The number of calories you REALLY need to eat to lose weight…and it’s probably MORE than you think

IF you want to burn fat, it's a very simple equation: burn more energy than you consume.

It's incredibly simple to say and, as we all know, much more difficult to do.

But a mistake that many of us make when trying to get trim is actually undereating calories.

Bikini models may be notorious for their super lean, super boring diets, but they do actually tend to stick around the 1,850 calorie mark - just 150 calories below the daily recommended amount for women.

They're about as low in fat and high in lean muscle mass as you can get - so changing your body composition *isn't* about starving yourself into submission.

If you're struggling to shift fat, one reason may well be because you're simply not eating enough.

Sometimes you actually do need to up your calorie and nutrient uptake in order for your body to metabolise better.

Of course, constantly cutting cals will make you lose weight but that's not necessarily a good thing.

What you want to do is lose body fat and increase lean muscle mass - altering your body composition. That's what makes you look slimmer and feel more healthy.

Undereat while you exercise regularly and you'll push your body into a state of stress which sees it clinging to fat cells like crazy.

Nutritionist and dietitian Helen Bond told the Sun Online: "That [the NHS recommendations] is just a gauge and how many calories your body needs very much depends on your age, how much exercise you are doing, how big and how tall you are.

"Whatever your calorie intake for the day it is very much best to spread it throughout the day, you should have 400 for breakfast, 600 for lunch and 600 for your evening meal [if you are eating 2,000 a day].

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"Your BMR is the amount of calories your body needs at rest to keep you alive, to keep your heart beating, to keep your lungs functioning and to keep everything working.

"So you shouldn't restrict yourself very severely over a long period of time because your body needs calories to be able to function well both mentally and physically.

"If you want sustainable weight loss you shouldn't be losing any more than one to two pounds a week.

"Anything that is too restrictive, or has too few calories, then hunger will take over and you will just go back to the eating patterns that made you put on weight in the first place."

Helen recommends cutting about 500 calories per day out of your diet if you are trying to lose weight - but you shouldn't maintain that forever.

It is also important to make sure you are eating healthy calories, that means wholegrain foods, fruits and vegetables over junk food.

So, how can you calculate your BMR to work out how many calories you need to eat?

Using the , it is quite simple.

You first need to pick your age bracket for your sex, then work out your weight in kilos.

Each age bracket and sex is allocated a number with the calculator.

Then you follow this formula:

Women:

• 10-17 years BMR: 13.4 x weight + 692
• 18-29 years BMR: 14.8 x weight + 487
• 30-59 years BMR: 8.3 x weight + 846

So if you are a 26-year-old woman who weighs 63kg your BMR is 1,419.4 calories per day.

Men:

• 10-17 years BMR: 17.7 x weight + 657
• 18-29 years BMR: 15.1 x weight + 692
• 30-59 years BMR: 11.5 x weight + 873

So if you are a 26-year-old man who weighs 83kg your BMR is 1,945.3 calories per day.

You then need to take into account your physical activity, because if you are very active you can eat more.

To do that you just need to time your result by 1.4 if you are inactive, 1.6 if you are a moderately active woman and 1.7 if you are a moderately active man.

If you are someone that does intense exercise for an hour or more a day you need to time your result by more - 1.8 if you're a woman and 1.9 if you're a man.

For example, the 26-year-old woman discussed above has a BMR of 2,271 calories per day if she is moderately active.

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That's worked out with this formula: 1,419.4 x 1.6 = 2,271.

And if she is very active she can eat 2,554.9 calories.

So before you embark on your weight loss journey, or if you just want to make sure you are eating a healthy amount of calories, make sure you know your BMR based on how old and how active you are.