Effective weight loss comes from understanding how to structure the proper daily intake of calories to lose weight fast. Rather than depriving your body of calories (which has been shown in studies to work against you) a better solution is to make a small reduction that causes fat to be burned more slowly.

Choosing a round number of calories (500 or 1,000 calories for instance) isn't the most effective way to determine how to cut your calorie intake. The reason is that the number of calories taken in varies greatly from person to person, and this makes a round number reduction either too high or too low for your normal calorie intake.

For example, cutting 500 calories from a 2,000-calorie diet represents a much larger decrease than cutting those same 500 calories from a 3,500-calorie plan.

Rather, you should attempt to use a percentage decrease in calories to lose weight fast. The most effective and widely accepted percentage is 15-20% below your maintenance level. The maintenance level is the number of calories you need each day to maintain your current weight.

There is not just one, but two different formulas you can use to come up with your own number of calories to lose weight fast…

The "Harris Benedict Formula" is based on your basal metabolic rate (BMR), which is the number of calories your body needs to perform natural processes like circulation, breathing, and digestion. You then use an activity multiplier to take into account your additional daily activities to determine how many calories you need daily to maintain your current weightThe next step is to use an activity multiplier to account for your daily activities, and this will give you a figure that tells how many calories you need to stay at your current weight.

Come up with your daily intake of calories to lose weight fast by decreasing this number by 15-20%.

Calculate the BMR by using the following formula:

Men: 66 + (13.7 * bodyweight in kg) + (5 * height in cm) - (6.8 * age in years) = BMR

Women: 655 + (9.6 * bodyweight in kg) + (1.8 * height in cm) - (4.7 * age in years) = BMR

Multiply this result by your activity multiplier:

Sedentary = BMR * 1.2 (if you get little to no exercise)
Lightly Active = BMR * 1.375 (if you get light exercise: 1-3 days a week)
Moderately Active = BMR * 1.55 (if you get moderate exercise: 3-5 days a week)
Very active = BMR * 1.725 (if you get intense exercise: 6-7 days a week)
Extremely Active = BMR * 1.9 (if you get intense daily exercise and you also have a strenuous physical job).

Reducing that number by 15-20% will provide you with the target number of calories to lose weight fast.

Another way to figure your target daily calorie reduction is to use the "Katch-McArdle Formula". This formula is an even more accurate way to determine your target number of calories to lose weight fast because it factors in your lean body mass, leading to a more accurate metabolic reading.

Use the Katch-McArdle Formula to calculate your basic metabolic rate (BMR) as follows:

BMR = 370 + (21.6 x lean mass in kg)

Your lean body mass simply represents any type of body weight that is NOT fat. You can obtain this number if you've had your body fat levels tested.

A leaner or fatter body type makes it even more important to factor in your lean body mass to determine your target number of calories to lose weight fast. Once you've factored in your lean body mass, you simply use the activity multiplier and then reduce by the 15-20% required.

A drastic cut in calories triggers the natural starvation mechanisms of your body and will slow down your results. If your calorie intake becomes too little, your body stops burning fat as a way to conserve energy.

Reducing calories to lose weight fast by using a percentage of your typical caloric intake will ensure that your metabolism stays steady, your body burns fat, and your lean muscle mass doesn't decrease.