Yesterday, a guy asked how I was going to figure out how many calories he burns.

There's a simple method. It's also the most accurate way to find your calorie goal. 

Here's how it works:  

The Dartboard Method

Imagine you're standing 10 steps away from a dartboard.

Trying to hit a bullseye is tough. 

That's what you're trying to do when you use a calorie calculator tool. 

It's a good start for sure. 

They use a formula like The Mifflin-St. Jeor equation to give you a ballpark idea of how many calories you burn each day based on population level data. 

That's what I use in my free fat loss command center calculator.

The first dart

It gives you a good start but they're not always bang on. 

So stick to the calorie goal it gives you for 2 weeks straight. Weigh in daily during that time. Watch how the trend changes. 

After 2 weeks, you'll have data that shows you how close your guess was. 

If you lost weight as expected, now you know you're bang on. 

If you're maintaining your weight, you know you need to adjust down slightly. 

The second dart 

If you need to make an adjustment from here, you can. 

But now you're standing 5 steps closer to the dartboard. 

It's a lot easier to estimate when you know how your body is responding. 

The third dart

After 2 more weeks of data, you're 3 steps closer to the dartboard. 

Now it's easy to throw a bullseye. 

You will know within 100 calories how much you're burning. 

No more guessing. 

- Matteo 

P.S. If your goal is to lose fat, get lean, and lock in before 2026 is over go watch this YouTube video for a clear roadmap on how long it actually takes to get lean 

(hint: if you're using a calorie calculator, you're in phase one)