How Many Calories Do You Need to Build Muscle or Lose Fat?

Dec 19th, 2007 by Mehdi Tags: Build Muscle, Lose Fat, Nutrition

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Reader Gary wrote:

Body-weight in lbs x 18kcal might work at lower weights, but at 218 that means 3924 calories. I can guarantee you that at that level I’ll gain like crazy. From personal experience zero-gain occurs around 2k-2.2k. A long ways from 3924!

Why Undereating is Bad. Your body needs energy for strength training, cardio, weight lifting, walking, sleeping, digestion, etc. This energy comes from food. The calories in food are fuel for your body. Not eating is bad for 3 reasons.

Strength Loss. Your body doesn’t receive the energy it needs for the physical activities you do. You’ll feel tired and weak at the gym.
Fat Gains. Fat is emergency storage for your body. Your body burns muscle for energy first when you don’t eat. You’ll become skinny but fat.
Muscle Loss. The weight loss is muscle loss. Muscle loss equals fat gains as muscle burns more calories than fat.

How Many Calories Do You Need? Nobody can tell you how many calories you need. It depends on your muscle mass, body-weight, activity levels, etc. Start with body-weight in lbs x 18kcal daily and experiment from there.

Gain Weight. BW x 20kcal. Weigh yourself weekly. Continue eating the same amount of calories if you gain weight. Else add 500kcal. Repeat until you have your goal weight.
Lose Weight. BW x 16kcal. Measure your body fat weekly using a fat caliper. Eat the same amount of calories as long as your body fat improves. Cut 500kcal when you don’t progress.

Examples. 4000kcal/day for someone weighing 100kg like Gary is fine if you eat healthy & exercise. I weigh 73kg/160lbs & workout 3x/week. I eat 3000kcal/day to maintain my body-weight.

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25 Responses to “How Many Calories Do You Need to Build Muscle or Lose Fat?”

on 19 Dec 2007 at 6:07 pm1Eric

BMR Calculator
Harris Benedict Equation

The BMR will be used in the Harris Benedict. There are also links on there for caloric needs to gain/lose weight. It may be a little bit more accurate for calculating caloric needs because it takes into account your activity level. However, if you just want some simplicity because you are just starting out, then Medhi’s recomendations can be a good starting point.
on 19 Dec 2007 at 6:30 pm2krets

For those Americans a little confused by this:
1 Calorie (big “C” - food) = 1 kcal = 1000 calories (little “c”)
on 19 Dec 2007 at 7:22 pm3krets

Just doing a few calculations for me (6′5″, 235 lbs, lift 3-4 days/week, volleyball 3 times/week):

Mehdi’s: 235 x 17 = 3995 kcal/day
BMR: 2283.5 x 1.7 (very active) = 3881 kcal/day

So either method is going to get you pretty close.
on 19 Dec 2007 at 8:10 pm4Pens

Losing weight is very hard for me to do, since i can’t take alchohol or anything else because i generate fatt very easy
Try to just eat good bread and meals.
Need to atleast have 3 cardio sessions a week to lose weight.
Sometimes this can be mentally hard, because i now work 8 hours and have to study also.
on 19 Dec 2007 at 10:37 pm5Nicholas David

I take in roughly 3000 calories per day.
43% Carbs
35% Protein
22% Fat
I eat every 2-3 hours throughout the day.

I lift 5 days a week and do low intensity cardio for 30 mins afterwards.
on 20 Dec 2007 at 12:00 am6Mehdi

@Pens
Take a look at the lose fat guide Pens. Might give you some ideas. I’d do the cardio directly after the strength training & focus on green veggies.
on 20 Dec 2007 at 2:51 pm7Daniel

I train 3 x a week strength followed by aerobic training plus football match on weekend 90 mins. I don’t focus on the number of kcals i’m more concerned with where they come from and that i restore energy stores asap.
on 23 Jan 2008 at 9:50 pm8Doo

I currently weight 180lb with 19.6% body fat. I am aiming for 1g/lb of protein and 2000-2200 calories. I mostly eat lean meat, healthy fats and low glycemic index fruits and vegetables. Occasionaly, I add whole wheat bread, whole wheat pasta, and basmati rice. Whey protein helps to achieve protein target. I do not subscribe to the “saturated fat is evil” group but prefer lean meat to leave more calories for the healthier fats.

BTW, Australians have done a lot of glycemic index (GI) work. You can download a spreadsheet at http://optimalhealth.cia.com.au/GlycemicLoad.xls. I do not pay attention to glycemic load (GL). That would encourage you to eat less carbs which is fine for low carb diets rather than simply eating low GI carbs providing more variety and other nutrients found in vegetables/fruits.
on 24 Jan 2008 at 9:56 am9Mehdi

@Doo
You should eat more. I weigh 155lbs, workout 3x week without cardio, and eat 3000kcal daily to keep my body-weight with 10% body fat.
on 25 Jan 2008 at 7:40 am10Diana

I eat 1250 cal ea day and exersise about 5 days 90 min I am 26 and weigh about 125
on 25 Jan 2008 at 9:24 am11Mehdi

@Diana
You need to eat more. Check back the formulas.
on 26 Jan 2008 at 11:02 pm12skibengal05

I weigh 181lbs I am 6′ tall 10% bf. I commute to a desk job. I am very sedentary but very fit.

I have found that 1 - 1.4 g protein/lb and approx 2400 calories maintains. I lift 3x week.

