Learn to calculate: maintenance kcal (Part I)

2 min read

Hello everyone! In this new article, we are going to talk about the different methods we have for calculating maintenance kcal and the importance of calculating them correctly.

 

INTRODUCTION

Maintenance kcal are the calorie intake that allows us to keep our weight approximately constant. In other words, we consume the same kcal as we expend.

Calculating them is extremely important because they are used to calculate the kcal needed to cut or gain muscle mass and, if done correctly, will allow us to move towards our goal efficiently.

Before starting with the available methods, I would like to make it clear that not everything is based on kcal because certain macronutrient distributions (with the same kcal) can lead to slightly faster improvements.  For example, with the same kcal, a person who consumes a greater amount of protein will achieve greater satiety and higher (albeit brief) calorie expenditure.

 

CALCULATION METHODS

  • Mifflin-St. Jeorr
    • Men = (10*Weight in kg) + (6.25*Height in cm) – (5*age) + 5
    • Women = (10*Weight in kg) + (6.25*Height in cm) – (5*age) – 161

 

  • Harris-Benedict:
    • Men = 66.5 + (13.75*Weight in kg) + (5.003*height) – (6.775*age)
    • Women = 665.1 + (9.563*Weight in kg) + (185*height) – (4.675*age)

 

  • Müller equation = (13.587*LBM) + (9.613*Fat mass) + (198*gender) – (3.351*age) + 674
    • Men: enter 1 for gender
    • Women: enter 0 for gender.

EXERCISE FACTOR

Once the calculation has been made, we will need to multiply the amount obtained by an activity factor that will vary according to our lifestyle.

Multiplication factor Definition
1.2 Sedentary people
1.375 Light activity: sedentary for most of the day and light activity
1.55 Moderate activity: sedentary for most of the day, but intense training
1.725 Highly active
1.9 Extremely active

 

Most people will need to multiply by an activity factor of 1.375-1.55 to obtain their theoretical maintenance kcal.

 

CONCLUSION

Personally, I really like both the Harris Benedict and Müller formulas because both take numerous factors into account and, consequently, can serve as a starting point. However, if I had to choose one, I would choose Müller's because it distinguishes between Lean Body Mass and Fat Mass.

Nevertheless, we must bear in mind that these are estimates and, therefore, we will need to make adjustments according to our progress to obtain our actual maintenance kcal (we will talk about this in another article).

That is all for today's article. I hope you enjoyed it and find it helpful. If you have any questions, leave them in the comments and I will be happy to answer them. A big hug!

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