When beginning an effective weight loss plan, you need to understand how to structure a proper daily intake of calories to lose weight fast.

Many studies have shown that significantly depriving your body of calories may actually work against you, and that a far better solution is a small reduction that burns fat more gradually.

Using a round number of calories to cut out (like 500 calories or 1,000 calories) is not the most accurate way to determine how to reduce your calorie intake.

This is because the amount of calories consumed daily by each individual can vary greatly, making the reduction either too high or too low depending on your normal calorie consumption.

For example, cutting 500 calories from a 2000 calorie diet represents a much larger decrease than cutting those same 500 calories from a 3500 calorie plan.

Instead, you should aim to use a percentage decrease in calories to lose weight fast.

The most effective and widely accepted percentage is 15-20% below your maintenance level.

Your maintenance level is the number of calories you require each day to maintain your current weight.

There are two formulas you can use to determine your own individual number of daily calories to lose weight fast…

The “Harris Benedict Formula” requires you to first determine your basic metabolic rate (BMR), which is the number of calories your body requires daily for natural processes such as breathing, circulation and digestion.

You then use an activity multiplier to take into account your additional daily activities to determine how many calories you need daily to maintain your current weight.

You can then decrease this number by 15-20% to find out your daily intake of calories to lose weight fast.

Calculate the BMR by using the following formula:

Men: 66 + (13.7 * bodyweight in kg) + (5 * height in cm) – (6.8 * age in years) = BMR
Women: 655 + (9.6 * bodyweight in kg) + (1.8 * height in cm) – (4.7 * age in years) = BMR

Multiply that number by the activity multiplier:

Sedentary = BMR * 1.2 (if you get little to no exercise)
Lightly Active = BMR * 1.375 (if you get light exercise: 1-3 days a week)
Moderately Active = BMR * 1.55 (if you get moderate exercise: 3-5 days a week)
Very active = BMR * 1.725 (if you get intense exercise: 6-7 days a week)
Extremely Active = BMR * 1.9 (if you get intense daily exercise and you also have a strenuous physical job).

Reducing that number by 15-20% will provide you with the target number of calories to lose weight fast.

The other formula you can use to determine your target calorie reduction is the “Katch-McArdle Formula”.

This formula is an even more accurate way to determine your target number of calories to lose weight fast because it factors in your lean body mass, leading to a more accurate metabolic reading.

To use the Katch-McArdle formula, calculate your BMR using the following:

BMR = 370 + (21.6 X lean mass in kg)

Your lean body mass simply represents any type of body weight that is NOT fat.

You can determine this number if you have had your body fat levels tested.

The more extreme your body type (leaner or fatter) the more critical it is to factor in your lean body mass to determine your target number of calories to lose weight fast.

Once you’ve factored in your lean body mass, you simply use the activity multiplier and then reduce by the 15-20% required.

Reducing your calories by more than this level can end up slowing down your results by triggering your body’s natural starvation mechanisms.

If your calories dip too low, your body will stop burning fat as a way to conserve energy.

Reducing calories to lose weight fast by using a percentage of your typical caloric intake will ensure that your metabolism stays steady, your body burns fat, and your lean muscle mass doesn’t decrease.

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