How much should I eat each day?
My clients frequently ask me how much I should eat each day. They are typically framing the question based on the number of calories they should consume.
Calories are only part of the story. Yes, calorie restriction can aid in weight loss and physiology tells us we must create a 3,500 calorie deficit (through reduction of calories consumed or an increase in calorie-burning exercise) to lose one pound. But if you’ve read my blog long enough you know that I am much more concerned with what types of macronutrients (carbs, fats and proteins) you eat than how much of them.
I try to follow The Zone as my nutrition guide. The general concept is to balance each meal with 30% of the calories coming from protein, 30% from fat and 40% from carbohydrates. Several meals (5-6) should be spread out every 3-4 hours throughout the day.
So how much should I eat?
We base this determination on how much protein you should consume each day. Once you know your suggested protein consumption it is easy to determine how much fats and carbs to consume. To determine how much protein you should eat do the following:
- Weight yourself and record the number.
- Determine your body fat %. Contact me for a complimentary fitness assessment which includes a body fat measurement or contact your physician or wellness provider.
- Determine your lean body mass. If you weight 200lbs and you determine your body fat % is 20% then your body is made up of 40lbs of fat tissue and 160lbs of lean mass (muscle, plasma, skin, bones, etc.) The formula is:
Lean body mass = Weight – (Weight * Body Fat %)
- Determine your activity level and assign it a value between 0.7 (moderate daily activity) and 1.0 (serious athlete). If you are not sure lean toward the 0.7.
- Calculate the amount of protein needed as follows:
Grams of daily protein = Lean body mass (from step #3) * Activity level (from step #4). So if you have 160lbs of lean body mass and do moderate daily activity then you need to consume @ 112 grams of protein per day.
Thanks, Paul, but could you give us another example?
Sure. We have a person who weighs 125lbs with a body fat percentage of 23.1%. Her lean body mass is 125 – (125 * .231) which is 125 – 28.9 which equals 96.1 lbs of lean body mass.
As a mom of 2 kids and having a full time job she fits in 3-4 intense workouts per week. I would put her activity level at 0.8.
So, 96.1 * .8 equals 77. She should be eating approximately 77 grams of protein per day. A gram of protein is 4 calories so about 308 calories a day should come from protein.
This also means she should be consuming 77 grams of fats and that translates to 693 calories from fat per day. There are 9 calories in each gram of fat.
Finally, because carbs should be in a 4:3 ratio with protein and fat, her carbs consumptions should be 103 grams per day. Carbs are 4 calories per gram so her calories from carbs are about 412.
Total daily calorie consumption is about 1413.
These numbers are exact to show you the math but remember they are just guidelines and should be rounded off and approximated. Don’t become a slave to weighing your food or counting every last calorie all the time. Focus on getting more protein in your body and hitting your protein number each day. You’ll start to see the results you want.
First and foremost, start each meal or snack with protein as the main visual and add healthy carbs and fats around it.
And don’t forget….
The most important thing is WHAT you eat. Your carbs should be low on the glycemic index. That means limit rice, bread, candy, potato, sweets, sodas, and most processed carbohydrates. Fats should be the good fats you get from avacados, olive and canola oils, and most nuts.
Be well,
Paul
Paul Dziewisz
Active Personal Fitness
www.ActivePersonalFitness.com
267.626.7478
