Laws of thermodynamics state that eating more or less calories than you burn in a day will result in weight loss or weight gain, but how do you calculate that? Here at Urban Athlete we have an InBody machine that can give you a body scan and what is called a basal metabolic rate. This rate is how many calories your body burns in a day at rest. To calculate your calorie deficit or surplus use the following equation
0 + (calories consumed) – (basal metabolic rate) – (active calories burnt) = total calorie consumption
If your total calorie consumption is in the negatives you are in a deficit and will be losing weight. If your total calorie consumption is a positive number, then you will be gaining weight. However, it is important to note that this calculation does not take into account the building of muscle mass over time.
For individuals trying to lose weight, a standard 500 calorie deficit per day for a total weekly deficit of 3500 calories is recommended to track a one pound per week loss as 3500 calories = 1lb of body weight.
