The road to your ideal healthy body starts with nutrition. Start the new year focusing on what you put in your body, before you ask it to take on a new training program. Nutrition can be a fickle mistress, but if you know what your body needs then you may be able to help yourself gain control of your health.  As you read through this keep in mind that Calories are just a fancy term for energy, no different then gas for your car.

1. Determine your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) also known as your REE (Resting Energy Expenditure). This is the number of calories that your body needs to exist, and by that, I mean to lay in bed, blink, breath and drool. Even when you are sleeping your body uses energy. You heart is still pumping, your lungs are still inhaling and exhaling air, your liver is filtering, your brain is communicating with every other part of your body. So even though you aren’t moving you burn energy which is why it is important to know how much energy you need to consume just to maintain your bodies minimal functions.  

The equation for REE is as follows:

Females

REE= 655.1 + (9.65 x weight in KG) + (1.84 x Height in CM) – (4.68 x age in years)

EXAMPLE for a 5'5", 150lb Female

 REE = 655.1 + (9.65 x 68kg) + (1.84 x 165cm) – (4.68 x 28)

 REE = 1483 calories 

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Males

REE = 66.47 + (13.75 x weight in KG) + (5 x Height in CM) – (6.76 x age in years)

EXAMPLE for a 5'5", 150lb Male

 REE = 66.47 + (13.75 x 68kg) + (5 x 165cm) – (6.76 x 28)

 REE= 1637 calories

2. Then determine your AEE (Activity Energy Expenditure). This determines the level of activity your body undertakes outside of its minimal functions. (I.e. work, extracurricular activity and your daily routine)

Activity Level

Females

Resting: sleeping, reclining: 1

Sedentary: minimal movement, mainly sitting/lying down (television, reading etc.): 1.3

Light: office work, sitting, typical office work with 8 hours sleep per day (some walking, laundry, golf- up to 1-hour moderate activity): 1.6

Moderate: light manual labor (moderate walking, possibly carrying a load, tennis, dancing, weeding, cycling): 1.7

Very Active: full time athletes, agricultural laborer’s, activity military duty, etc.: 2.1

Extremely Active: lumberjacks, construction workers, full time athletes with daily strenuous training: 2.4

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Male

Resting: sleeping, reclining: 1

Sedentary: minimal movement, mainly sitting/lying down (television, reading etc.): 1.3

Light: office work, sitting, typical office work with 8 hours sleep per day (some walking, laundry, golf- up to 1-hour moderate activity): 1.6

Moderate: light manual labor (moderate walking, possibly carrying a load, tennis, dancing, weeding, cycling): 1.7

Very Active: full time athletes, agricultural laborer’s, activity military duty, etc.: 2.1

Extremely Active: lumberjacks, construction workers, full time athletes with daily strenuous training: 2.4

3. Use your REE and your AEE to determine your TEE (Total Energy Expenditure). Which is the energy your body requires to both exist and perform everything outside of its regular duties.

REE x AEE = TEE

EXAMPLE for a 5.5, 150lb Female who is Moderately Active:

TEE =1483 cal x 1.6

TEE = 2372 calories

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EXAMPLE for a 5.5, 150lb Male who is Moderately Active:

TEE =1637 cal x 1.7

 TEE = 2782 calories

As you can see for a 28-year-old female, who is 5 foot 5 inches, and 150 pounds, lets call her Sally, she needs roughly 2400 calories to both exist and carry out her daily activities. Now say for example she wants to lose weight. These are the questions she needs to ask herself:

1. How many calories am I consuming in a day, on average?

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2. Do the number of calories I consume in a day line up with my TEE value?

a. Is the number higher?

 If it is then Sally needs to cut back her total calorie intake by 150-500 calories per day. I recommend experimenting with the smaller number of calories such as 150 as over time it can make a huge difference.

b. Is the number lower?

Sally could be one of the few people who don’t consume enough calories to begin with and therefore her body stores most of what she takes in so that it has extra energy stores for when she doesn’t feed it. In this case she needs to try to slowly increase her intake by 150-500 calories. This will allow her body to stop storing excess fuel as body fat and allow her to have more energy for her daily life.

c. Is the number the same as her estimated TEE?

If it is but Sally isn’t seeing any results from the gym or nutrition, then she needs to investigate number 3.

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3. What is the quality of the calories I am consuming?

a. Are the calories made up of processed foods and minimal veggies? Or are they made up of a balance of lean protein, complex carbohydrates and healthy fats?

b. If Sally’s diet consists of unhealthy processed foods and minimal fruits and veg, she may need to consider just simply changing the quality of her food to more whole grains, greens and lean proteins etc.

The quality of the calorie you consume is extremely important. Foods filled with fiber, healthy fat, lean protein, and vitamins and minerals are much more nourishing for your body and much easier for your body to digest and use.

Now I know some of you are reading this going, I am not counting calories, no one has time for that. Just remember it’s not something you will have to do forever, just at the start to make you aware of what and how much of something you are consuming.

As mentioned, nutrition is a fickle beast and it isn’t cut and dry. What works for you may not work for someone else and there is no quick fix. In order to reap the benefits of good nutrition you will have to have patience. It could take 6 months, or a year or more to get where your body to where you want it. Keep working at it, just because you can’t see the results everyday doesn’t mean that changes aren’t happening under the skin. Also remember, this little article is just scratching the surface, it is not the end all be all answer, there are other elements like hormones and sleep that can effect how your body stores and utilizes the energy you consume. Seek out help if you are unsure and just remember to have patience.

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