As promised, here is formula I hope will help you in beginning to understand your calorie requirements. This is what I was shown in my personal training course and I find it an easy way for people to get
Firstly calculate your Basal Metabolic Rate or BMR This is used to see how many calories your body needs for general maintenance if you were to do nothing all day.
18-30 Year Old Women
Formula: (0.062xBody Weight in KG)+2.036=?x239=BMR
30-60 Year Old Women
Formula: (0.034xBW KG)+3.538=?x239=BMR
EXAMPLE 25 year old woman who weighs 70kg (0.062x70)+2.036=6.379x239=1523kcal (caloires)
Your BMR is needed to calculate your total energy expenditure this will give you your total daily calorie requirement. For this we need to multiply our '?' in the BMR formula by our average activity level over 24 hours. These numbers are shown below.
Sedentary = 1.3-1.5 Physically active in work and leisure
Light = 1.4-1.6 Some walking or exercise 1-2 times a week
Light-Moderate = 1.5-1.7 Some exercise with moderate intensity job
Moderate = 1.6-1.8 Intense exercise 20-30 minutes 3+ times a week
Heavy = 1.7-1.9 Exercising at least an hour every day
If you are unsure you can look up your activity levels.
EXAMPLE 25 year old woman who is moderately active 6.376x1.7=10.8392x239 =2590 calories a day
Once you have your calorie total its time to tailor it to your goals.
Fatloss To see results here we have to minus 200-550 calories from our daily calories to promote healthy weightloss. Unfortunately studies have shown that whilst exercise aids in fat loss we need to modify our calorie intake to get results. Quality of calories is also a massive factor.
For Endurance
If you want to maintain your weight whilst increasing your stamina it requires a little more research into macronutrients and tracking what you eat. For this you don't need to change your calorie intake but adjust what types of calories you consume here are 3 easy steps to remember. 1. Refuel High G.I Carbohydrates 2. Rehydrate Water & Sports Drinks 3. Repair Protein & Foam Rolling.
For Muscle Gain & Mass
Here you may actually need to INCREASE your calorie intake depending on your goals. Again it requires more research into your macronutrients. In this field protein plays more of a factor but some general tips if this is what your after. You want to make sure your meals & snacks are timed well with your daily routine. You should try to hit your daily protein requirements, you can work this out by multiplying 1.22g of protein (chose depending on how much you want to gain) by your body weight in kilograms. This will give you your daily protein requirements. After training try to get in 1g of carbohydrate x body weight & 1020g protein (again depending on your goal) within 30 minutes of training.