How Many Calories Should You Eat? | Sam Shoe Fitness

There are just a few things that you need to focus on when planning and achieving your health and fitness goals. A lot of people think that exercise is the most important one.

However, as a certified personal trainer and nutrition coach, I’d argue that your nutrition matters just as much.

What you eat provides the energy and nutrients your body needs to get through not only your workouts but the rest of the day. It will also be a very large determining factor in how you progress towards your fitness goals. So, it’s important to keep track of it.

The foundation for your nutrition and where I believe you should begin to think about it starts with calories.

In this article I will give you everything you need to know about calories and why they should matter to you for your future health.

What Are Calories and Why Do They Matter?

A calorie is a unit used to measure energy. The foods and drinks you consume provide energy, while your body uses energy continuously to support basic functions, physical activity, digestion, and other processes.

In the health and fitness community we have terms for taking in more calories than you burn and burning more calories than you intake. These are known as a calorie surplus and a calorie deficit.

To lose body weight over time, you generally need to consume fewer calories than your body uses, creating an overall calorie deficit. To gain body weight over time, you generally need to consume more energy than your body uses, creating an overall calorie surplus. Knowing which one of these you are in is crucial to knowing which way your weight will go as time goes on.

Therefore, it becomes important to track your calories.

If your goal is to lose a certain amount of weight, you will need to be in some form of calorie deficit to reach your goal. We will get into specifics later in the article.

Vice versa, if your goal is to put on as much muscle as possible, you may want to be in a calorie surplus, depending on how much fat you are wanting to lose in the process.

Calories do not only control your weight but they provide you energy. You need calories to get through the day and in most instances, they should not be thought of as inherently “good” or “bad” but as a means to an end that you can enjoy along the way. Because let’s be honest, we all love to eat!

How Many Calories Do You Need for Your Goal?

The number of calories you need to consume is completely dependent on your specific and individual goals.

I advise anyone who is trying to strictly lose weight to enter into a manageable caloric deficit (tpyically 200-300 calorie deficit per day). I say manageable because I have had clients that want to try and enter into a very large deficit to speed up the weight loss. While the logic behind this thinking is accurate, it is rarely sustainable.

I almost always advocate for a mild to moderate deficit in calories and allow the results to show over a longer period. I have found this to be a process that is stuck to much more easily than dropping the calories too low, too fast. Doing this can often promote binge eating and falling off the diet altogether.

If your goal is to build as much muscle as quickly as possible, I would suggest a moderate to large caloric surplus (typically 300-500 calorie surplus per day). Keep in mind, you will need to be strength training to overload the muscles at the same time as you are in the caloric surplus to grow your muscles. However, this moderate to heavy surplus can lead to gaining excess body fat. Some clients do not mind but I don’t usually advise this.

I like to think more long term. You can gain just as much muscle over a longer period of time and keep your excess body fat down by entering into a mild caloric surplus and sticking to it for longer (typically 200-300 calorie surplus per day).

There are also many instances where clients want to lose body fat and gain muscle. This is a process that is typically slower to perform but absolutely achievable and commonly referred to as body recomposition.

Depending on how lean the client is when starting the journey depends on if we will even enter into a calorie deficit. If the client wants to stay at the same weight but gain muscle and lose body fat, I will likely advise to keep calories at maintenance (burning as many calories in a day as the amount being consumed) and promote strength training. Keeping calories at maintenance in this scenario will allow for ample energy during workouts to push the muscle growth.

However, you can achieve body recomposition in a slight to mild caloric deficit as well, especially if you want to tackle the body fat a little quicker (typically 100-200 calorie deficit per day).

For more information on gaining muscle while losing fat, check out How to Build Muscle While Losing Fat.

Please keep in mind, you may need to adjust your calories based on your progress, hunger, energy, training performance, and ability to maintain the plan.

How to Calculate Your Daily Calorie Needs

Calculating your daily calorie needs is essential to optimally working towards your goals.

I gave a brief overview in the last section on how to know whether you should increase or decrease your maintenance calories. But, how do you know your maintenance calories? How do you know how many calories you could eat today and not gain or lose any weight?

Since I am certified under NASM (The National Academy of Sports Medicine), I will break it down using their formulas. To find your maintenance calories you must first calculate your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). Your BMR represents the number of calories your body needs to maintain its current weight without any additional activity. You can calculate it using the Mifflin-St Jeor equation:

Men: (10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) - (5 × age in years) + 5

Women: (10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) - (5 × age in years) – 161

Once you have your BMR, adjust it based on your activity level to get your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) or maintenance calories:

·      Sedentary (little to no exercise): BMR x 1.2

·      Lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week): BMR x 1.375

·      Moderately active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week): BMR x 1.55

·      Very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week): BMR x 1.725

·      Super active (very hard exercise & physical job or 2x training): BMR x 1.9

Example: 30-year-old woman weighs 150 pounds (68 kg) and is 5'5" (165 cm).

Step 1: Women: (10 × 68) + (6.25 × 165) - (5 × 30) – 161 = 1400

Step 2: 1400 x 1.55 (moderately active) = 2,170 maintenance calories (TDEE)

Your TDEE gives you the estimated number of calories you need to maintain your current weight based on your activity level.

