Do you want to understand how to eat without gaining belly fat and love handles? To figure out how many calories to consume daily to avoid gaining weight, it's important to estimate the calories in the food we eat daily, compared to the calories our body can burn.
However, we should also evaluate the quality of the food consumed. Focusing solely on mathematical calculations might not fully reflect the nutritional impact of our meals.
Prioritizing nutritious and high-quality foods can help meet our nutritional needs without gaining weight, even if we don't strictly adhere to a precise, but only estimated, calorie count.
How to calculate your basal metabolic rate
To assess the basal metabolic rate "BMR", i.e., the calories burned by our body to maintain vital functions at complete rest throughout the day, there are several formulas, from the simplest to the most complex.
Among the simple ones, there is a very convenient one based on METs (metabolic equivalents) developed by the American College of Sports Medicine. According to this formula, an approximate energy consumption of 1 kcal per kilogram of body weight per hour is calculated.
Daily calories for men
Basal metabolism = 1 x body weight (or ideal weight) x 24 hours
Daily calories for women
Basal metabolism = 0.9 x body weight (or ideal weight) x 24 hours
It is important to note that these formulas only provide an approximate estimate and that basal metabolic rate can vary based on several factors, including age, gender, height, ethnicity, and body composition.
For a more accurate assessment of your basal metabolic rate, you can rely on our free test that can select the most accurate scientific formula based on all interpersonal variables 👇
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Calculate the calories to consume daily to avoid gaining weight
To determine the daily energy expenditure, also known as total metabolism, we can make an estimate considering that basal metabolism accounts for about 70% of the calories consumed during the day.
The remaining 30% includes calories needed for food digestion and those used during physical activity performed by the average population.
For individuals who regularly engage in intense sports activity, exceeding two hours a day, different calculations and formulas must be applied.
Daily calories for women to lose weight
A woman weighing 55 kg has a basal metabolic rate of 0.9 kcal x 55 x 24 = 1188 kcal, to which we add 30% (10% from ADS and 20% from activity): 1188 + 30% = 1544 kcal for a woman who does not perform heavy work, weighs 55 kg, and trains 3 times a week.
How to calculate extra-basal metabolism more accurately
To determine the total daily caloric requirement, the Harris-Benedict equation can be used, which multiplies the basal metabolic rate "BMR" by the appropriate activity factor, as follows:
- Sedentary (little or no exercise): BMR x 1.2
- Lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week): BMR x 1.375
- Moderately active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week): BMR x 1.55
- Very active (intense exercise/sports 6-7 days a week): BMR x 1.725
- Very active and very hard (very hard and very active exercise/sports): BMR x 1.9
Eat foods that burn more!
The specific dynamic action of foods, also known as adaptive thermogenesis, refers to the ability of the foods you eat to influence metabolism after ingestion, usually lasting up to ten hours after the last meal.
Some foods can temporarily increase metabolism, accelerating the rate at which the body burns calories to ingest, digest, and assimilate them, while others may have a lesser impact.
The reported values for the highest caloric expenditure for separate nutrients are from 0 to 3% for fats, from 5 to 10% for carbohydrates, from 20 to 30% for proteins.
On average, in healthy subjects with a mixed diet, the caloric expenditure related to meals represents about 10% of the total energy ingested in 24 hours.
Therefore, since no food consists exclusively of protein, the difference in caloric expenditure to digest a certain food compared to another is very limited.
How many calories should I consume to avoid gaining weight?
Do you want to know how many calories to consume daily to avoid gaining weight? The truth is there is no easy way to lose weight, and using a mathematical model to define an eating strategy that prevents weight gain can often be ineffective without a precise strategy.
Most people have been taught that losing weight is a matter of simple math: reduce 500 calories a day, and by the end of the week, you'll have accumulated a caloric deficit of 3,500 calories, and you'll lose a pound. However, experts have long found that this decades-old strategy is actually quite misleading.
