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My Collection Of Calculators
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So here are the formulas that I use and find best for calculating calories and body fat. I find these to be the most accurate and thorough. There are however numerous different ways to calculate these values. I prefer  the formulas that take into account the most variables. Have a go at plugging your numbers in and see what you come up with. Then by looking at the macronutrient (protein, fats, carbs) of foods, you will have a better idea of how much food you should be aiming for in reaching your goals.
 
 
To start with you need to calculate your Lean Body Mass (LBM). By having this you will get the most accurate Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). To do this you will need to obtain your weight and skinfold measurement’s.  I prefer the Parillo 9-fold formula as it considers the most amount of sites. I have included calculators for a few other formulas in case you only know some of your sites. Keep in mind though, if in a 3-site formula they consider your leanest sites as opposed to another 4-site formula that uses your highest sites, you will have a different outcome. Also be aware that having one site measurement much greater than all your other sites, will increase your overall percentage. Calculating body fat can be very accurate, however it is still just a guide, so don’t get too concerned about the result. The focus should be on improving YOUR result week to week. If you follow the same protocols then it can be an extremely accurate way to measure and track  your progress. Finally do not get too centred on the overall body fat percentage, but look at your overall mm’s. A great way to see how your body is responding to the changes you have made, by looking at the loss at each site, and overall.

 
You can go to the website below to automatically calculate your body fat percentage using the Parillo 9-site equation.
 
 
Note: To get your weight in pounds multiply your weight in (kg’s) x 2.2.
 
The website below includes other popular methods of calculating body fat percentage.
 
 
 
After you have calculated your LBM (Lean Body Mass), you can calculate your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate).  Your BMR refers to the minimum amount of calories required to sustain life in a resting state. So basically the amount of energy (measured in calories) used by the body to remain in bed asleep all day! There are a number of factors that determine BMR. To read more go to the page below:
 
 
 
Once you have your LBM you can calculate your BMR very accurately through the Katch-McArdle formula (BMR based on lean body weight). The Katch & McArdle formula takes into account lean mass and is therefore more accurate than a formula based on total body weight. The Harris Benedict equation uses separate formulas for men and women to account for males generally having a higher LBM. The Katch-McArdle formula accounts for LBM so the one formula applies to both men and women.
 
 
BMR (Men and Women) = 370 + (21.6 X Lean Mass in Kg)
 
Example:
You are female
You weigh 60 Kilos
Your body fat percentage is 20% ( BF= 12kg, LBM= 48kg)
Your lean mass is 48Kg
Your BMR = 370 + (21.6 X 48) = 1400 calories (1406calories)
 
Next you need to look at your activity levels. To determine TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) from BMR, you just multiply BMR by the activity multiplier (which is your activity level):
 
 
 
TDEE is calculated by multiplying your BMR by your activity level multiplierfrom the list below:
  • Sedentary = BMR X 1.2 (little or no exercise, desk job)
  • Lightly active = BMR X 1.375 (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/wk)
  • Mod. active = BMR X 1.55 (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/wk)
  • Very active = BMR X 1.725 (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days/wk)
  • Extr. active = BMR X 1.9 (hard daily exercise/sports & physical job or 2X day training, i.e marathon, contest etc.)
Example:
Your BMR is 1400
Your activity level is moderately active (work out 3-4 times per week)
Your activity factor is 1.55
Your TDEE = 1.55 X 1400 = 2170 calories
 
 
 

The Information Below Is Taken From The Website:

http://www.shapefit.com/basal-metabolic-rate.html .

To Read More Click On The Link And Visit Their Site.

 

So Now You Need To Adjust Your Caloric Intake According To Your Goal

 

· Once you know your TDEE (maintenance level), the next step is to adjust your calories according to your primary goal.

· The mathematics of calorie balance are simple:

· To keep your weight at its current level, you should remain at your daily caloric maintenance level.

· To lose weight, you need to create a calorie deficit by reducing your calories slightly below your maintenance level (or keeping your calories the same and increasing your activity above your current level).

· To gain weight you need to increase your calories above your maintenance level.

· The only difference between weight gain programs and weight loss programs is the total number of calories required.

 

Negative calorie balance is essential to lose body fat.

· Calories not only count, they are the bottom line when it comes to fat loss.

· If you are eating more calories than you expend, you simply will not lose fat, no matter what type of foods or food combinations you eat. Some foods do get stored as fat more easily than others, but always bear in mind that too much of anything, even "healthy food," will get stored as fat.

· You cannot override the laws of thermodynamics and energy balance. You must be in a calorie deficit to burn fat. This will force your body to use stored body fat to make up for the energy deficit.

· There are 7700 calories in a kilo of stored body fat.

· If you create a 7700-calorie deficit in a week through diet, exercise or a combination of both, you will lose one kilo.

· The calorie deficit can be created through diet, exercise or preferably, with a combination of both.

· Because we already factored in the exercise deficit by using an activity multiplier, the deficit we are concerned with here is the dietary deficit.

 

Calorie deficit thresholds: How low is too low?

· It is well known that cutting calories too much slows down the metabolic rate, decreases thyroid output and causes loss of lean mass, so the question is how much of a deficit do you need?

· There definitely seems to be a specific cut-off or threshold where further reductions in calories will have detrimental effects.

