The result of this calculation is the average number of calories you burn through exercise daily. For example, suppose you run one hour per day on average, you weigh 150 pounds, and your speed is slower. In this case, 1 hour x 150 pounds x 4 calories per hour = 600 calories per day on average through exercise.
Your next step is to calculate your calories burned at rest (i.e. outside of workouts) during the day. To do this, first visit the caloric needs calculator and enter the information requested. In the "Activity Level" field enter "Sedentary" if you are mostly inactive outside of your workouts (that's most of us) or "Lightly Active" if you have a physical job. Do not select "Active", as this option is intended to account for your workouts, which you've already accounted for separately for greater accuracy.
The result is an estimate of the number of calories you burn in 24 hours outside of exercise time. But since you spend part of those 24 hours working out, we need to remove that part from the estimate.
To do this, take your estimate of calories burned at rest and divide it by 24, then multiply the result by the number of hours per day that you do not spend working out. For example, suppose your calculated calorie usage outside of exercise is 2,000 calories per day. If you work out 1 hour per day on average, then there are 23 hours of the day when you're not working out. In this case, your daily calories burned at rest is [2,000 calories per day / 24 hours per day] x 23 hours a day you do not work out = 1,916 daily calories burned.
To determine the total number of calories you burn daily, add together your average daily exercise calories burned and your calories burned at rest. So, if you burn 1,916 calories per day at rest and 600 calories per day through exercise, then the total number of calories your body burns per day on average is 2,516.
This number also represents the total number of calories you would need to consume daily to maintain your current weight.
The total number of calories you should aim to consume is equal to the number of calories you would need to eat daily to maintain your current weight minus your chosen calorie deficit. Remember, the appropriate deficit range is 300 to 500 calories. Let's say you choose 400. Then you should aim to eat 2,116 calories per day (2,516 total calories burned per day -- 400 calorie deficit) during your weight-loss initiative.
For more guidance on establishing appropriate daily calorie targets and complete weight-loss programs for endurance athletes, including comprehensive meal plan and training plans, check out my Racing Weight Quick Start Guide.
READ THIS NEXT: 16 Ways to Cut Calories and Lose Weight
Matt Fitzgerald is the author of several books on triathlon and running, including RUN: The Mind-Body Method of Running by Feel (VeloPress, 2010) and Brain Training for Runners.
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