Your calorie intake will be dependent on a few factors inclusive of your activity levels, age, gender, your weight gain or weight loss goal and your general health. If you are not sure how many calories are required, you may use a calorie calculator to determine what is right for you. There are many calorie calculators online that will provide you with an exact figure. They are very easy to use and require you to fill out a few fields to obtain your calculation.
For example if you are 5 feet 4 inches, 24 years old, weigh 120 pounds and lead a sedentary lifestyle you will get the results 1537 calories per day. It will also give you additional information about your calorie intake if you have a desire to lose weight. Some calculators may give you an extra calculation if you would also like to gain weight.
If you wish to perform the calculations yourself then you may opt to use the Harris Benedict equation which will calculate your BMR or Basal Metabolic Rate.
The formula is displayed below; the pound or metric standard may be used:
English
BMR Formula Women: BMR = 655 + ( 4.35 x weight in pounds ) + ( 4.7 x height in inches ) - ( 4.7 x age in years )
Men: BMR = 66 + (6.23 x weight in pounds ) + ( 12.7 x height in inches ) - ( 6.8 x age in year )
Metric
BMR Formula Women: BMR = 655 + ( 9.6 x weight in kilos ) + ( 1.8 x height in cm ) - ( 4.7 x age in years )
Men: BMR = 66 + ( 13.7 x weight in kilos ) + ( 5 x height in cm ) - ( 6.8 x age in years )
Subsequently if we used the previous example, then the calculated amount would be very similar:
655 + (4.35 x 120) + (4.7 x 64) - (4.7 x 24) = 655 + 522 + 300.8 + 112.8 = 1590.6 calories per day.
Whenever you are calculating your caloric needs be certain that you are entering accurate information. This means that you should have your height and weight measured prior to carrying out these calculations. Weigh yourself upon waking so that you are able to obtain a true reflection of your weight. During the course of the day your weight will appear to fluctuate with fluid and food consumption.
Remember that regardless of your weight goals you should not eat less than 1200 calories per day unless that has been stipulated by your doctor. Your regular diet should contain healthy foods including: whole grain breads, vegetables and fruits. Though fats are important to your diet they should be consumed in small portions. A balanced diet consisting of the right nutrients will give you more energy and will improve your overall health.
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