We’ve all heard it before; “the average woman needs 2,000 calories and day, while men need 2,500”. But how true is that exactly?

Obviously it all depends on your height for a start, along with other factors such as whether you’re a total gym bunny or prefer to hit the sofa of an evening. But experts have come up with something they believe is far more accurate and, as it turns out, you may end up needing more calories than you think.

While it’s always assumed that the less you eat, the thinner you become, this isn’t always the case. Starving the body can actually prompt it to cling onto fat cells and put a stop of muscle growth, with your brain preparing your body for famine.


@SARKABABICKA

Now we all know that isn’t good at all so, if you are intrigued, you may find this little sum rather interesting.

First you need to calculate your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) using The Schofield Calculator. This is the number of calories your body needs to survive if you were literally lying in bed all day.

Pick your age bracket for your sex and jump on the scales to find out your exact weight (W) in kilos. Then, follow this formula:

Women

10-17 years BMR = 13.4 x W + 692

18-29 years BMR = 14.8 x W + 487

30-59 years BMR = 8.3 x W + 846

Men

10-17 years BMR = 17.7 x W + 657

18-29 years BMR = 15.1 x W + 692

30-58 years BMR = 11.5 x W + 873

So for example, if you’re a 22-year-old female who weighs 63kg, you take 14.8 x 63 + 487. This then equals a Basal Metabolic Rate of 1,419.4 calories a day.


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Next, take this figure and apply it to one of the following activity scores. But before you get excited, bear in mind that ‘inactive men and women’ actually applies to most people in the UAE. If you counteract sitting at a desk all day by hitting the gym five times a week, however, you’re considered ‘moderately active’.

BMR x 1.4 inactive men and women (A person who does not have a physically demanding job, for example predominantly desk bound. Their lifestyle would not include any form of structured exercise, and would be generally low intensity.)


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BMR x 1.6 moderately active women/ 1.7 for men (A person with a more physically demanding job or a job the involving lot of walking. They would also perform some structured, moderate intensity exercise approximately 3 times per week.)

BMR x 1.8 very active women/ 1.9 for men (A person who performs intense exercise for one hour per day or whose job is very physically demanding and also performed some structured exercise.)

So back to that 22-year-old woman who weighs 63kg; if she’s gyms it up three times a week and works as a nurse, for example, then that’ll give her a daily intake of 2,271.

Not bad, huh?

H/T Cosmo UK