Mehdi, I do not know how you don’t gain weight at 3000 calories? I am 4 inches taller than you and you also have a desk job?
on 27 Jan 2008 at 3:03 pm13Mehdi

@Skibengal05
Probably because I’m stronger, more lean body mass.
on 28 Jan 2008 at 10:54 pm14skibengal05

I believe caloric needs are the biggest part of the equation for us lifters that want to stay lean. I am 10% and STRONG but 3000 will unfortunately tip me over.

mehdi what is your current weight?
on 29 Jan 2008 at 10:49 am15Mehdi

@skibengal05
160bs.
on 29 Jan 2008 at 8:23 pm16skibengal05

more cals drops my body fat but increases my weight. it is a constant balancing act.
on 30 Jan 2008 at 5:02 am17Doo

@Mehdi

I will increase kcal in the next couple of weeks. In last 3 weeks (2 weeks of StrongLifts 5×5 starting with empty bar), based upon % body fat changes, I have lost fat and gained muscle with a net loss of 2lbs. I had already been eating clean prior to the three weeks so I doubt that water loss was much of a factor.
on 23 Feb 2008 at 8:34 pm18abdul

how much do i need to eat i weigh about 14 n a half stone n am 6 ft.
on 03 Mar 2008 at 3:02 am19Lost

Hi, you all seem so across this. I am not

Can anyone help me? I am 116 pound, 5′3, 27 yrs old.
I do a tough 45 min spin class 4 times per week, and 60 mins of heavy weighted strength training 3 times, followed by 15 mins High intensity cardio (HIIT on elliptical).

I eat 5 times a day - e.g 200 gms yoghurt, whey powder cereal with amaranth and LSA, 2 egg whites on whole rye toast, followed by tinned salmon and celery with cottage cheese, a protein shake, chickpeas / bean mix, chicken salad with avocado and olives, then 1/4 cup nuts, soy milk in decaf coffee, no sugar, no sweetner. Dinner is salmon and 5 different (green) vegies. No cheats - ever. 4 litres water a day.

I’m taking in about 1500 cals a day, and I think burning 300 - 500 working out (?) I have been unable to drop below 27% bf. My doctor says “eat less”. I’m not so sure. Am I calorie deficient?

I’m strong, but my stomach is flabby

ANY HELP WOULD BE GREAT. A million thanks.
on 11 Mar 2008 at 8:52 am20Sam

Hi, i am 16 years old and i want to gain weight. I weigh 59 kgs (130lbs) and 180cm tall (5′9). I excersize alot and life weights about 3 times a week. I am consuming about 4000 calories per day. I am aiming to gain about 8 kilograms in as little time as possible.
Any tips would be greatly appreciated.
on 11 Mar 2008 at 1:44 pm21Cisco

I’m 6′0 197 male. I’m probably about 20% body fat. Not sure how accurate that is because i have always weighed more than other people my size even at very low body fat (heavy bones and muscle). I workout about 30-40 minutes 6x days a week doing resistance training and cardio. How much should I be eating to loose weight in a safe way so I don’t sacrifice muscle? Thanks for the help.
on 28 Mar 2008 at 12:17 am22Dal3

hi im currently really wanting to lose body fat lol because i think im overweight for my age group thats 14 so i not sure how much i currently way anyway to lose weight without changing my diet all i eat is chips , somtimes rice , maybe mash-potato and sunday dinner hardly anything else so anyway that i could lose ?
on 18 May 2008 at 6:48 am23jd

i am 5 11 and weight about 185 pounds. My bodyfat percentage is around 15% percent. I normally eat between 160 and 200 grams of protein, 250-320 grams of carbs, and 50-60 grams of fat. Most days i get over 2500 calories. I am making lower body strength gains, but it seems like i am slowly gaining fat and not gaining much muscle. What am I doing wrong? Also, I am a diabetic. Not sure how much of an effect this truly has on muscle gain and fat gain. If anyone has any suggestions, I would greatly appreciate the advice.
on 29 May 2008 at 2:46 am24tsnowman57

This is very serious to me so i really need some help with this.
I am 16 yrs old and i weigh 160 lbs. I work out 6 days a week ( diff body part a day) and i run 30 mins a day or every other day. My goal is to do a bodybuilding contest next May. I don’t have much body fat on me at all because i have always been athletic and i eat very healthy. I want to lose as much body fat as possible by May. I want to replace what body fat I have with Muscle weight. I need to know what all i should take in a day like how many calories,protein,carbs,etc. I already take in a good bit of protein everyday because of the protein drinks and the good foods i eat. I just need to know what I need to take in so i can burn fat off but at the same time gain muscle. Also if u can, i would also like to know how many calories do i need to burn a day. All this would help me so much. Please reply to this asap because as soon as i start this diet, the better i will look when it’s time for this contest. I really need your help and i will HIGHLY appreciate this. If it would be easier on you in the future, I could just send you my questions and thins to your email address. Thank you so much.
on 29 May 2008 at 11:46 pm25tsnowman57

This is very serious to me so i really need some help with this.
I am 16 yrs old, about 6′1, and i weigh 160 lbs. I work out 6 days a week ( diff body part a day) and i run 30 mins a day or every other day. My goal is to do a bodybuilding contest next May. I don’t have much body fat on me at all because i have always been athletic and i eat very healthy. I want to lose as much body fat as possible by May. I want to replace what body fat I have with Muscle weight. I need to know what all i should take in a day like how many calories,protein,carbs,etc. I already take in a good bit of protein everyday because of the protein drinks and the good foods i eat. I just need to know what I need to take in so i can burn fat off but at the same time gain muscle. Also if u can, i would also like to know how many calories do i need to burn a day. All this would help me so much. Please reply to this asap because as soon as i start this diet, the better i will look when it’s time for this contest. I really need your help and i will HIGHLY appreciate this. If it would be easier on you in the future, I could just send you my questions and things to your email address. Thank you so much.

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