Let us cut to the chase here. Weight control, in our opinion, is a straightforward calculation of calories consumed versus calories burned.

Your body reacts to different calorie types differently, and the process of converting calories into energy differs depending on the food you eat. At the end of the day, not all calories are created equal, and understanding where your calories come from will help you maintain optimal health. Different sorts of food will provide different amounts of energy. Carbohydrates, protein, and fat – the three macronutrients – do not give the same calorie supply. Here’s how it ended:

●     There are four calories in one gram of carbohydrate.

●     A gram of protein contains four calories.

●     There are nine calories in one gram of fat.

Protein takes longer to metabolise than other nutrients, which means it will cause your body to burn more calories. Any calories you don’t burn will be stored as fat in your body, therefore it’s better to consume only the amount of calories you can burn.

To that end, the first step is to determine how many calories your body requires on a daily basis to effectively burn in order to live a healthier lifestyle. If you never figure out your “optimal calorie count,” as we call it, you might easily get off track by eating fewer or more calories than you require. So the premise is maintenance calories, which will help you stay on track with your calorie intake. So, whether you’re trying to lose weight, gain weight, or maintain your current weight, knowing how to calculate maintenance calories can help you reach your goal. Your body needs energy to carry out daily muscular action, cell growth, and other tasks. If every calorie you eat is spent on this energy rather than fat, you’ve reached maintenance calories, also known as TDEE (total daily energy expenditure). For persons who are satisfied with their present level of energy and weight, the procedure is ideal.

Deficit calories, as the name implies, refers to eating fewer calories than you plan to expend. This results in a calorie deficit, which should aid weight loss. However, other nutrition experts argue that it is the greatest strategy to lose weight in a healthy and long-term manner. To reach a practical weight loss goal, focus on intuitive or mindful eating.

Consuming more calories than you burn is known as surplus calories. It denotes an energy surplus, which frequently results in increased muscle fat or body fat. If you consume 2500 calories per day but only burn 2000, you will have a surplus of 500 calories, which will be stored as fat or muscle, depending on your lifestyle. It is ideal for those looking to gain weight.

However, regardless of which of the three circumstances you’re in, you should eat a well-balanced diet rich in protein, vitamins, fibre, and minerals and avoid junk food. The quality of calories you consume is the most important factor in overall weight maintenance. Calorie counting alone will not help; you must know your calorie intake in order to maintain or grow your calorie deficit. Having nutritious and clean food, for example, will provide you with important vitamins, minerals, and nourishment in a healthy manner. Sugary liquids such as packaged fruit juices, tea, coffee, and soda, on the other hand, may contain the same number of calories but make you feel hungry sooner.

There is no doubt that if you want to reduce weight, you must generate a calorie deficit. This can be accomplished by consuming fewer calories than you expend. However, keep in mind that not all calories cause fat. Protein calories, for example, aid muscular growth, allowing you to stay active and burn more calories. At the same time, calories from fiber-rich foods keep you fuller for longer, which aids weight loss. Extra calories, even from fat-free or low-fat diets, will eventually turn into fat. As a result, be cautious while making food selections and determining if they contain healthy or bad calories.

Multiply your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) by your daily activity factor to get your maintenance calories. The first step is to determine your BMR and daily activity level.

To determine BMR, multiply your weight in pounds by a multiplier of 10 for women and 11 for males. You must first determine your multiplier before calculating your physical activity. Find the category in which you belong:

●     Sedentary lifestyle: 1.3 for women and men

●     Light activity: 1.5 for women and 1.6 for men

●     Moderate exercise: 1.6 for women and 1.7 for men

●     Active lifestyle: 1.9 for women and 2.1 for men

●     Very active lifestyle: 2.2 for women and 2.4 for men

To calculate your maintenance calories, you should take your multiplier and apply it to your BMR. The figure will tell you how many calories your body needs to sustain your maintenance calories.