River City Strength | Castle Hills, TX
“How many calories should I eat?”
It’s one of the most common questions in fitness and people make it unnecessarily overcomplicated.
The super unsexy answer?
It depends.
Calories depend on things like how much you move during the day, how often you train, your age, and your bodyweight. Out of all of those, total bodyweight matters the most.
It doesn’t really matter how much muscle mass versus body fat you have. Really, your body is just expensive to run, no matter what it’s made of.
Why Bodyweight Matters More Than People Think
There’s a lot of talk about metabolism and body composition, and while muscle does burn more calories at rest than fat, the difference isn’t nearly as dramatic as the fitness industry makes it sound.
Yes, muscle burns more calories than fat.
No, it’s not some massive, game-changing difference at rest.
That’s why calorie estimates work best as ranges, not exact numbers.
If someone is very muscular, they’ll land toward the higher end of that range.
If someone is less muscular, they’ll land toward the lower end.
And people walking around aren’t 200 pounds of pure muscle.
So instead of overthinking it, we zoom out.
Calories to Maintain Your Current Weight
A simple, reliable starting point:
Bodyweight × 14–16 calories = maintenance calories
Example:
If you weigh 200 pounds:
• 200 × 14 = 2,800 calories
• 200 × 16 = 3,200 calories
If you’re highly active and fairly muscular, you’ll drift toward the higher end.
If you’re moderately active like most adults, the lower end is usually more accurate.
This range already accounts for differences in body composition without needing to obsess over it.
What If You Sit Most of the Day?
If you work a desk job and only have time to train two or three times per week, calorie needs come down a bit.
Now we’re looking at:
Bodyweight × 12–14 calories = maintenance
Still maintenance, not fat loss.
Calories for Fat Loss
If your goal is to lose weight, subtract about 500 calories per day from your maintenance number.
That’s enough to drive fat loss without tanking energy, performance, or sanity.
Some people hear that number and think it’s too high. Some think it’s too low.
More often than not, the issue isn’t the target, it’s under-reporting.
Why Tracking Calories Feels Impossible
Most people don’t intentionally lie about their food.
They just forget things.
Vegetables don’t get counted. Salad dressing doesn’t get measured. Cooking oils, I mean I not going to track the time on that supposed 0 calorie aerasolized olive oil.
And when we share the bag of fries, I mean, that’s not a whole serving.
That’s why strict calorie counting breaks down fast.
A More Repeatable Way to Eat
Instead of obsessing over grams and ounces, use hand-based portions. It’s simple, flexible, and scales naturally with body size.
Here’s what that looks like:
Protein (1 palm per meal)
Chicken breast
Steak
Fish
Eggs
Greek yogurt
Carbohydrates (1 cupped hand per meal)
Rice
Potatoes
Bread
Oats
Pasta
Fats (1 thumb per meal)
Olive oil
Butter
Cheese
Nuts
Avocado
Vegetables (1 fist or more per meal)
Pretty much any damn veggies or even fruit!
This approach keeps things simple without needing to track every calorie and it works especially well for busy adults.
The Real Goal
Nutrition simply needs to be repeatable.
Calories are a simply a tool.
Ranges beat exact numbers.
Consistency beats precision.
At River City Strength in Castle Hills, this is how we coach nutrition for real people with real schedules, so it actually sticks.
Jesse
P.S. Click HERE to start toward a plan built for you and your lifestyle!
