How many calories are spent per day depending on the gender and age of a person?

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All foods have different value for the body. Moreover, in each specific case it is quite difficult to determine the exact amount of food that a person should eat per day for normal life. To solve this problem, scientists have come up with a special indicator called calorie content of food.

But how many calories does a person spend per day? How does lifestyle affect energy balance? Is it true that if you don’t have enough calories you can lose weight, and if you have too many calories you can gain weight? We will look at these questions below.

What is the calorie content of food?

All edible products, when they enter the stomach and intestines, break down into their constituent elements, which are then absorbed through the intestines and take part in the synthesis of new cells and tissues. If any component cannot be digested, then it is excreted from the body in feces and urine (although some components can be further broken down by various liver enzymes).

The main elements that are absorbed by the body are proteins, fats and carbohydrates. The body needs these substances in large quantities, and if they are deficient, various diseases and complications can develop.

The body also requires trace elements and vitamins (zinc, copper, magnesium, ascorbic acid, etc.) in small quantities, and a lack of these substances can also cause various diseases. Also, products often contain special components that are not directly digested by the body, but which also take part in the functioning of the body.

For example, fiber is not digested directly by the stomach and intestines, but special beneficial bacteria live in the intestines that can break down fiber into simpler components, which in turn can be absorbed by the body.

It should be understood that all biologically valuable substances have different benefits for the body. Therefore, scientists have developed a special method for calculating the energy value of foods, with which you can approximately estimate the biological value of the food a person eats.

Energy value is the amount of energy that can be released by the body from one unit of food during the life of the body. Most often, the energy value is determined based on 100 grams of product, and the units of measurement are calories.

The energy value of 1 g of fat is about 9 calories, and 1 g of protein or carbohydrates is about 4.5 calories (remember that proteins, fats and carbohydrates are the main components of all foods). On average, a healthy person needs about 2,500 calories (for men) and 2,200 calories (for women) per day. If there are not enough calories, then the body uses up reserves (usually subcutaneous fat). If there are too many calories, they are converted into subcutaneous fat.

You should also understand that the required amount of calories depends on a person’s lifestyle and some characteristics of the body:

• If a person is engaged in heavy physical labor, then he needs to consume an additional 500-1,000 calories. The fact is that during hard work, energy is actively consumed and subcutaneous fat is broken down, so a person needs additional energy replenishment. At the same time, please note that extra calories are needed only for performing hard work - if such a person, say, went on vacation, then in this case he needs to consume a standard amount of calories (no more than 2,500 calories for men and no more than 2,200 for women).
• If a person does light sports or walks a lot (for example, a person delivers mail on a bicycle every day), then in this case he needs to increase the caloric content of food by 300-600 calories. If a person is a professional athlete, then in this case he needs to eat exactly the same as people who do heavy physical labor eat (that is, they need to increase the caloric content of food by 500-1,000 calories). It should also be remembered that the diet for professional athletes is often prepared by a coach, taking into account the individual characteristics of the athlete, so the indicators in each specific case may differ slightly from the norm.

• If a person's height is less than 160 cm or more than 180 cm, then these people also need to change their calorie intake. In the first case, you need to reduce caloric intake by 100 calories for every 5 cm of height (for example, a person’s height is 155 cm - in this case, a man needs to eat 2,450 calories, and a woman – 2,150 calories). In the second case, on the contrary, you need to increase the calorie content of food by 100 calories for every 5 cm of height (for example, a person’s height is 190 cm - in this case, men need to eat 2,700 calories, and women – 2,400 calories).
• During pregnancy, a woman requires additional components for the normal formation of the fetus. In most cases, a woman needs to increase the calorie content of her food by 400-600 calories (that is, in this case she needs to eat 2,600-2,800 calories per day), however, at her discretion, the doctor can create an individual diet taking into account all the characteristics of the woman.
• It should also be remembered that during some illnesses the body may require additional food. For example, during a cold, it is recommended to increase the caloric content of food by 100-200 calories to ensure normal synthesis of immune cells. There are also special cases when it is necessary to exclude certain foods from the diet - in this case, it is necessary not only to exclude the “wrong” foods, but to include in the diet other foods that replenish energy losses.

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The calorie content of all products is different, but using a special calorie table you can create an optimal diet. It should be understood that the calorie content of different products can vary quite significantly.

Meat, fish and dairy products contain large amounts of protein and fat, and the calorie content of 100 g of meat is usually more than 150 calories. Vegetables and fruits are usually low-calorie foods and contain high amounts of carbohydrates, while proteins and fats are present in small quantities (for example, the caloric content of 100 g of fresh carrots is only 30 calories).

Nuts and seeds are very high in calories and usually contain a lot of fat and protein, but very little carbohydrate (for example, 100g of peanuts have a calorie content of about 600 calories). If it is quite difficult for you to calculate the calorie content of food in order to create an optimal diet, then you need to contact a nutritionist.

Consumption table

Calorie intake is greatly influenced by a person's gender, age and lifestyle. Various nutritional organizations have calculated the optimal amount of calories so that the human body can grow and develop without problems.