How your body metabolizes calories depends on various factors, including:
- The quality of the food you consume
- The quantity and quality of sleep
- The time you ingest food
- The variety as well as the quantity of your gut microbiota
Two people can consume exactly the same amount of calories and get very different results in terms of body weight.
To promote weight loss, many recommend creating a daily caloric deficit of between 200 and 500 calories.
This goal can be achieved by keeping calorie intake in line with our body's energy needs, known as "normocaloric," and incorporating about an hour of physical activity.
Alternatively, it is possible to follow a low-calorie diet plan, reducing calorie intake to create an equivalent deficit. Naturally, even better results are achieved by combining both strategies.
Food quality greatly influences your metabolism
Your food choices can influence your metabolism, not only for their caloric content but also for their molecular specificity.
A 2019 study published in Cell Metabolism revealed that consuming processed foods seems to push people to ingest more calories than consuming unprocessed foods.
During the study, 20 participants (10 men and 10 women) were divided into two groups. Both groups received meals with the same number of calories and similar amounts of nutrients, but one group consumed unprocessed foods while the other consumed ultra-processed foods.
After two weeks, the groups switched their diets for another two weeks. The result was that people consuming ultra-processed foods gained weight.
Another concrete example is the consumption of conventional pasta, meaning pasta made with modern genetically modified wheat varieties, where your digestive enzymes might not be able to properly dismantle the protein part (gluten) because it is too artificially complex.
This mechanism leads to an alteration of blood glucose, causing an excessive blood sugar spike that can lead to body fat accumulation.
Conversely, with a plate of pasta derived from high-quality ancient wheat varieties, the body, for the same quantity, is able to properly break down gluten, maintaining adequate blood sugar control and promoting a greater feeling of satiety, thus fostering better body composition and well-being.
How sleep affects metabolism
There is a bidirectional relationship between sleep duration and weight loss, as reduced sleep duration (both acute and chronic) and poor sleep quality seem to hinder fat loss.
A study conducted by Wang and colleagues examined this relationship through an eight-week randomized caloric restriction study, with or without sleep restriction. They found that a reduction in sleep of one hour or more per week led to a lower rate of fat loss in people following a low-calorie diet.
Sleep deficiency affects appetite and hunger, altering metabolic and endocrine function. It has been observed that glucose and insulin sensitivity decrease, while evening cortisol and ghrelin levels increase, and leptin levels decrease.
This leads to an alteration of the neuroendocrine mechanism of appetite control, characterized by a reduction in leptin levels, the satiety hormone, and an increase in ghrelin levels, the hunger hormone.
Both sleep duration and quality influence food intake.
In a cross-sectional study conducted by Nedeltcheva and colleagues, it emerged that people tended to consume larger quantities of high-carbohydrate snacks (especially between 7:00 PM and 7:00 AM) when they slept less than usual (i.e., 5.5 hours instead of 8.5 hours) for a period of 3 weeks.
The time you eat also influences your metabolism
Your body has a circadian biological clock, which regulates organ function, maintaining a certain synchronization with the natural cycle of day and night.
Most organs and their metabolisms are programmed to function better during the day and slow down at night, as your body is more active during the day and prepares to rest at night.
For example, the liver is one of the main organs influenced by the circadian clock. During the day, when higher metabolic activity is expected, the liver increases the production of enzymes involved in the digestion and metabolism of nutrients. During the night, when metabolic activity decreases, the liver slows down the production of these enzymes.
Similarly, the pancreas regulates insulin secretion in response to circadian clock signals. During periods when greater food intake is expected, such as during the day, the pancreas releases insulin to manage nutrient absorption. During fasting periods, such as during the night, insulin release is reduced.
When the circadian clock is disturbed, for example due to changes in sleep/wake cycles or eating patterns, organs can lose their synchronization.
This, with the same caloric intake, can lead to lower metabolic efficiency and greater susceptibility to conditions such as obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases.
How many calories to consume to lose 1 kg?
