EER Calculator
Designed by Nutritionist to Determine Estimated Energy Requirement
By: Jeremy Fox, CNC, CPT – Published: June 26, 2020
One of the biggest challenges in getting fit is figuring out how many calories you should eat. To make matters worse, other calorie calculators give you a generic target.
That’s why I created the ultimate EER calculator. So you can find out how many calories you need per day to reach your fitness goals.
What Is EER?
Have you ever heard the saying “there’s no such thing as a free lunch”? Basically, it means that you can’t get something for nothing.
For example, driving your car across town is exchanging gasoline (or electricity) for transportation. And the farther you drive, the higher the cost.
In the same way, you have to give your body energy to pay for your activity. The more active you are, the more energy (calories) you have to provide.
EER (estimated energy requirement) is the number of calories needed to repay the energy you expend through activity.
Why Does EER Matter?
When you eat fewer calories than you burn, your body breaks down body fat to get the extra energy it needs. But it also breaks down muscle when you eat too little for too long.
On the other hand, when you eat more calories than you burn, your body can build new muscle with the surplus. Although eating too many calories results in the excess being stored as body fat.
In fact, the further away you get from EER, the more likely you are to gain fat or lose muscle. Therefore, understanding EER is key to finding the right number of calories for fat loss and muscle gain.
How To Calculate EER
The EER equations developed by the Institute of Medicine are based on height, weight, age, and gender1. Then they multiply by a factor to account for your physical activity level.
Unfortunately, there are some big problems with this very basic EER formula.
For one, it doesn’t account for the metabolic differences between individuals. Just because you’re the same size and gender as someone, doesn’t mean you burn the same number of calories!
In addition, your activity level changes during the week. But the standard EER equations assign a single value to your activity level.
What Makes My EER Calculator Better
On the other hand, my equations are based on body composition, body type, and fitness goal. Plus I account for your activity level on days you workout and days you rest.
As a result, you get a more personalized calorie target that adjusts with your activity level.
Try My EER Calculator for Free
With my EER calculator, you’ll know how many calories to eat each day. And you can even get a personalized meal plan that tells you exactly what to eat for every meal!
