Before getting into any details, a reasonable question might be “why do I need to determine my caloric intake?” Fair enough, if this is new information to you, we primarily manipulate our caloric intake to (1) build muscle, (2) reduce bodyfat, or (3) maintain our current weight.
The next item to clear up is the term diet. Everyone is always on a “diet”, whether you’re trying to gain weight, lose weight, or have no idea what the hell I’m talking about. If you’re eating, you’re on a “diet”. The vast majority of folks use the terms “diet” and “weight loss” in a synonymous fashion. A diet simply means the way you eat. The goal is to match your diet to your desired outcome — whether that’s gaining, maintaining, or losing weight.
The 3 Types of Diets
Hypercaloric: describes a diet where you are eating more than your body needs. As you might expect, a prolonged hypercaloric diet leads to weight gain.
Isocaloric: describes eating exactly what your body needs in order to maintain the it’s current status.
Hypocaloric: describes eating less than your body needs. And, as you might also expect, a prolonged hypocaloric diet leads to weight loss.
In popular culture, we talk about diets based on what foods are included but this is really only moderately useful. And … ultimately assumes the “weight loss” goal. In reality, the terms Atkins, Carnivore, and South Beach tell you little about whether or not the diets are designed to promote weight loss, gain, or maintenance. Instead, these terms are used to describe what types of foods are permitted.
A good number of folks would probably be better served focusing on specific outcomes vs. specific foods. That being said, I realize food selection can be related to allergies, religious beliefs, and availability. For our discussion today, we are going to focus on the 3 types of diets as laid out above (hypo, hyper, and iso caloric). I’ll leave the menu items up to you.
3 Strategies to Determine Your Caloric Intake
Let’s get to the point. Here are 3 relatively easy ways to figure out where you should begin. I can’t stress enough our goal here is to simply find the starting point. This will make more sense as we go.
Strategy #1: Track and Set Your Target
The most straightforward way to determine your intake is to track your current eating habits for 3–7 days using an app like MyFitnessPal, Cronometer, or a simple food log.
Once you know your average daily intake:
Add calories to gain weight
Subtract calories to lose weight
Keep intake steady to maintain
This approach gives you a real-world baseline that reflects your actual habits. There are a couple of downsides here though. First, it takes 3-7 days to gather the information. This isn’t a huge deal but it’s something to consider. Likely, a bigger issue is that of you changing your intake … because you’re writing it down. Try as you might, eating “normally” is very difficult to do once you start keeping a log. This is actually a massive plus for keeping a food log. Folks tend to clean up their habits when they see them on paper.
Strategy #2: Use a Formula
If you like structure and numbers (and want to get started right away), there are formulas that estimate how many calories you need. Two popular examples are:
Harris-Benedict Equation
Katch-McArdle Formula
You’ll plug in your age, height, weight, and activity level to estimate your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) and total daily calorie needs. Using a formula is the most technical approach, but keep in mind, it’s still just an estimate.
Strategy #3: Use a Generic Calorie Table (this is my personal favorite)
If you want to skip the math and the 3-7 day buy-in, here’s a simple starting point you can use right away:
Goal
Calories per 1 lb. of Bodyweight
Fat Loss
10–12 calories
Maintenance
13–15 calories
Muscle Gain
16–18 calories
Example: A 180 lb. person looking to maintain would start around 2,400–2,700 calories per day.
The Two Truths About Calorie Estimation
No matter which method you choose, remember:
They’re all imperfect. No chart or calculator is 100% accurate.
They’re all close enough to get started.
The goal isn’t to find the “perfect” number — it’s to find a number that lets you start tracking, evaluating, and adjusting. Give your plan at least 4 weeks before making changes. Then:
If you’re seeing progress → stay consistent.
If not → adjust by 250–500 calories up or down, depending on your goal.
Additional note: if you find yourself in the “not seeing progress camp”, before changing your intake, check your consistency. If you weren’t sticking to the plan at least 90% of the time, that’s the first thing to fix. If you’re simply unable to stick to the plan 90% of the time, it may be best to manage your expectations and timeline.
Final Thoughts
Determining your calorie needs doesn’t have to be complicated. Start with one of these three methods, commit for a few weeks, and use your results to guide adjustments. Please remember, you do not need perfection — you need a process. Start simple, stay consistent, and let your results lead the way.
Want help putting this together? Book a Meeting with one of our coaches and we’ll get you going!