If you want to lose one kilogram quickly, you have two main paths to follow:
- Traditional caloric deficit based on the old physical-mathematical theory:
- Create a caloric deficit of about 1000 calories a day (burn 1000 calories more than you consume)
- Disadvantages: can lower metabolism at the end of the journey
- Eat the same amount of calories you burn:
- Improve the quality of food to favor metabolism. Allow cells to burn more.
- Advantages: does not lower metabolism
How many calories per day to lose 5 kg in a month?
To lose 5 kg in a month in a healthy and sustainable way, it is necessary to create a caloric deficit of about 500 calories per day.
This means you should burn 500 calories more than you consume through food and drinks.
The exact amount of calories you should consume per day to lose 5 kg in a month depends on several factors, including your current body weight, your activity level, and your individual goals.
In general, a daily caloric intake of about 1200-1500 calories for women and 1500-1800 calories for men should be sufficient to create a caloric deficit of 500 calories and lose 5 kg in a month.
However, it is important to remember that excessive and uncontrolled caloric restriction can be harmful to health.
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Gut Microbiome and Metabolism
The microbiome, a community of bacteria residing in our gut, can influence how much food we eat and how much weight we gain. Some studies show that the microbiome can directly influence the amount of energy we get from food and how full we feel after eating.
Furthermore, the type and number of intestinal microbial populations in obese and lean people differ, which can influence how much food we extract from our diet.
In addition to directly influencing food, gut bacteria can also communicate with our brain to regulate hunger and satiety. For example, some short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) produced by gut bacteria can influence the production of hormones that make us feel full.
The specific communities of bacteria residing in the gut can influence our weight and body fat even if we eat the same amount of food.
When mice without bacteria were transplanted with the microbiome of obese mice, they gained more weight, even though they ate less. These results suggest that the microbiome can modulate the host's energy balance, which is important for regulating our weight.
Foods that can positively influence metabolism
Foods that nourish gut bacteria and promote the production of short-chain fatty acids capable of positively influencing metabolism include not only foods rich in fermentable fibers, but also those containing polyphenols, the colored pigments present in vegetables with antioxidant properties.
Here are some examples of foods that can support the production of short-chain fatty acids:
1. Fruits and vegetables: In particular, fruits like apples, pears, berries, bananas and vegetables like carrots, broccoli, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts are rich in fermentable fibers and polyphenols.
2. Whole grains: Oats, spelt, barley, quinoa and other whole grains contain fibers and polyphenols that can be fermented by gut bacteria.
3. Legumes: Beans, lentils, chickpeas, and peas are rich in fiber, complex carbohydrates, and polyphenols that can support the growth of gut bacteria and the production of short-chain fatty acids.
4. Nuts and seeds: Almonds, walnuts, flaxseeds, and chia seeds are good sources of fiber, healthy fats, and polyphenols that can promote gut microbial diversity and the production of short-chain fatty acids.
5. Yogurt and other fermented dairy products: Fermented dairy products like yogurt and kefir can contain probiotics and polyphenols, bacteria that contribute to gut microbiota health and the production of short-chain fatty acids.
6. Fermented foods: Kimchi, sauerkraut, kombucha, and other fermented foods are rich in probiotic bacteria, fiber, and polyphenols, which can promote gut microbial diversity and the production of short-chain fatty acids.
Conversely, industrialized foods rich in refined sugars and food additives, common in the Western diet, can trigger intestinal and systemic inflammation, negatively influencing metabolism.
References
Review Cell Host Microbe. 2023 Feb; doi: 10.1016/j.chom.2023.01.009. Gut microbiome lipid metabolism and its impact on host physiology
Nutrients. 2022 Apr; 14(8): 1549. doi: 10.3390/nu14081549; Sleep Deprivation: Effects on Weight Loss and Weight Loss Maintenance
Handb Exp Pharmacol. PMC 2014 Jul 9.doi: 10.1007/978-3-642-25950-0_6 Circadian Clocks and Metabolism
BMC 29 July 2022; Metabolic control by the microbiome
Nutrition. 1993 Jul-Aug;9(4):373-80.; Influence of autonomic nervous system on nutrient-induced thermogenesis in humans
