Calorie Calculator

Keeping health and body in mind, these days' people are diet conscious and want to count on their calories before having any meal as this improves not just one's health but also aids in a better mind based on the saying, a sound mind in a sound body.

Moreover, today's teens want a sculpted body so they can flaunt around, showing their abs, stomach, and muscle, giving them a sense of achievement and better new confidence in them. Gym Goers follow a special timetable on what to eat, what not to eat, time, the count, and everything.

Whatever the reason might be, keeping track of calories is something diet consciousness people should never ignore. And for you, we have this calorie calculator that estimates the calorie count consumed by a person based on everyday needs and exercise routines.

How does the Calorie calculator work?

As a user, one has to feed the data like Age, Gender, height, weight, and activity.

Activity is about how much physical exercise you do on a daily basis to count your calories. And this scale varies from no exercise to extra activity.

• No exercise – lazy goers
• Light exercise – Less than three days a week
• Moderate – between 4-5 days a week
• Active- daily exercise
• Very active- hard exercise between 6-7 days a week
• Extra active- Very hard exercise or daily physical work

Exercise timing

In the calculator, the timing for exercise has been split into three categories

• Light exercise
• Intense exercise
• Very intense exercise

Light Exercise

Any workout or exercise between 15-30 minutes of increased heart rate activity comes under light exercise. Gym trainers and masters generally prefer this light exercise for newbies, aged people, and people with other body ailments. People with moderate stamina are always advised to do light exercise, or one can seek professional help on what type of exercise they need to do to shed weight.

Intense Exercise

Any rigorous workout or exercise between 45-120 minutes with increased heart rate activity comes under intense exercise. Anyone with good stamina can do intense exercise to

• Shed weight swiftly
• To burn calories easily
• Better heart health
• Good mood
• Decreases morality

Very intense exercise

The higher the intensity of your workout/exercise, the faster the calorie burn is and with a higher heart rate. One must have an intense workout for more than 2 hours. All those who want intense muscles or those interested in bodybuilding prefer this very intense workout with little intervals.

This calorie calculator uses a few equations that compute a Basal Metabolic Rate called BMR. 

What is BMR?

Basal Metabolic Rate is how quickly the body expends energy at rest to maintain essential processes like breathing and staying warm.

To calculate BMR, three different formulas are used

Mifflin-St Jeor Equation

For very precise and accurate results, we use the Mifflin-St Jeor Equation to calculate the BMR

Katch-McArdle formula

The Katch-McArdle formula is helpful for those who are leaner and are aware of their body fat Percentage. 

Revised Harris-Benedict Equation

This equation was revised in 1984 to give precise BMR.

Mifflin-St Jeor Equation

BMR = 10W + 6.25H - 5A + 5 [Men]

BMR = 10W + 6.25H - 5A – 161 [Women]

Revised Harris-Benedict Equation:

BMR = 13.397W + 4.799H - 5.677A + 88.362 [Men]

BMR = 9.247W + 3.098H - 4.330A + 447.593 [Women]

Katch-McArdle Formula

BMR = 370 + 21.6(1 - F)W

 *W is body weight in kg

 *H is body height in cm

 *A is age

 *F is body fat in percentage

Based on the resultant value from these formulas gives the calorie count that a person has to intake to maintain the body weight. 

Can we obtain the exact value through this formula?

Yes, one can obtain a realistic value TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) through this formula by multiplying the BMR value with an activity factor between 1.2 to 1.95, which is based on the person's exercise level throughout a week.

TDEE = BMR* Activity factor

How to calculate the activity factor?

Activity factor can be calculated based on the value of the following factors between 1.2 to 1.95

• No exercise – 1.2
• Light exercise (1-3 days/week) – 1.375
• Moderate exercise (3-5 days/week)- 1.55
• Intense exercise (6-7 days/week) – 1.725
• Very intense exercise – 1.9

E.g., A bodybuilder with a very intense exercise regime scores a BMR value of 1399. To get a realistic value, the BMR value is multiplied by the appropriate activity factor of 1.9.

TDEE= 1399*1.9

TDEE=2658.1 calories per day.

Calorie calculator result

This calorie calculator result is based on four results factors

• Maintain weight
• Mild weight loss
• Weight loss
• Extreme weight loss

The result shows the percentage of weight reduction and calories consumed based on the four desired weight loss result factors.

Steps to reduce weight loss

• Determine BMR
• Determine weight loss goal
• Find a method to track your calories to progress towards your goal.
• Follow your development over time, and make adjustments to reach your objectives better.

Key Point

Using the three given formulas above, determine BMR. If you are aware of body fat percentage, Katch-McArdle Formula would be idle to calculate BMR.

1 pound / 0.455 kg =3500 calories.

Safe way to reduce weight

Reducing caloric intake by 500 calories per day will result in a potential reduction of 1 pound per week. 

Similarly, reducing caloric intake by 1000 calories per day will result in a potential reduction of 2 pounds per week.

Key Point

Generally speaking, it is suggested to lose only 2 pounds every week as this can have detrimental consequences on one's health; therefore, attempt to aim for a daily calorie decrease of no more than about 1000. If you want to lose more than 2 pounds, consult a doctor.

The calorie count is made easy using gadgets like smartphones and smart watches, and one can easily keep track of it.

Factors to be considered in counting calories

• Age
• Weight
• Height
• Sex
• Level of physical activity
• General Health

For instance, a physically fit 25-year-old man who is 6 feet tall needs a lot more calories than a 5-foot woman who is 70 years old and sedentary. According to the US Department of Health, adult males typically need 2,000–3000 calories daily to maintain weight, while adult females need roughly 1,600–2,400. This depends on age and level of activity.

Main sources of calories

Carbohydrates, proteins, and fat make up the majority of the calories in the average person's diet, while many consume a sizable amount of alcohol which is zero calories.

Chewing reduces calories

It has been demonstrated that how a person chews their meal has some bearing on weight reduction; generally speaking, chewing food more thoroughly increases the number of calories the body burns during digestion. People who chew their food more thoroughly also tend to eat less since doing so gives them more time to feel full, which leads to less food being consumed. This information should be regarded with a grain of salt because the impacts of how food is chewed and the digestion of various foods are not fully known, and other factors probably exist.

Classification of foods based on calories

Food is classified based on calories as 

High-calorie foods

Fat, oils, deep-fried foods, and sugary foods are unhealthy, high-calorie foods. 

Other food items like nuts, Avocados, quinoa, and whole grains are all healthy high-calorie foods in moderation.

Low-calorie foods

Vegetables and certain fruits are low-calorie food.

Empty calories

Sugars, alcohol, and solid fats are empty calories.

Hazards on eating low calorie

• Try reducing calories gradually. Your metabolism may stall if you suddenly cut calories by at least 500.
• Slow eating reduces the intake of food as fast eaters are heavy people.
• Low-calorie intake puts you at risk for sluggishness, weariness, nutritional inadequacies, and frequent irritation.

Be mindful when it comes to reducing your calories. Getting a proper recommendation from a dietician or getting help from a doctor can reduce the impact of side effects if any. But once you are determined to reduce your weight, keep track of your calorie intake daily.

FAQ's