5 Easy Steps to Calculate Your Nutritional Requirements

1. Calculate your maintenance calories. To maintain current weight: 14 16 cals multiplied by your weight (lbs) per day.* To lose weight: 10 12 cals multiplied by your weight (lbs) per day.*

* The amount should be towards the lower end if you are female or inactive. Go for the higher numbers if you are male or physically active. Calories/day = ______cal x ______lbs = ______ Example: Maintenance cals = 15 cals x 160 lbs = 2400 2. Calculate your protein requirements. A. Get a rough estimate of your body fat percentage from the YMCA formula using the widget provided (You will need your weight and waist circumference at the belly button to calculate). _____________% Example: 160 pound male with 33 inch waist = 16% B. Lean Body Mass = Multiply your weight by (1 body fat %) ______lbs x (1 - .____) = _______ Example: 166 lbs x (1 - .16) = 166 x .84 = 139.44 C. Grams of protein to eat/day = Multiply your lean body mass by 1 to 1.5**. ** The amount should be towards the lower end if you are female or significantly overweight and towards the higher end if you are trying to seriously bulk. Grams of protein/day = ________(lean body mass) x 1.2 = _____ Example: 139.44 x 1.2 = 167 g. D. Calories from protein/day = # of grams of protein/day x 4 Calories from protein/day = ________ x 4 = ________

Example: Calories from protein/day = 167 g x 4 = 668 cals 3. Calculate your fat requirements. A. Fat calories = total calories/day multiplied by 0.3 Fat cals/day = _______(total cals/day) x 0.3 = ________ Example: Fat calories = 2400 x 0.3 = 720 cals B. Grams fat to eat/day = Fat calories divided by 9 Grams fat to eat/day = _____(Fat cals)/9 = ________ Example: Grams fat to eat/day = 720 cals/9 = 80 g 4. Calculate your carbohydrate requirements. A. Calories from carbs = Total calories calories from protein calories from fat Cals from carbs = _______(total cals) _____fat cals - _____ prot cals = ________ Example: Cals from carbs = 2400 720 668 = 1012 B. Grams of carbs to eat/day = calories from carbs divided by 4 Grams of carbs to eat/day = _____ cals from carbs/4 = Example: Grams of carbs to eat/day = 1012 cals/4 = 253. 5. The Numbers: Cals/day = _________ Protein/day = _______ g or _________cals ______.

Fat/day = ________g or __________cals Carbs/day = _________g or ________cals Example Case: Cals/day = 240 Protein/day = 167 g or 668 cals Fat/day = 80 g or 720 cals Carbs/day = 253 g or 1012 cals Track to make sure that the number of calories/day that you are actually consuming is allowing you to meet your goals. If you are on a maintenance diet and you are either gaining or losing weight, adjust your calories down or up respectively to maintain your weight. Similarly, if you are trying to lose weight, make sure that the number of calories you are consuming/day is allowing you to lose weight. You may see a quick drop initially, but the goal is 1 to 2 pounds/week after that. Recalculate monthly if you are on a weight loss program, as the numbers will change as you lose weight.