To figure out your maintenance calories, the most accurate method is to track your current intake and weight over a period of time. Here are the steps, based on advice from the Mind Pump Podcast:
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Track Your Food Intake:
- For about two weeks, track everything you eat without changing your eating habits. Write down all your meals and snacks to get an accurate record of your daily caloric intake 1 2.
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Calculate the Average:
- After tracking for two weeks, calculate the average number of calories you consume per day. This average represents your maintenance calories if your weight has remained relatively stable during this period 1 3.
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Consider Individual Variability:
- Factors like metabolism, activity level, and body composition can affect your maintenance calories. It's important to personalize your approach, as calorie estimating tools can be very general and sometimes inaccurate 4 1.
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Monitor Weight Fluctuations:
- Weight tends to fluctuate daily due to various factors like water retention. Focus on average trends over the weeks rather than day-to-day changes to get a better understanding of your true maintenance level 4 2.
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Adjust Accordingly:
- Once you identify your maintenance calorie level, you can adjust your intake based on your goals, whether it's weight loss, maintenance, or bulking. If you need to lose weight, reduce your intake by a modest amount. If you aim to gain muscle, increase your caloric intake accordingly 5 3.
This approach ensures you get a tailored and accurate understanding of your caloric needs, enabling effective and sustainable dietary adjustments.