The calorie consumption table depending on age, gender and lifestyle is as follows:

The table is deciphered as follows:

1. Inactive lifestyle. This category includes people who eat to maintain homeostasis (the body’s ability to perform its basic functions) and all physical activities that are necessary only to maintain normal functioning (walking, climbing stairs, moving arms, and so on). A person is engaged in study or light office work (writing reports, working with a computer, and so on). There are no sports activities. If a person is involved in any sports or physical labor, then in this case it is necessary to apply the norms of the “Average activity” or “Active lifestyle” group.
2. Average activity. This category includes people who do not too hard work and light sports, as well as people who walk a distance of 2 to 4 km every day. This group includes traffic police officers, ambulance doctors, postmen, and so on. The total duration of sports activities is no more than 10 hours per week; sports - amateur football, slow running at a distance of up to 2 km, volleyball, tennis and so on. If a person is engaged in more difficult physical labor or plays sports more than 10 hours a week, then in this case the norms of the “Active lifestyle” group must be applied.
3. Active lifestyle. This category includes people who do a lot of hard physical labor or sports. This group includes factory workers, miners, loaders, and so on. The total duration of sports activities is more than 10 hours per week. Strength sports fall into this category - weightlifting, professional team sports (football, basketball, etc.), long-distance running, and so on.

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Correct walking technique

It would seem that we all know how to walk, what kind of correct technique can we talk about? However, there are several important nuances that should be taken into account when choosing walking as a means of losing weight.

1. When walking, look straight ahead, not at your feet.
2. Avoid using a smartphone as it will affect your posture
3. Relax your neck and shoulders
4. Try to include additional muscles: make a more accentuated push with your arms
5. Pay attention to your posture: keep your back straight, tense your abdominal and buttock muscles
6. Invest in every step

Walking should be easy for you and help your body heal. Therefore, treat even a light walk as a workout. If your walking is the way to work, then pay attention to the fact that the backpack hangs on two shoulders, and also alternate the hand in which you carry the bag.

It is also important to feel your body in order to understand in time when fatigue disrupts your technique.

Advice! Do not increase your total walking time per week by more than 10%. If you walked five hours this week, then next week you don't need to walk more than 5.5 hours.

How does weight loss and weight gain happen?

Weight loss and weight gain occur depending on how many calories a person needs to maintain the body’s vital functions and how many calories he actually received per day from food.

In general, losing weight and gaining weight looks like this:

• If a person needs a certain amount of calories and he consumed this amount of calories in food per day, then in this case no changes occur in the body and the person does not lose weight or gain excess weight. For example, a person needed to get 2,200 calories and he got them from food - in this case his weight will not change.
• If a person has consumed more calories in food per day than he needs, then the excess calories will be converted into subcutaneous fat, and the person will gain weight. Moreover, the greater the excess, the more fat will be deposited (however, calculating the exact amount of fat is quite difficult). For example, a person needed to get 2,200 calories, but he ate 2,500 calories - in this case, the excess food will be processed into fat, and the person will gain weight.
• If a person has consumed fewer calories per day than he needs, then subcutaneous fat will be converted into the energy the body needs, and the person will lose weight. Moreover, the greater the deficiency, the more fat will be broken down to cover the energy deficit. All diets are based on this effect - if a person eats food with a small amount of calories, then he loses weight. For example, a person needed to get 2,200 calories, but he received only 2,000 calories - in this case, the energy deficit will be covered by the breakdown of subcutaneous deficit, and the person will lose weight.

Methods for calculating the required calories

There are different formulas (principles) of calculation.

1. The Harris-Benedict formula (also called the Harris-Benedict principle) is a popular method used to estimate what is called basal metabolic rate (BMR) and daily calorie needs. The resulting number is the recommended daily amount of calories to maintain your current body weight. Nowadays it is considered a little outdated due to changes in the lifestyle of modern people.
2. The Muffin-Jeor BMR is a more modern equation that is supposedly 5% more accurate. This is due to the fact that lifestyle has changed even since the last adjustment to the previous formula. But accuracy is maintained here when calculating the basal metabolic rate without taking into account physical activity. When they are present, it is difficult to say which formula will give more accurate results.
3. The Ketch-McArdle formula - unlike the previous two formulas, it does not directly take into account weight, height and age, but only muscle mass in kg. According to the results of recent studies, it is muscle mass that influences the difference in the required number of calories for different people, with the other basic parameters being the same.

It looks like this:

P=370+(21.6xLBM), where LBM is muscle mass in kg.

This formula is not shown in the calculator below.

Story. The Harris-Benedict equation originated from the research of James Arthur Harris and Francis Gnao Benedict. Its results were published in 1919 at the Carnegie Institution in Washington. It was edited for accuracy in 1984. Then Dr. Muffin-Geor published an adjusted version of it more suitable for the modern lifestyle in 1990, taking into account the statistics of changes in lean body mass and a greater amount of intellectual work. Historically, this formula has become the most popular.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basal_metabolic_rate

Daily calorie requirement calculator