How Many Calories Do I Need?

This question automatically triggers a similar logical question: â€œHow many calories for what?â€ There are any number of

situations, lifestyles, body types, ages, and gender issues that weigh heavily (no pun intended) upon how you answer that question. Here you should find everything you need to determine caloric intake contingent upon what you want to do with your body.

Attributes you need to know about yourself

Your Height (Feet and Inches)â€”you need this because the larger you are, the more
calories you need to sustain your desired energy level.

Your Weight (pounds)â€”same obvious reasons above.

Your Ageâ€”your body changes over time, slower metabolism, bone density, etc.

Your Sex (Male or Female)â€”men typically require more calories per day than women.

Your Activity Levelâ€”this is usually ranked: sedentary, light activity, moderate activity, heavy activity and exceptional activity (described in more detail in next section).
Your Weight Goalâ€”do you want to gain, lose, or maintain your current weight?
*Some sites ask if youâ€™re pregnant or nursing, for obvious reasons.

Rate your activity level

Activity levels are usually ranked in the following manner:

Sedentaryâ€”you spend most of a day sitting and rarely exercise.
Light activityâ€”you have a sit down job, but your duties require some walking; you also might exercise 20-45 minutes at least once a week.
Moderate activityâ€”your workday includes walking, sometimes brisk or uphill, standing, and/or lifting. You may exercise 20-45 minutes 3 times weekly.
Heavy activityâ€”you keep moving most of the day, including some running and heavy lifting, or you exercise 20-45 minutes each day.
Exceptional activityâ€”if youâ€™re not a professional athlete you should be one at this level. You keep a rigorous schedule requiring any amount of running, climbing, swimming and/or heavy lifting.

Calculate

Now that you have determined all of the above about yourself, enter the values on the following website:

http://www.ahealthyme.com/topic/calneed

Now click â€˜calculateâ€™ to get your results.

Calories you burn per day

Now that you know how many calories you need either to gain, lose, or maintain weight, you are empowered to take control and to take the proper action to implement your choice.

Try this:

Using the â€œCalorie Need Calculator,â€ enter all pertinent information, but select both the weight you want to achieve, and then select the bullet next to the maintain. This will give you the amount of calories you need to maintain the weight you desire.

Now determine how many calories you currently burn per day at the following site:

http://straighthealth.com/pages/tools/caloriecalclb.html.

Once youâ€™ve determined both how many calories you need to intake to maintain a desired weight, and how many calories you currently burn per day, subtract the former fr-om the latter to calculate how many calories you must cut fr-om your daily diet to achieve the weight of your choice.

Example: 3,000 calories (currently consumed per day) â€“(minus) 2,700 calories (required to achieve desired weight). So, 3,000 â€“ 2,700 = 300. You need to consume 300 less calories per day to achieve your chosen weight. Continue that amount and you will maintain it.

Happy calorie burning!

Further Reading and Additional Resources