How to Calculate Your Carbohydrate Needs

Even though some people may love carbohydrates and others swear they are the one thing you need to cut out of your diet, typically people need about 40-60% of their daily energy needs from carbohydrates every day. Typically, carbohydrates are what gives us energy. We consume something such as a starch or sugar, and our bodies can immediately use this as energy. If unused, it gets stored in our muscles as glycogen and then we can use these glycogen stores for immediate energy as well.

How exactly do you calculate this, though?

First you need to figure out how many calories you need in a day. The calculation I always use in the Mifflin St. Jeor equation (W= weight in kilograms, H = height in centimeters, A = age)

For men:

BMR = 10W + 6.25H - 5A + 5

For women:

BMR = 10W + 6.25H - 5A - 161

Whatever number you get from this equation, you then multiply by your activity factor;

1.2: If you are sedentary (little or no exercise) = BMR x 1.2
1.375: If you are lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week) = BMR x 1.375
1.55: If you are moderately active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week) = BMR x 1.55
1.725: If you are very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week) = BMR x 1.725
1.9: If you are extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training) = BMR x 1.9

Let’s say that you calculated your energy calorie to be 1,800 calories. Now that you calculated your calorie needs you can find out how many carbohydrates you need. 

Take 50% of energy needs for carbohydrates of 1,800 to get 900. Sine there are 4 calories per gram of carbohydrates, you can divide 900 by 4 to get 225g.

This may seem like A LOT to some people, but keep in mind 1 piece of fruit generally has 15g, 1 cup of rice has 45g, ½ cup of beans have 15g. If you stick with high fiber and less processed carbohydrates, it is better for glycemic control and helping with keeping your energy levels up and heart healthy.