When you want to control your body composition you have to adjust your diet accordingly. Either by eating more than your body needs, to gain muscle, or less, to lose fat.
This, coupled with smart training, is how you perform body recomposition, so that you can achieve your optimal aesthetics and performance. Becoming fit and looking the part.
The first step is to determine your maintenance level. Only by knowing how many calories your body needs can you set up a plan to grow or shrink.
This calculator will tell you exactly that – your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure).
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Enter your numbers above
This TDEE calculator is based on the Harris–Benedict equation and modified for accuracy (Miflin et al. 1990). Results should be pretty close for most people – within ~250 kcal.
It works like this:
9.99 x weight + 6.25 x height - 4.92 x age
Males add 5 and females subtract 161 to get their REE (Resting Energy Expenditure). This is then multiplied by your PAL (Physical Activity level) to get your TDEE.
… or you just let the calculator handle all that for you. ;)
Eat above your TDEE to gain weight or below it to lose weight.
Just remember that these numbers are rough estimates and they should always be adjusted over time! We go over that process in detail in the article about counting your calories and recommend reading through that if you want to take control of your weight.
For a more advanced approach you can then break these calories down into macros.
