Table of Contents
This is the time when we should dive right in and start talking about tracking your maintenance calorie intake.
Envision everything dissected for you, chunk by chunk, so it’s simple to read and understand.
We’ll also look into seven related topics to make sure you have all the information you need. Thus, by the time we wrap up, you’ll have a good understanding of how to categorize your support calories and why it matters.
Now, the question is what is calorie intake for maintenance?
How To Find Your Maintenance Calorie Intake?
Well, so “What exactly are maintenance calories, and why should I care about them?”
is definitely one of your questions.
It is, in fact, fundamental.
The number of calories your body requires to maintain your current weight is known as your “maintenance calories.”
This suggests that you are just staying put, not gaining or losing weight. Knowing how many calories you need to maintain your current weight is an important first step, especially if you’re trying to manage your weight and need to either gain or lose weight.
Taking into consideration your body’s basic needs, or your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), is the first step in calculating your maintenance calorie needs.
Your Body Mass Ratio (BMR) is the total number of calories your body requires to sustain basic bodily processes such as breathing, heart rate, and organ health while at rest.
Think of it as the energy your body uses while you are in complete stillness. Right now, you could be thinking about how to organize your BMR.
Online number crunchers can be used to simplify the process by solving it for you.
Most of the time, these adding machines ask for your age, weight, height, and orientation.
Finding your activity level is the next step after obtaining your BMR. This includes everything from spending the entire day at a desk to going to the rec facility.
Exercise causes you to burn more calories, therefore you’ll need to eat more calories for maintenance.
What if we broke it down into steps?:
1. Calculate Your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)
Think of your BMR as the foundation for your caloric requirements.
It’s comparable to the minimal wage required by your body to maintain proper functioning.
To calculate your BMR, use an expression like the Mifflin-St. Jeor equation or the Harris-Benedict formula that accounts for your height, weight, age, and gender.
Nevertheless, using a web-based BMR data cruncher is often more accurate and less complicated.
Also Read – Understanding Nutrition Information On Food Labels – Nutrition Value Table (2024)
2. Consider Your Activity Level
The next step is to consider how consistently dynamic you are after you have your BMR.
Do you get up and walk about a lot or do you sit most of the time?
This is significant since your caloric intake increases with your level of activity. If you are someone who works out frequently or has a physically demanding job, you will need more calories to maintain your weight than someone who stays still most of the time.
An overarching system exists for categorizing action levels:
- Sedentary: Little to no exercise, mostly sitting.
- Lightly Active: Light exercise or sports 1-3 days a week.
- Moderately Active: Moderate exercise or sports 3-5 days a week.
- Very Active: Hard exercise or sports 6-7 days a week.
- Super Active: Physically demanding job or training twice a day.
3. Multiply Your BMR by Your Activity Factor
This is where everything comes together. Your activity level factor, which usually varies from 1.2 to 2.5 depending on your degree of activity, is multiplied by your BMR.
This calculation gives you an estimate of how many calories you should consume each day to maintain your current weight.
4. Track Your Food Intake and Exercise
To gain a better perspective, start recording your food intake and activity routine for a week or two. You may monitor your eating and exercise with two apps: MyFitnessPal and Cronometer.
By doing this, you’ll be able to determine whether you’re eating at or beyond your support calorie level, or whether adjustments are necessary.
5. Monitor Your Weight
It’s time to jump on the scale after you’ve figured out your maintenance calories and have been practicing every day for a week. In the unlikely event that your weight stays relatively constant, congratulations! You’ve identified your support system!
You may need to adjust your calorie intake somewhat if you’re gaining weight or becoming leaner.
Also Read – Why Shouldn’t You Put Warm Food In The Fridge? – Store Hot Food In Fridge (2024)
6. Adjust Based on Goals
It’s amazing to know your maintenance calories because it provides you with a trend.
You must create a calorie deficit if you want to lose weight, which means consuming fewer calories than you need to sustain yourself. However, if you’re trying to gain weight, you’ll need to consume more calories than your body requires to maintain your current weight.
This is the prank: If you intend to lose weight, start by cutting back on your daily caloric intake by approximately 500 calories. This consistently results in a weekly deficit of about 1 pound, which is thought to be a reasonable and stable pace.
If you want to gain weight, try increasing your daily intake of between 300 and 500 calories.
7. Listen to Your Body
It’s easy to get caught up in the stats, but always remember that your body is your greatest ally.
It might be the perfect time to adjust your calorie intake if you’re consistently feeling agitated, worn out, or not getting the results you need. Since each person is different, what works for one will probably not work for another.
Be mindful of your emotions and don’t hesitate to adjust as needed. In summary, there are other factors to consider when calculating your maintenance calorie intake.
It has to do with knowing your body, listening to what it requires, and making adjustments based on your goals.
Knowing your support calories gives you the power to make educated decisions about your diet and lifestyle, regardless of whether you need to gain, reduce, or maintain your current weight.
Moreover, remember that this is just the start. Your maintenance calorie requirements may vary over time if you make major adjustments to your body composition or degree of activity. As a result, continue to track your own development and don’t hesitate to make changes as you go.
It’s crucial to discover what suits your body and you the best.
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