Katch-McArdle formula

[bigjo]

Hi everyone. I've been working on loosing body fat for a while and just finished reading Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle. Not knowing a lot about nutrition, the information was very intresting and helpful.

This being said, I used Katch-McArdle to figure out a BMR then multiplied by an activity factor 1.55 (the one assuming that you work out. It gave me 370 + (21.6 X Lean Mass in kg) which was 370 + (21.6 X 48.8). The BMR is 1424. Whe this is multiplied by an activity factor (1.55 for my level of activity) it tells me that my total daily energy expenditure is 2207. If I am looking to get my body fat down. I want to look my best for my wedding 1/4/09. How many calories should I be taking in per day?

I do cardio about 5 to 6 days a week and weights for about 30 min 3 days a week.

[EnigmaPower]

Hi everyone. I've been working on loosing body fat for a while and just finished reading Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle. Not knowing a lot about nutrition, the information was very intresting and helpful.

This being said, I used Katch-McArdle to figure out a BMR then multiplied by an activity factor 1.55 (the one assuming that you work out. It gave me 370 + (21.6 X Lean Mass in kg) which was 370 + (21.6 X 48.8). The BMR is 1424. Whe this is multiplied by an activity factor (1.55 for my level of activity) it tells me that my total daily energy expenditure is 2207. If I am looking to get my body fat down. I want to look my best for my wedding 1/4/09. How many calories should I be taking in per day?

I do cardio about 5 to 6 days a week and weights for about 30 min 3 days a week.

Doesn't Tom's book recommend adjusted BMR - 500 as a start?

[bigjo]

Doesn't Tom's book recommend adjusted BMR - 500 as a start?

Thanks for the reply! I'll have to go back and look. Is 500 the normal standard?

[terracotta]

Read a little farther into the book, but you'll see he suggests reducing calories by a percentage, eg. 20%, meaning take 2200 * 0.8 as your caloric target.

[bigjo]

Gotcha. 1760 sounds good to me. Thanks!

[bigjo]

I'm just about finished with my first day of 1760 cals and I feel so much better. Acutally I feel awsome! I guess I was undereating for my activity level. I don't feel like I'm having any cravings or like I'm starving to death. It's really something to see how so many people belive that have to starve to death to make improvements in their bodies.

I'm looking foward to following this and mesuring my progress again.

[EnigmaPower]

I'm just about finished with my first day of 1760 cals and I feel so much better. Acutally I feel awsome! I guess I was undereating for my activity level. I don't feel like I'm having any cravings or like I'm starving to death. It's really something to see how so many people belive that have to starve to death to make improvements in their bodies.

I'm looking foward to following this and mesuring my progress again.

PSST...measuring works better

[bigjo]

PSST...measuring works better

Lol sure does! Thanks :-)

[EnigmaPower]

Lol sure does! Thanks :-)

not a problem. Good luck with your lifting.

[mandat28]

It's difficult for me to determine where I fall on the scale as far as the activity multiplier. I teach 4 cycle classes/week, 2 bootcamps and a Lift class. I also lift heavy on my own 2-3 days/week. I spend 13 hours a day at a desk tied to a phone and computer. Pretty active at home in the evenings with cooking, cleaning, errands, etc. I have always used "light activity" based on the majority of the time I spend here at my desk. Wondering if that could be too low?

[terracotta]

It's difficult for me to determine where I fall on the scale as far as the activity multiplier. I teach 4 cycle classes/week, 2 bootcamps and a Lift class. I also lift heavy on my own 2-3 days/week. I spend 13 hours a day at a desk tied to a phone and computer. Pretty active at home in the evenings with cooking, cleaning, errands, etc. I have always used "light activity" based on the majority of the time I spend here at my desk. Wondering if that could be too low?

No that's not light activity to me. But you also have to beware that the formula and multipliers are only estimates. So if you find choosing "light activity" works for you, and you aren't starving constantly while dieting, I'd actually stick with that. Now if you think you are inbetween 2 categories, just take a multiplier in between the two numbers.

[Mishka1989]

I'm just about finished with my first day of 1760 cals and I feel so much better. Acutally I feel awsome! I guess I was undereating for my activity level. I don't feel like I'm having any cravings or like I'm starving to death. It's really something to see how so many people belive that have to starve to death to make improvements in their bodies.

I'm looking foward to following this and mesuring my progress again.

I'm one of those people who believed you have to starve yourself to lose weight. I recently just decided to up my calories to 1400 but I'm still burning about 450 on the treadmill 6x a week. I have one cheat day a week, and up until this point it hasn't been monitored (but I think i might monitor it...) so my question is, how much time should you give yourself at this calorie level before realizing it's either working or not working? my cals have been low recently, and I lost weight...but it scares me to up my cals and wonder if i'll be consistently gaining because my body isn't used to it? I know I need to get my head around it and just have faith it will work and i'll be okay on 1400. Also, should it be 1400 net? or 1400 eating, and not make up for the cals I worked off during exercise?
Thanks

[Mishka1989]

and i definitely didn't realize this thread was 4 years old! whoops.

[wakechica]

I'm one of those people who believed you have to starve yourself to lose weight. I recently just decided to up my calories to 1400 but I'm still burning about 450 on the treadmill 6x a week. I have one cheat day a week, and up until this point it hasn't been monitored (but I think i might monitor it...) so my question is, how much time should you give yourself at this calorie level before realizing it's either working or not working? my cals have been low recently, and I lost weight...but it scares me to up my cals and wonder if i'll be consistently gaining because my body isn't used to it? I know I need to get my head around it and just have faith it will work and i'll be okay on 1400. Also, should it be 1400 net? or 1400 eating, and not make up for the cals I worked off during exercise?
Thanks

You should be easing more than 1400 at your stats, your basically eating at BMR. I would normally say don't eat back cals but because you find it hard I would recommend you eat back what you burn - at least until you're comfortable eating more. What's your goal?