From there, you can adjust your daily calories up or down depending on your own goals. Reference the last section for guidance on this.

Remember that this is an estimate, not an exact measurement. Your actual calorie needs can be higher or lower than the number produced by the equation.

Use the calculated number as a starting point, then monitor your body weight and progress over several weeks. If your weight is consistently moving in a different direction than expected, your estimated maintenance calories may need to be adjusted.

Calories Matter, But So Does Protein

Clearly calories are the first line of defense that you need to tackle when thinking about gaining or losing weight.

However, it is not the only thing that you need to focus on. Macronutrients make up the large majority of your calories and Protein is particularly important.

You need to make sure you are taking in an adequate amount of protein per day, especially if you are exercising regularly. This will help you to recover and grow your muscles.

For clients who are resistance training and trying to lose fat while preserving muscle, I typically recommend a relatively high protein intake. A practical range for many people is around 0.7–1.0 grams per pound of goal body weight, although individual needs can vary. If your main focus is to grow muscle, I would think about increasing this by about 25%.

For more on the importance of protein during your health and fitness journey, check out my article, How much protein do you really need?

Find a Calorie Target You Can Maintain

When it comes to the amount of calories you need, there is no one-size-fits-all approach. Everyone is different and everyone has different goals.

There isn't one correct calorie number. There is a process for finding a reasonable starting point for your individual goal. Once you find this starting point, make sure it’s something you can stick to. Long-term health and fitness goals are not achieved overnight, so consistency will be key.

If you want help determining your calorie and training targets based on your individual goals, that's something I can help you with. Download my free 7-Day Fat Loss Kickstart Guide or contact me for personalized coaching. I'll help you build a realistic fitness and nutrition plan that fits your schedule and keeps you progressing long-term.

Frequently Asked Questions About Calories

How many calories should I eat per day?

There is no single calorie target that works for everyone. Your calorie needs depend on factors such as your age, sex, height, weight, activity level, and fitness goals. A calorie calculator can provide a starting estimate, which you can then adjust based on your progress.

How do I calculate how many calories I need?

One common approach is to estimate your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) using the Mifflin-St Jeor equation and then multiply it by an activity factor to estimate your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE). Your TDEE provides an estimate of how many calories you may need to maintain your current weight.

What is BMR?

BMR, or Basal Metabolic Rate, is an estimate of how much energy your body requires at rest to support basic functions such as breathing, circulation, and maintaining body temperature. It does not include the calories you burn through exercise and other daily activities.

What is TDEE?

TDEE stands for Total Daily Energy Expenditure. It is an estimate of the total energy you use throughout the day, including your resting metabolism, physical activity, exercise, and other processes such as digestion.

How many calories should I eat to lose weight?

Weight loss generally requires an overall calorie deficit, meaning you consume fewer calories than your body uses over time. The size of the deficit should be appropriate for the individual. Rather than using an extremely aggressive deficit, a moderate approach that you can maintain is often more practical.

How many calories should I eat to gain muscle?

Building muscle generally requires adequate calories, sufficient protein, and progressive resistance training. Some people benefit from a modest calorie surplus when trying to maximize muscle growth. A large surplus isn't necessarily better and can result in unnecessary increases in body fat.

Can I lose fat and build muscle at the same time?

Yes. This is commonly referred to as body recomposition. It can be particularly achievable for people who are new to resistance training, returning after a period away from training, or carrying more body fat. Nutrition, adequate protein, and progressive strength training all play important roles.

Is counting calories necessary to lose weight?

No. Tracking calories can be a useful tool for some people, but it isn't the only way to manage body weight. Paying attention to portions, food choices, hunger and fullness, and overall eating patterns can also be effective. The best approach is one that you can follow consistently.

Are all calories the same?

A calorie is a measure of energy, but that doesn't mean all foods have the same nutritional value. Two foods can contain similar calories while providing very different amounts of protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients. Your overall diet should include a variety of nutrient-dense foods.

How much protein should I eat when trying to lose fat?

Protein needs vary depending on factors such as body size, activity level, and training goals. People who regularly perform resistance training and are trying to lose fat often benefit from relatively high protein intake to help support muscle retention. Your individual needs should be considered when setting a target.

Why am I not losing weight even though I'm tracking my calories?

Calorie calculations and food tracking are estimates, and your actual energy needs may differ from the number produced by a calculator. Portion-size errors, untracked foods and drinks, changes in activity, and normal fluctuations in body weight can also affect what you see on the scale. Looking at your progress over several weeks is generally more useful than focusing on individual days. Check out Why the Scale Isn't Moving for more on this.

Do I need to eat the same number of calories every day?

Not necessarily. Some people prefer eating approximately the same amount each day, while others naturally eat more on active days and less on less-active days. What matters most is whether your overall eating pattern supports your goals and is sustainable for you.

Sam Shoe is a NASM Certified Personal Trainer and Nutrition Coach who helps busy adults lose weight and build sustainable habits through realistic fitness and nutrition coaching.