Introduction
My main principle for dieting is this: eat as many calories as you can while still making progress.
Put simply, if you can lose fat by eating 1,800 calories a day, there’s no need to immediately drop down to 1,500 calories.
Starting too low gives you very little flexibility to adjust when progress naturally slows down.
I know it’s tempting to rush and get results straight away, but dieting is about the long term. Slower progress usually leads to more sustainable results, so patience really is key.
Here’s a simple method to figure out your starting calorie target: take your body weight (BW) in pounds and multiply it by 12–14.
- If your daily life is very active (e.g., you’re on your feet all day or doing physically demanding work), use the higher end of the range (14).
- If your lifestyle is mostly sedentary apart from going to the gym, use the lower end (12).
The number you get is a good estimate for the amount of calories you should consume each day to start seeing progress. Be consistent, track your progress, and adjust as needed.
Remember, sustainable results take time, but they’re worth the wait.
Where to Start?
Here’s an example:
Gemma is 31 years old, 5’4”, and weighs 140 lbs.
She wants to lose a few pounds for her wedding day. Gemma works as a teacher, so she spends a couple of hours a day standing and walking around. This makes her moderately active.
She has no health issues, her stress levels are normal, and she trains with weights 3–4 times per week. Gemma makes an effort to eat minimally processed, whole foods but doesn’t track her food intake. She also enjoys a glass of wine with her dinners during the week.
Physically, Gemma has a mesomorph body type, meaning she has broad shoulders, evenly distributed body fat (neither apple- nor pear-shaped), and a good amount of muscle mass.
Historically, she finds it easy to build strength and muscle but also gains fat easily if she’s not careful.
Given all this, I’d start Gemma on 13 times her body weight to calculate her daily calorie intake.
At 140 lbs, this means her starting point for calories would be 1,820 calories per day. This gives her enough energy to fuel her activity while creating a manageable calorie deficit for weight loss.