· The most common guideline for calorie deficits for fat loss is to reduce your calories by at least 500, but not more than 1000 below your maintenance level.

· For some, especially lighter people, 1000 calories may be too much of a deficit.

· The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends that calorie levels never drop below 1200 calories per day for women or 1800 per day for men.

· Even these calorie levels are extremely low.

· A more individualized way to determine the safe calorie deficit would be to account for one's bodyweight or TDEE.

· Reducing calories by 15-20% below TDEE is a good place to start.

· A larger deficit may be necessary in some cases, but the best approach would be to keep the calorie deficit through diet small while increasing activity level.

Example 1:
Your weight is 60kg.
Your TDEE is 2170 calories
Your calorie deficit to lose weight is 500 calories
Your optimal caloric intake for weight loss is 2170 - 500 = 1670 calories

Example 2:
Your calorie deficit to lose weight is 20% of TDEE (.20% X 2170 = 434 calories)
Your optimal caloric intake for weight loss = 1736 calories

 

Positive calorie balance is essential to gain lean bodyweight

· If you want to gain lean bodyweight and become more muscular, you must consume more calories than you burn up in a day.

· Provided that you are participating in a weight-training program of a sufficient intensity, frequency and volume, the caloric surplus will be used to create new muscle tissue.

· Once you've determined your TDEE, the next step is to increase your calories high enough above your TDEE that you can gain weight.

· It is a basic law of energy balance that you must be on a positive calorie balance diet to gain muscular bodyweight.

· A general guideline for a starting point for gaining weight is to add approximately 300-500 calories per day onto your TDEE.

· An alternate method is to add an additional 15 - 20% onto your TDEE.

Example:
Your weight is 60kgs.
Your TDEE is 2170 calories
Your additional calorie requirement for weight gain is + 15 - 20% = 325 - 434 calories
Your optimal caloric intake for weight gain is 2170 + 325 to 434 = 2495 - 2604 calories

 

Adjust your caloric intake gradually

· It is not advisable to make any drastic changes to your diet all at once.

· After calculating your own total daily energy expenditure and adjusting it according to your goal, if the amount is substantially higher or lower than your current intake, then you may need to adjust your calories gradually.

· For example, if your determine that your optimal caloric intake is 1900 calories per day, but you have only been eating 900 calories per day, your metabolism may be sluggish.

· An immediate jump to 1900 calories per day might actually cause a fat gain because your body has adapted to a lower caloric intake and the sudden jump up would create a surplus.

· The best approach would be to gradually increase your calories from 900 to 1900 over a period of a few weeks to allow your metabolism to speed up and acclimatize.

 

Measure your results and adjust calories accordingly

 

·         These calculations for finding your correct caloric intake are quite simplistic and are just estimates to give you a starting point.

·         You will have to monitor your progress closely to make sure that this is the proper level for you.

·         You will know if you’re at the correct level of calories by keeping track of your caloric intake, your bodyweight, and your body fat percentage.

·         You need to observe your bodyweight and body fat percentage to see how you respond.

·         If you don't see the results you expect, then you can adjust your caloric intake and exercise levels accordingly.

·         The bottom line is that it’s not effective to reduce calories to very low levels in order to lose fat.

·         In fact, the more calories you consume the better, as long as a deficit is created through diet and exercise.

·         The best approach is to reduce calories only slightly and raise your daily calorie expenditure by increasing your frequency, duration and or intensity of exercise.

 

 

Body Fat Percentage

Below is a guide as to determining your body fat levels. Different authorities have developed different recommendations for ideal body fat percentages, such as these from the The American Council on Exercise:

 

Description

Women

Men

Essential fat

10–12%

2–4%

Athletes

14–20%

6–13%

Fitness

21–24%

14–17%

Acceptable

25–31%

18–26%

Overweight

32-41%

27-37%

Obese

42%+

38%+

A small amount of storage fat is required to be available as fuel for the body in time of need. It is unclear whether falling in a particular category of these body fat percentages is better for one's health than any other, but there seem to be enhancements in athletic performance as one nears the ideal body fat percentage range for one's particular sport. The leanest athletes typically compete at levels of about 5–8% for men or 10–15% for women. Bodybuilders will often compete at ranges even lower than these levels. Certified personal trainers will suggest to male bodybuilders that they should aim for a body fat percentage between 2–4% by contest time. Getting to this level usually requires a carefully planned and implemented exercise program, specific and carefully monitored variations in fluid consumption, energy intake and macronutrient ratios and sodium and potassium levels.

Because of the errors that can be involved in body fat percentage calculation, it is not appropriate to convert skinfold measures to percentage body fat (%BF). I believe it is best to use the sum of several sites to monitor and compare body fat measures.Below is a table of general guidelines for using total sum (in millimeters) of the seven main skinfold sites (tricep, bicep, subscapula, supraspinale, abdominal, thigh, calf).

 

Information taken from: http://www.topendsports.com/testing/tests/skinfolds.htm

 

 

excellent

good

average

below average

poor

Normal

Male

60-80

81-90

91-110

111-150

150+

Female

70-90

91-100

101-120

121-150

150+

Athletic

Male

40-60

61-80

81-100

101-130

130+

Female

50-70

71-85

86-110

111-130

130+