum of 3 - 5 months is sufficient for going on a specific goal based dietary program, after which there should be a break to maintain the level attained for at least 4 - 6 weeks and the goals reassessed.

One important aspect is to make sure to not go too low (like below BMR) or too high on food intake.

Note: Before starting/changing an exercise and/or dietary pattern consult a qualified doctor/health care professional.

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