Ep 54 - How Many Calories Should I Eat? Make Sure You Know This One Number

Healthy & Productive Living | Habits, Time Management, Routines, Consistency, Motivation, Weight Loss for Women Over 40

Calories often get a bad rap, but they’re not the enemy. In fact, understanding them is key to feeling your best and reaching your health goals.

In this episode, I explain how to find your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure). This number determines how many calories your body burns in a day, and why it’s so important for sustainable fat loss, muscle gain, and maintaining your energy.

If you’ve ever felt like you’re eating healthy but not seeing results, this episode will help you understand why.

You'll learn:

🔸 How to determine your calorie needs

🔸 What TDEE is (and why it matters for your goals)

🔸 How your age, height, weight, and activity level affect your metabolism and calorie needs

🔸 Why starting with the “sedentary” activity level can give you an eye-opening perspective

🔸 Why plateaus happen during weight loss and what to do about them

🔸 How to avoid losing muscle and slowing your metabolism

🔸 What a healthy calorie deficit really looks like

🔸 How to build calorie awareness without falling into obsession

You’ll walk away with a better understanding of how your metabolism works, how activity and muscle play a major role, and how to make informed nutrition choices that fit your lifestyle, without restrictive dieting.

If you’re ready to stop guessing and start making progress, this episode will help you connect the dots between calories, metabolism, and lasting results.

Want to calculate your TDEE manually? Here's how to do it.

First, calculate your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) using the Mifflin-St Jeor equation:

• Women: BMR = 10 × weight (kg) + 6.25 × height (cm) – 5 × age (y) – 161

• Men: BMR = 10 × weight (kg) + 6.25 × height (cm) – 5 × age (y) + 5

That gives you your BMR — the calories your body burns just to stay alive.

Then, to estimate your TDEE, multiply that number by your activity level:

• Sedentary (very little movement): × 1.2

• Lightly active (light exercise 1–3 days/week): × 1.375

• Moderately active (3–5 days/week): × 1.55

• Very active (6–7 days/week): × 1.725

• Extremely active (physical job + hard exercise): × 1.9

The result is your estimated Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) — roughly how many calories you burn in a day.

Ready to take this even further? If you would like guidance and accountability, I'd love to help. Coaching is where we take concepts like this and turn them into personalized, realistic plans that fit your life.

Interested in coaching? Click ➡️ here.

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The content of this podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only, not medical advice. Please speak with your health care professional about any health concerns you may have.