One of the hardest things to do is figuring out how many calories you should eat each day.
There are lots of "predictive equations", but most people find that the numbers they get don't make sense. One of the common equations used is known as the "Harris-Benedict" equation...well, here's the latest research about it...
***
Researchers from the University of Alabama studied lean and overweight women.
First, the researchers calculated the women's energy requirements from the classic "Harris-Benedict" (H-B) formula.
Second, the women were given 2 weeks worth of food based on the calculation.
Third, after 2 weeks, the subjects returned for some tests, including a look at any change in body fat.
The results?
Turns out the H-B formula overestimated the energy needs for both normal weight and overweight women. (And it was even worse for the black women in the study when compared to the white women in the study).
By overestimating their needs, guess what happened?
That's right, the extra food was stored as, drumroll please...fat.
And the women that suffered the most were women that used to be overweight. After 2 weeks on the "Harris-Benedict"-approved diet, these women gained the most weight.
Ouch. Hopefully Harris and Benedict were smart enough to get an unlisted phone number...
So here's what I recommend you do, if you are trying to lose body fat and want to know how many calories you should eat...
First, use fitday.com (or any other free food tracking site) and identify how many calories you are eating now (along with how much protein, fat, and carbohydrate).
Second, before you even start to reduce calories, focus your energy on improving the quality of food you eat. As I've mentioned before, replacing most whole-grain products with more fruits and vegetables is likely going to make a big and immediate difference.
(Of course, I'm working on the assumption that you've already cut out sweets, fast food, etc. If you haven't done that, then fat loss will be easy for you - just eat whole, natural foods).
Third, once you are eating only high-quality foods that support fat loss, then you can start to reduce the number of calories you eat each day.
So you never really need a scientific equation to estimate your calorie needs. You just need to look at what you do now and go through a 2-step improvement process. Much easier, and less guesswork.
***For the science nerds...
Douglas, C., et al. Ability of the Harris-Benedict formula to predict energy requirements differs with weight history and ethnicity. Nutr. Res. 27: 194-199, 2007.
And for everyone, I have 5 new bonuses coming in June...including some sample meal plans from Dr. Chris Mohr, Ph.D., and a recipe book from Mike Roussel.
And nothing from either Harris or Benedict,
CB
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