What is my calorie requirement? How do I calculate my basal metabolic rate? How many calories do I need if I want to build muscle or lose fat? – Are you curious what the answers are? Then you’ve come to the right place, because below we’ll get to the bottom of calories and the specifics for men.

Calorie – what is that anyway?

Simply put, the energy in food is measured in calories. You may also have heard the term “calorific value“. This is another term for the energy in question. In everyday life, people often mistakenly talk about calories when they are actually talking about kilocalories kcal (i.e. 1,000 calories). In this article, we will stick to the common term and use calorie and kilocalorie as synonyms.

On food packaging you will find the calorie value (kcal) as well as the kilojoule (kJ) value. The latter is the official unit of energy. However, because most people are more familiar with kcal, it is still used in the food industry.

The conversion from kilocalories kcal to kilojoules kJ is done by dividing by about 4.2, i.e. if a food has 1000 kcal, it has about 238 kJ.

Calculating calorie requirements

As is well known, the body needs energy in the form of food in order to carry out everyday and important processes properly. Exactly how much energy you need depends on various factors:

  • Gender
  • Age
  • Height
  • Weight
  • Activity level
  • Individual factors: such as illnesses that affect calorie intake
Calorie requirement men

Our handy calorie calculator takes all these factors into account and provides you with a reliable result in seconds. And of course, the calorie calculator is free. Try it out right now!

What do you have to consider?

You have probably noticed that you also have to enter your gender in the calorie calculator. Why is this the case? Well, when it comes to calorie needs, men and women differ in a few things that need to be taken into special consideration.

Men’s basal metabolic rate is higher due to their different “body composition”: this means that men naturally have a higher percentage of muscle and a lower percentage of fat. They are also often bigger and heavier, so they have more mass and consume more calories.

Calorie requirements for muscle gain

To calculate how many calories you should eat to gain weight, you need to look at your energy balance. If you take in as many calories as you consume, the balance is neutral.

To lose weight, the balance has to be negative. So, either you eat below your recommended calorie intake or you exercise without eating more. In contrast, the energy balance must be positive when you gain weight – in other words, you should eat more than your calorie calculator shows you.

It is impossible to say in general terms how many more calories you need to take in, because it depends on individual factors. In general, however, a calorie surplus of 300-500 kcal is recommended. However, it is advisable not to eat calories indiscriminately, but to eat healthy foods with a high protein content.

The calorie calculator provides you with your ideal calorie requirement in a practical and uncomplicated way and also includes your activity level. For muscle building, however, you still need to add said calories.

Kalorienzählen für das Training beim Muskelaufbau

What is the basal metabolic rate?

If you take a closer look at calorie requirements and the like, you will often come across the term “basal metabolic rate”. This is the energy your body needs at rest to carry out all necessary processes and functions. In other words, this is the amount of energy (in the form of food) you should consume every day, regardless of whether you want to lose or gain weight.

In contrast, performance metabolism is the part that is needed for additional physical activities. This part can vary from day to day depending on how much you exercise. Together they make up your total metabolic rate, i.e. your recommended daily calorie requirement.

You can easily calculate your basal metabolic rate as a man using the following formula.

  • Men: basal metabolic rate (kcal/day) = 1 x kg body weight x 24

Why count calories?

There are various reasons for counting calories, which can vary from person to person. The following list is not exhaustive, but it can provide an overview of when it may be worthwhile for you to track your calories.

Count calories: Yes, please!

As mentioned earlier, you need an accurate overview if you want to gain muscle or weight in general. It can also be useful when losing weight to know your daily calorie intake.

It is particularly interesting to discover the difference between your own perception and reality. To give an example: You may feel that you are eating too many calories, but after tracking you realise that you could eat even more to reach your ideal calorie intake.

Smart Watches können beim Kalorienzählen helfen.
Smart watches can help with calorie counting.

The disadvantages

As with anything, there are some arguments against counting calories all the time.

It is important that you do not stress yourself if you ever exceed your calorie requirement! But even if the calorie count says you still have open calories, but you are already full, you should listen to your intuition or your body.

If you notice that the constant counting of calories puts you under pressure and you get a guilty conscience if you eat something sweet and suddenly consume a lot of calories, it is also advisable to stop tracking.

Also, keep in mind that just because something is low in calories doesn’t mean it’s healthy. Nuts are usually quite high in calories. However, because they contain valuable fats and proteins, you shouldn’t avoid them altogether!

Therefore, if you want to know about your calorie intake, it is worth calculating the other nutrients such as carbohydrates, proteins, fats or vitamins and minerals. Various apps can help you here.

Conclusion

In summary, it can be exciting to track calories over a period of time to uncover certain eating habits and also to know about nutrient increases. However, you should not let yourself be pressured and also listen to your body!

How can Verival support you?

In addition to the handy calorie calculator, Verival also offers a wide range of products to help you start the day on a healthy note and support you on your individual journey. As mentioned earlier, it’s not just the calorie count that counts, but also the nutritional values you gain.

Oats are the ideal basic ingredient for breakfast because of the nutrients they contain, such as magnesium, zinc and iron. In addition, the flakes provide long-lasting energy. How does it work exactly?

From a chemical point of view, the carbohydrates contained in oats consist of long chains. Once carbohydrates are ingested, they are broken down in the body and then absorbed into the bloodstream. Depending on the length of the chains, this process takes place at different speeds. Because oat flakes are long-chain, it takes longer to break them down. Therefore, the blood sugar level rises more slowly and you stay full longer. This is of course ideal if you want to lose weight or have long-lasting energy for your workout.

Sport steigert den Kalorienbedarf

However, if you are looking for a low-carb breakfast, then our mueslis with a low carbohydrate content are just right for you! Discover the delicious low-carb mueslis in the flavours raspberry-almond, almond-fig or nuts-seeds-coconut right now.

For those who want to increase their protein intake, our protein porridge cocoa-banana or the muesli strawberry-sour cherry are particularly suitable. Our crunchy almond butter is also perfect as a protein-rich breakfast topping.

No matter what you choose, with the Verival breakfast products from the Sport Range you can start the day easily and healthily!

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