An estimate of how many calories you can consume within a day to maintain your current weight. Apart from BMR, it also includes the calories consumed in daily activities, i.e. one’s activity level is also put into consideration.
In order to calculate your daily energy requirement, we need to look at two aspects:
- Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) - the energy your body needs to maintain basic bodily functions such as breathing, heart rate and temperature regulation.
- Energy for Activity - the energy your body needs to move around, according to your physical activity level (PAL).
The basic equation is:
Your Total Energy Requirement = BMR + Energy for Activity
BMR accounts for approximately 60% of your daily energy needs. It is calculated according to body weight, although other factors such as age, gender, height and body composition need to be taken into account.
Your remaining energy needs are based on the amount of activity you perform each day. Your physical activity level will fall into one of the four categories outlined below:
| Level 1 | Inactive lifestyle (you sit down most of the day and drive or ride wherever possible. You take little or no exercise.) |
| Level 2 | Moderately active lifestyle (you sit most of the day, but take occasional, low intensity exercise.) |
| Level 3 | Very active lifestyle/Athlete (you are involved in a programme of intense aerobic exercise of over 10 hours per week with a resting heartbeat of below 60bpm and/or your job requires heavy physical labour.) |
The category you fall into will determine by what percentage your BMR will need to be increased by to give you your Total Energy Requirement. For example, if you lead a very active lifestyle you will need to multiply your BMR by a further 50% approximately.
How does TANITA calculate your DCI?
This Daily Calories Intake can be a useful reference for weight management program.