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Personal Daily Caloric Requirements


Personal Daily Caloric Requirements

How many calories should you be consuming each day?

The amount of calories you should eat every day depends on several factors:
  • Gender, age, weight
  • Daily activity level
  • Your desire to lose, maintain, or gain weight
That athletes understand how many calories they need to consume each day is very important.  Caloric needs on days where an athlete has a competition or practice are higher than they are on days with no activity. 

Click the expandable rows below to view the process of determining your personal daily caloric requirements.  


Determine your resting metabolic rate (RMR).

Your resting metabolic rate  (RMR) is the calories you burn while at rest.  If you woke up in the morning and spent the entire day on the couch  watching TV, these formulas would produce good estimates of your daily calories:

For males: Body Weight (lbs) x 11

For females: Body Weight (lbs) x 10


Determine your baseline daily activity level.

Your baseline daily activity level is the amount of activity you do on a daily basis, not including workouts or exercise.

 

If you are . . .
Multiply your RMR by
Sedentary:
* Sitting most of the day (student or desk job)		 20%-40%
Moderately Active:
* Standing most of the day (teacher or server)		 40%-60%
Very Active:
* Working strenuously most of the day (construction worker)		 60%-80%

 


Calculate the amount of calories burned during purposeful exercise.

The formula used to calculate calories burned during exercise is as follows:

  • Calories Burned/hr/lb body weight x time(hrs) x body weight(lbs)

Activity Calories Burned Per Hour Per Pound Body Weight Activity Calories Burned Per Hour Per Pound Body Weight
Badminton
2.6
 Snow Shovelling
2.9
Cycling 10mph
2.7
 Skiing, Cross-Country
3.7
Dancing, Ballroom
1.6
 Skiing, Downhill
2.6
Dancing, Modern
2.6
 Snowshoeing
4.5
Gardening, Digging
3.2
 Squash
4.3
Golf, Walking
2.3
 Swimming, Laps
3.5
House Cleaning
1.6
 Soccer
3.7
Hiking
3.6
 Table Tennis
1.9
Horseback Riding, Trotting
2.8
 Tennis, Singles
2.9
Jogging, 6mph
4.2
 Tennis, Doubles
1.8
Jumping Rope
3.8
 Volleyball
2.2
Racquetball
4.1
 Walking, 3.5 mph
2.4
Rowing Machine
3.1
 Water-Skiing
3.0
Scuba Diving
3.8
 Weight Training
1.9
Skating, Ice
2.6
 Wrestling           2.2
Football          3.6    

Calculate your personal daily caloric requirement.


 RMR Calories
                   
 + Activity calories

 + Purposeful exercise calories

 = Total Daily Caloric Requirement


Add your RMR calories, activity calories, and purposeful exercise calories.  The sum is your total daily caloric requirement.  Depending on the activities you do each day, this number changes.  For example, if you do not exercise one day, your daily caloric requirement will be lower than on a day in which you did exercise. 
Because each individual can have vastly different metabolic rates, understanding that this calculation method is an estimate is important.  Only a long-term tracking of all caloric intake with analysis of body weight (loss/gain/stay the same) and activity levels can give an athlete a reasonably accurate total of caloric needs.  This course uses estimates for activities.

Example Athletes

Activity


Using the information above, read the following scenarios and calculate the personal daily caloric requirement for one of our example athletes.  When you are finished, check your answer.

 
Sarah is an 18-year-old university student.  She weighs 150 pounds.  She plays recreational soccer, and she plays on the university girls basketball team.  Today, Sarah is planning to play soccer for half an hour after lunch and doing some weight training at the gym after school for one hour.
  1. Resting Metabolic Rate
    Sarah weighs 150 lbs.
    150 x 10 = 1500
    Sarah's RMR is 1500 calories.

  2. Baseline Daily Activity Level
    Sarah is a student.
    1500 x 30% = 450 Calories
    Sarah's Daily Activity Level allows her 450 additional calories.

  3. Calories Burned during Purposeful Exercise
    Today, Sarah played soccer for half an hour and weight trained for an hour:

    Activity Cal Burned/ Hour /Lb Body Weight Time (hrs) Body Weight (lbs) Calories Burned
    Soccer
    3.7
    		 x
    0.5
    		 x
    150
    		 =
    278
    Weight Training
    1.9
    		 x
    1
    		 x
    150
    		 =
    285
    Total
    		=
    563


  4. Sarah's Personal Daily Caloric Requirement

     RMR Calories
    		 1500
     + Activity calories
    		 450
     + Purposeful exercise calories
    		 563
     = Total Daily Caloric Requirement
    		 2513



 Ryan is a 16-year-old high school student who is 140 pounds.  He is on the wrestling team and regularly attends meets and tournaments on the weekends.  Today, Ryan has school and is planning to go for a half-hour run during the lunch hour.  After school, he has wrestling practice for one hour. 

  1. Resting Metabolic Rate
    Ryan weighs 140 lbs.
    140 x 11 = 1540
    Ryan's RMR is 1540 calories.

  2. Baseline Daily Activity Level
    Ryan is a student.
    1540 x 30% = 462 Calories
    Ryan's Daily Activity Level allows him 462 additional calories.

  3. Calories Burned during Purposeful Exercise
    Today Ryan went for a half an hour run and had wrestling practice for one hour:

    Activity Cal Burned/ Hour /Lb Body Weight Time (hrs) Body Weight (lbs) Calories Burned
    Running
    4.2
    		 x
    0.5
    		 x
    140
    		 =
    294
    Wrestling
    2.2
    		 x
    1
    		 x
    140
    		 =
    308
    Total
    		=    602


  4. Ryans' Personal Daily Caloric Requirement

     RMR Calories
    		 1540
     + Activity calories
    		 462
     + Purposeful exercise calories
    		 602
     = Total Daily Caloric Requirement
    		 2604




 Marc is a 17-year-old high school student who plays football.  He is an offensive lineman who weights 240 pounds.  Today, Marc has a two-hour football practice after school. 

  1. Resting Metabolic Rate
    Marc weighs 240 lbs.
    240 x 11 = 2640
    Marc's RMR is 2640 calories.

  2. Baseline Daily Activity Level
    Marc is a student.
    2640 x 30% = 792 Calories
    Marc's Daily Activity Level allows him 720 additional calories.

  3. Calories Burned during Purposeful Exercise
    Today, Marc played football for two hours:

    Activity Cal Burned/ Hour /Lb Body Weight Time (hrs) Body Weight (lbs) Calories Burned
    Football
    3.6
    		 x
    2
    		 x
    240
    		 =
    1728








    Total
    		=     1728


  4. Marc's Personal Daily Caloric Requirement

     RMR Calories
    		 2640
     + Activity calories
    		 792
     + Purposeful exercise calories
    		 1728
     = Total Daily Caloric Requirement
    		 5160