How many calories should I be eating?

[Yobz]

I'm sure this is a common question here, but I'm looking to maintain my body weight and I have no clue how many calories to eat.

Since December I've lost a crapload of weight (210->160) and have been hitting the gym 5+ days a week. Until now I've basically been eating fewer calories...my log shows these caloric intakes (per day) for the past week or two:
1480, 1600, 1620, 1870, 1635, 1460, 1470, 1860, etc.

I've lost a ton of weight but I want to stop losing and just maintain. I've got a 6-pack now and am more than happy with the way I look. I'll continue to gym it up: how many calories should I be eating?

[thirddan]

record your weight tomorrow morning after waking up and pissing/[censored]...eat a constant number of cals for a week, say 1800...weigh again next saturday under the same circumstances...if you gained > eat less...if you lost > eat more...you might want to pick a weekday so that alcohol or a heavy cheat meal doesn't affect the weigh in...

i do my weights/measurements on friday morning...

[kinda]

Taken from http://forums.steroid.com/showthread.php?t=113010

Harris Benedict Formula for Calorie Calculations
“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. The only factor it omits is lean body mass and thus the ratio of muscle-to-fat a body has. Remember, leaner bodies need more calories than less leaner ones. Therefore, this equation will be very accurate in all but the very muscular (Harris-Benedict will under-estimate calorie needs) and the very fat (Harris-Benedict will over-estimate calorie needs).”

That being said, there are is no concrete number of daily calorie intake your body needs, however using this formula will give you can idea of what you do need.

Harris Benedict Formula for Men
BMR = 66 + (13.7 X weight in kilos) + (5 X height in cm) - (6.8 X age in years)

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

Example of BMR
You are 25 years old
You are 6 feet tall
Your weight is 220 pounds
Your BMR is 66 + (1370) + (914) - (170) = 2180 calories

Harris Benedict Formula for Men - STEP 2
To determine your total daily calorie needs, now multiply your BMR by the appropriate activity factor, as follows:

If you are Sedentary - little or no exercise
Calorie-Calculation = BMR X 1.2
- If you are Lightly Active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week)
Calorie-Calculation = BMR X 1.375
- If you are Moderately Active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week)
Calorie-Calculation = BMR X 1.55
- If you are Very Active = BMR X 1.725 (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days/week)
Calorie-Calculation = BMR X 1.725
- If you are Extra Active (very hard daily exercise/sports & physical job or 2X day training)
Calorie-Calculation = BMR X 1.9

Total Calorie Needs Example
If you are lightly active, multiply your BMR (2180) by 1.375 = 2997
Your total daily calorie requirement is therefore 2997 calories.
This is the total number of calories you need in order to MAINTAIN your current weight.

[Yobz]

Wow, so I'm:
23 years old
5 11 (probably 5 10, I always cheat an inch at this) = 70 inches (178cm)
I weigh 160lbs (72.5kg)
My BMR is

66 + (13.7 * 72.5) + (5 * 178) - (6.8 * 23) = 1793

I'll call me moderately active, 1793*1.55 = 2780 cals!

Sweet, I'm gonna have to see if this works. I'll eat fewer on days I eat mostly carbs (maybe 2500) and can give myself a little more when eating mostly protein (maybe 3000).
Thanks!

[kinda]

Just remember to take the formula strictly as a guideline. It's not perfect.

Also, you should be eating more protein than carbs every day, not just a select few. What are your protein/carb/fat intake percentages like?

[bellytimber]

Kinda--thanks for posting that, I'd never seen that formula before. And you're right: It's a good starting point for people who have never thought about BMR, but there's no such thing as a one-formula-fits-all when it comes to health stuff like this, FWIW that formula is off by ~1000 calories for me.

A few years ago I heard there was a breathalyzer-type machine that you could exhale into and it would tell you your basal metabolic rate; health clubs were offering a session for like $100. I never heard how accurate they were though, and anyway your BMR is only half the story because the amt of calories that you burn during the day is so hard to measure. Charts that are like, "OK you burn 500 calories chopping wood and and 400 calories chopping broccoli and 700 calories looking at hobbit porn," these charts are pretty retarded IMO. There are just way too many subtle variables going on here. Do you fidget? Do you sleepwalk? Do you sometimes do the centipede to work? (400 cal)

The best answer is the boring one--by trial and error and decent recordkeeping over many weeks you just eventually get a sense for how many calories you can eat in a day/week at a certain activity level before your weight starts changing. And the good news is it sounds like this isn't going to be that hard for the OP to figure out, he already knows exactly what puts him in a caloric deficit. And congrats on that weight loss btw!

[Yobz]

[ QUOTE ]
Kinda--thanks for posting that, I'd never seen that formula before. And you're right: It's a good starting point for people who have never thought about BMR, but there's no such thing as a one-formula-fits-all when it comes to health stuff like this, FWIW that formula is off by ~1000 calories for me.

A few years ago I heard there was a breathalyzer-type machine that you could exhale into and it would tell you your basal metabolic rate; health clubs were offering a session for like $100. I never heard how accurate they were though, and anyway your BMR is only half the story because the amt of calories that you burn during the day is so hard to measure. Charts that are like, "OK you burn 500 calories chopping wood and and 400 calories chopping broccoli and 700 calories looking at hobbit porn," these charts are pretty retarded IMO. There are just way too many subtle variables going on here. Do you fidget? Do you sleepwalk? Do you sometimes do the centipede to work? (400 cal)

The best answer is the boring one--by trial and error and decent recordkeeping over many weeks you just eventually get a sense for how many calories you can eat in a day/week at a certain activity level before your weight starts changing. And the good news is it sounds like this isn't going to be that hard for the OP to figure out, he already knows exactly what puts him in a caloric deficit. And congrats on that weight loss btw!

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks for that. Good health is worth being patient for, I'll do it by trial and error.