Calorie Calculator
The calorie calculator is based on the Mifflin - St Jeor Formula. The ADA (American Dietetic Association) compared various equations and this formula has been found to be the most accurate. [1]
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How calorie calculators work
All calorie calculators are meant to be used as a general guideline. Different people respond differently to their diet. So it's impossible to have a one-size-fits-all formula that works for everyone.
Calorie calculators are created based on a basic formula. This this case, we use the Mifflin - St Jeor Formula, as it's a commonly accepted formula. The calculator will calculate the calories to maintain Basal Metabolic Rate, or BMR.
The BMR is an indication of the minimum required calories per day to maintain your current weight, on condition that you do nothing all day.
Of course, that is not possible. We all lead some sort of active or semi-active lifestyles. So the calculators usually estimate X amount of calories and add on to the result depending on your lifestyle.
For example, if you exercise 3 times a day, the calculator may be set to add 300 extra calories to the final result. That makes it even harder for calorie calculators to be accurate, because different people burn different amount of calories for the same exercises! Someone cycling for 30 minutes may burn 200 calories, while another may burn 300 calories.
That's why it's important to note that the daily caloric intake recommended by the calculators are only meant as a general guideline.
Also, notice that as age increases, your daily caloric intake decreases (assuming that your lifestyle remains constant). This is due to the body's declining metabolic rate. As you grow older, you will need to pay more attention to your lifestyle and diet.
Still, the result is useful because now you have a better idea of where you should start. You can consume the recommended daily caloric intake and then observe how your body respond and then modify your diet from there.
Don't forget that caloric calculators are mostly used for weight loss purposes. If you have to be a little careful when you work with calories because building fitness is not as simple as caloric intake unless you are purely concerned about losing weight.
If you want to lose weight for the LONG TERM, then you must embark on a weight loss program that is sustainable for the long term. For instance, many people believe that in order to lose weight, all you have to do is to consume less calories and exercise more. Eat less, burn more calories, and you will become thin.
That is true, but unfortunately, most people find that such a program can only work for the short term. Reason is because when you eat less, your energy level goes down. And to make things worse, you exercise more, which burns more energy. In the short run, you lose weight. But pretty soon, you find yourself burning out and your health starts to suffer. So you go back to your normal diet. In other words, such a weight loss program is only for the short term and the results WILL NOT LAST.
For long term weight loss results, you must learn how to exercise regularly, and more importantly, plan your nutrition well. Nutrition is a BIG part of your weight loss program. Believe it or not, you don't have to starve yourself in order to lose weight. All you have to do is to focus on building fitness and raise your metabolic rate. To do that, you have to exercise, eat well, and rest well.
Your body composition changes depending on what you eat. It's beyond the scope of this article to go into nutrition, so I recommend that you take some time to read the other articles on this site. The goal is to build muscles and lose fat at the same time. Sounds easy, but it's actually quite hard to execute.
The caloric calculator is some sort of springboard to help you jumpstart your weight loss program. Use the recommended amount to help plan your daily meals.