To eat less I will need to know exactly how much I am allowed to eat.
To the calculator!
The amount of energy I would need to eat if I weigh 80 kg is: E = MBR × PAL.
Question now is, what is my MBR and PAL?
One way of calculating BMR is: BMR = 0,0485 × weight + 3,67 for a guy in my age.
Getting my PAL is in the vicinity of 1,4-1,6 (a sedentary lifestyle). I will go with 1,5. The exercise I will be doing I will not put into my PAL – perhaps when I do my exercises routinely. Instead I will use the energy I burn during exercises as a reward – having a little treat for myself (ice cream, candy, chips whatever).
The Total
So my limit of daily intake is: E = (0,0485 × 85 + 3,67) × 1,5 = 11,69 MJ
How much for lunch?
I will aim for 7 meals a day. The 3 usual – breakfast, lunch and dinner – and 4 meals between. 1 between breakfast and lunch, 2 between lunch and dinner and 1 after dinner.
Why so many meals? It is to prevent that I will get hungry – if I am hungry I will eat fast and overeat. So I will slice my 11,7 MJ into:
- Breakfast – 15% (1,76 MJ)
- 1st Snack – 15% (1,76 MJ)
- Lunch – 20% (2,34 MJ)
- 2nd Snack – 10% (1,17 MJ)
- 3rd Snack – 10% (1,17 MJ)
- Dinner – 20% (2,34 MJ)
- 4th Snack – 10% (1,17 MJ)
Next step – calculating the energy in the food I usual eat.