On a daily basis as I work with girls training for a swimsuit competition I am asked, “How many calories should I consume?” The answer to this question varies on a number of factors.  One’s age, gender, weight, height, fitness goal, and activity level all play a role in determining one’s calorie requirements.  Several of these factors contribute to one’s BMR or Basal Metabolic Rate.  Your BMR (which is basically how many kcal you burn a day to maintain your vital functions and is determined by age, gender, weight, height) and your activity level allow us to determine how many calories you need to maintain your current weight.

How to Calculate Your Calorie Intake

The following formulas can be applied to determine a rough estimate of one’s BMR:

Female-655 + (4.35 x weight in lbs) + (4.7 x height in inches) – (4.7 x age in years)

Male-66 + (6.23 x weight in lbs) + (12.7 x height in inches) – (6.8 x age in years)

Example: 20-year-old female who is 5’6” and 140 lbs

655 + (4.35 x 140) + (4.7 x 66) – (4.7 x 20) = 965.2

How Many Calories Should I Eat to Lose Weight

Using the Harris Benedict formula to determine ones caloric needs allows us to use ones BMR along with their activity level to determine total energy expenditure.

*Sedentary (little to no exercise) BMR x 1.2

*Lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-2 days per week) BMR x 1.375

*Moderately active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days per week) BMR x 1.55

*Very active (intense exercise/sport 6-7 days per week) BMR x 1.725

*Extremely active (intense exercise/physical job) BMR x 1.9

Once you have determined your kcal (965.2 from above x 1.55-we’ll say she’s moderately active) we determine she requires 1496.06 kcal to maintain her current weight.  If her goal is to lose weight we will restrict kcal from this number.  Never going below 1200 and starting off with a reduction of 15-20%.  Anything less than 1200 kcal or a greater reduction of 20% may result in the metabolism slowing down.

**Consult a physician before embarking on any type of diet and/or exercise program**

For specific questions concerning your diet and swimsuit training leave a question for Scott in the comment box below.

This is a guest article written by Scott of Scott’s Training Systems. Scott has an online weight training program for girls who are located out of state. Contact Scott for a consultation: scott@scottstrainingsystems.com or via phone (480) 820-0835. Let him know that you read this article and the consultation is FREE!

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