Calorie Needs: Vegetarians
Vegetarian Diet Info

Calorie Needs for Vegetarians
Information on Calorie Needs and Calorie Intake for Ovo-Lacto Vegetarians and Vegans

Vegetarian Healthy Diet Program
Calories & Metabolism - More Information
Calorie Needs - Calories & Weight Gain/Loss - Metabolism & Metabolic Rate

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Overweight & Obesity - Obesity & Vegetarian Diet - Body Mass Index - Healthy Weight - Body Fat Percentage
Body Fat Distribution - Weight Related Risks - Obesity Health Risks

Calorie Needs To Maintain Weight

How Many Calories Needed to Maintain Weight

Your daily calorie needs depend upon a variety of factors including: age, gender, metabolism (metabolic rate), activity level and body weight/size. Before you calculate your daily calorie needs, please note:

  • Calorie needs peak during your mid-twenties, then decline at about 2 percent per decade, due partly to increasing fat/muscle ratio through lack of physical activity. So if, at 25, you need 2300 calories per day, by 35 you need only 2254 calories.
  • Men have calorie needs 5-10 percent higher than women (except pregnant women).
  • Although weight loss is largely related to calorie intake, reducing calorie-intake below 1200 calories a day is not advised due for nutritional reasons. Also, for most people, a calorie-intake of less than 1200 calories is likely to slow down metabolism and weight loss.
  • Metabolic rate - the rate at which your body burns calories - is inherited. Some people inherit a faster metabolism, some people inherit a slower metabolism. The only effective way to raise metabolism is by increasing exercise and physical activity.

To determine your calorie needs automatically
click CALORIE NEEDS CALCULATOR

Calculate Your Daily Calorie Needs - Harris-Benedict Formula

The best way to calculate your daily calorie needs is to use a formula like Harris-Benedict. This formula first calculates your basal metabolic rate (by using multiple factors, like height, weight, age and gender) and then applies an activity factor to determine your total daily energy expenditure (calories). The only factor omitted by Harris-Benedict is lean body mass. Remember, leaner bodies need more calories than less leaner ones. Therefore, this equation will be very accurate in all but the very muscular (will under-estimate calorie needs) and the very fat (will over-estimate calorie needs).

The Harris-Benedict Formula

The Harris Benedict equation is a calorie formula using the variables of height, weight, age, and gender to calculate basal metabolic rate (BMR). This is more accurate than calculating calorie needs based on total body weight alone.

To determine your calorie needs automatically
click CALORIE NEEDS CALCULATOR

Harris Benedict Formula for Women - STEP 1

BMR = 655 + (9.6 X weight in kilos) + (1.8 X height in cm) - (4.7 X age in years).

Notes:
1 inch = 2.54 cm.
1 kilogram = 2.2 lbs.

Example of BMR
You are 38 years old
You are 5 feet 4 inches tall (162.5 cm)
Your weight is 198 pounds (90 kilos)
Your BMR is 655 + (864) + (291) - (178) = 1632 calories

Harris Benedict Formula for Women - STEP 2

To determine your total daily calorie needs, now multiply your BMR by the appropriate activity factor, as follows:

  • Sedentary - little or no exercise
    Calorie-Calculation = BMR X 1.2
  • Lightly Active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week)
    Calorie-Calculation = BMR X 1.375
  • Moderately Active (mod exercise/sports 3-5 days/week)
    Calorie-Calculation = BMR X 1.55
  • Very Active = BMR X 1.725 (hard exercise 6-7 days/week)
    Calorie-Calculation = BMR X 1.725
  • Extra Active (very hard daily exercise/sports & physical job)
    Calorie-Calculation = BMR X 1.9

Total Calorie Needs Example

If you are sedentary, multiply your BMR (1632) by 1.2 = 1958
Your total daily calorie requirement is therefore 1958 calories.
This is the total number of calories you need in order to MAINTAIN your current weight.

Calorie Needs to GAIN Weight

Once you know the number of calories needed to MAINTAIN your weight, you can easily calculate the number of calories you need to eat in order to gain weight.

Create a Positive Calorie Balance to Gain Weight

If you want to gain body weight, you need to consume more calories than you burn. One pound of body weight is roughly equivalent to 3500 calories, so eating an extra 500 calories per day will cause you to gain one pound a week.

Calorie Needs to LOSE Weight

There are approximately 3500 calories in a pound of stored body fat. So, if you create a 3500-calorie deficit through diet, exercise or a combination of both, you will lose one pound of body weight. (On average 75 percent of this is fat, 25 percent lean tissue.) If you create a 7000 calorie deficit you will lose two pounds and so on. The calorie deficit can be achieved either by calorie-restriction alone, or by a combination of fewer calories-in (diet) and more calories-out (exercise). This combination of diet and exercise is best for lasting weight loss. Indeed, sustained weight loss is difficult or impossible without increased regular exercise.

Lose Weight Too Fast and You'll Lose Water

Many weight loss diets and diet plans involving weight loss pills or supplements encourage very fast weight loss - often in excess of 3-4 pounds per week. This is both unhealthy and ineffective. The average healthy human body simply will not shed more than about 2 pounds of fat, per week. But it will shed water, which is what most fast weight loss is - just water loss!

Lose Between 1 and 2 Pounds of Weight, Maximum

If you want to lose fat, a useful guideline for lowering your calorie intake is to reduce your calories by at least 500, but not more than 1000 below your maintenance level. For people with only a small amount of weight to lose, 1000 calories will be too much of a deficit. As a guide to minimum calorie intake, the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends that calorie levels never drop below 1200 calories per day for women or 1800 per day for men. Even these calorie levels are quite low.

Sources include:
American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM);
Diet & Weight Loss Information
Calories Information

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Calcium in Vegan Diet
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Vegetarian Diet Information

Vegetarianism is a healthy option and vegetarian diets can be perfectly healthy eating plans but care should be taken to ensure optimum nutrition. So, whether following an ovo-lacto or other type of vegetarian food plan, or vegan diet, for a healthy body and weight make it a balanced eating plan and take regular exercise. Always consult a doctor before beginning a weight loss diet or new fitness routine.
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