[FrankDavis]

How do you guys calculate the calories you should consume in order to lose weight? I use the updated BMR formula and I'm thinking of giving my own personal software that I created for myself.

But I am curious to know how do you guys calculate your own. Please share

[berryblondeboys]

I don't. I eat when I think I should eat and try to make those foods count, so I try to eat more satiating foods so that I'm not feeling constantly hungry. I only eat if I really feel I need to and I then put specific sizes of servings on my plate - like approx. 6 ozs of chicken, a HUGE plate of veggies, etc. Then, at the end of the day, I see where I am for caloric intake.

Some days it's 1000. Some days it's 1500. I also don't eat back my calories from exercise which is fairly easy for me as exercise (aerobic) is an appetite suppressant.

Those BMR figures? They are for everyone - who says I'm like the average of everyone? What I have learned by trial and error, is that with being very sedentary, I don't gain or lose when I eat between 1550-1600 calories. That is supposedly lower than my BMR. Obviously, it isn't. I never took the time to figure it all out as it didn't matter to me. I eat only when I feel I need to eat. I eat a reasonable, calorie dense (low carb) portion and reassess if I need to eat more or not. If I do, I do. Otherwise I'm done. And since I'm a living being, some days I'm hungrier than others so sometimes I need to eat more than other days.

If I took a caloric amount as my goal, the I could be eating more than I actually feel I need. Or, end up eating less than I feel I need. Of course, I need to pay attention and burn more than I consume, but sticking to a specific number, for me, is extremely difficult. I've done it... but it can lead to a lot of frustration.

[futureformerfisher]

There's a breathing device (although I don't know what it's called) that your doctor may have, you blow into it and it determines your base BMR supposedly pretty accurately. I know my local gym has a few of these machines, and years ago I had a trainer who used one on me. The one the trainer used gave a reading that was within 50 of the number the reading my doctor's gave for me, so I imagine they're pretty accurate.

I always thought, judging by the calculators online, that I would be around 1900. Turns out, I was closer to 1689 (and that was back when I weighed 118lbs). Like berryblondeboys said, those calculators use the average of everyone, and I'm not an average of everyone. I think you'd be hard-pressed to find someone who is!

If you really want an accurate baseline, I suggest asking your doctor or seeing if your local gym has the breathing device. Even if it's not perfectly accurate, I'd imagine it's more accurate than an online BMR calculator, you know?

[mb2004]

Honestly I just use my fitness pal. So far its worked for me.

[Michou]

I use an apps for my Ipad called "mynetdiary" it takes in consideration my weight and height and substract a 500 calorie deficit to loose one pound a week. I do make adjustment once a week and put my new weight since my BMR gets lower as I lose weight.

I enter my food and weight it in grams since it is more accurate.

As far as calories burned from exercise I do not feel that machines at the gym give accurate numbers so I do not eat those, I feel that they take care of miscalculation on my food diary.