Figuring how many calories you need per day takes a bit of calculating. You must take into account your height, gender and activity levels. The easiest way to find out what you need to is to log on to a site that can quickly calculate all the factors pertaining to you. There are many sites that will calculate your caloric and nutritional needs. Try:
The Lifestyle Company: http://www.thelifestylecompany.com/wloss/dcr.asp
ExRx.net: http://www.exrx.net/Calculators/CalRequire.html
Page Wise: http://tx.essortment.com/calorierequir_rvay.htm
If you want to calculate how many calories you need per day yourself, get a calculator and some patience:
Step One: Men: multiply your body weight in kg (kg = pounds divided by 2.2)by 24 to equal calories per day Example: 190 lbs. divided by 2.2=86.36 kg x 24=2073 cals per dayWomen: multiply your body weight in kg by 23 to equal calories per day Example: 150 lbs. divided by 2.2=68.18 kg x 24=1636 calories per day
Step Two To Find your BMR (basal metabolic rate)—Calories Needed if Sedentary: Men: BMR = 66 + (13.7 X weight in kg) + (5 X height in cm) - (6.8 X age in years)
Explanation: add 66 to 13.7 times weight in kg, then add to 5 times ht. in cm (inches times 2.54), then subtract 6.8 times your age in years: 66 + (13.7 x wt in kg) + (5 x ht in cm) - (6.8 x age in yrs)
Example: 66 + (13.7 x 86.36kg) + (5 x 177.8 cm* [70 in. x 2.54]) – (6.8 x 42) = 66 + 1249.13 + 889 - 285.6 = 1918.53 BMR for 5’10, 42 year-old sedentary male
*cm = inches multiplied by 2.54 (ie: 70 inches x 2.54 = 285.6 cm)
Women: BMR = 655 + (9.6 x wt in kg) + (1.8 x ht in cm) - (4.7 x age in yrs)
Example: 655 + (9.6 x 68.18 kg) + (1.8 x 285.6) – (4.7 x 47)= 655 + 654.52 + 514-220.9 = 1662.62 BMR for 5’10, 47 year-old, sedentary female
Step Three if you Exercise: For Men 66 + (13.7 X weight in kilos) + (5 X height in cm) - (6.8 X age in years) = BMR To determine your total daily calorie needs, now multiply your BMR by the appropriate activity factor, as follows: * If you are inactive - little or no exercise Calorie-Calculation = BMR X 1.2 * If you are Lightly Active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week) Calorie-Calculation = BMR X 1.375 * If you are Moderately Active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week) Calorie-Calculation = BMR X 1.55 * If you are Very Active = BMR X 1.725 (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days/week) Calorie-Calculation = BMR X 1.725 * If you are Extra Active (very hard daily exercise/sports & physical job or 2X day training) Calorie-Calculation = BMR X 1.9
For Women: 655 + (9.6 x wt in kg) + (1.8 x ht in cm) - (4.7 x age in yrs) = BMR To determine your total daily calorie needs, now multiply your BMR by the appropriate activity factor, as follows: * If you are Sedentary - little or no exercise Calorie-Calculation = BMR X 1.2 * If you are Lightly Active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week) Calorie-Calculation = BMR X 1.375 * If you are Moderately Active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week) Calorie-Calculation = BMR X 1.55 * If you are Very Active = BMR X 1.725 (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days/week) Calorie-Calculation = BMR X 1.725
If you are Extra Active (very hard daily exercise/sports & physical job or 2X day training) Calorie-Calculation = BMR X 1.9
To lose weight: A pound of fat contains 3600 calories. If you want to lose one pound of fat, you must expend 3600 calories. If you want to lose ten pounds of fat, then you must expend 36,000 calories, and so forth. The healthiest way to lose weight is to expend 500 more calories per day through both exercise and food consumption.
To give an idea about how much our lives have changed, compare the amount of calories expended in various activities for a continual hour for a 150 pound individual* (add or subtract 120 calories burned for each additional or less 25 pounds of body weight; or, use the numbers given, subtract 240 pounds from that number, divide by 100 and multiply by your own body weight):
TOP OF PAGE| Chopping firewood | 430 |
|---|---|
| Aerobics (high impact) | 420+ |
| Aerobics (low impact) | 320 |
| Bicycling (10 mph) | 250 |
| Bowling | 180 |
| Mountain biking | 500+ |
| Canoeing (easy) | 250 |
| Canoeing (6mph vigorous) | 700+ |
| Basketball [entire] game | 490+ |
| Basketball (wheelchair) | 400 |
| Working on your car | 180 |
| Light house cleaning | 220 |
| Construction (shingling, nailing siding, installing porch, etc) | 350+ |
| Cooking (grinding corn is about 50-100 more per hour) | 150 |
| Child care (active) | 180 |
| Circuit weight training (minimal rest) | 475+ |
| Cross-country skiing (moderate speed) | 490 |
| Cross-country skiing (vigorous) | 550+ |
| Cross country machine | 500 |
| Dancing (inc. ballet, modern, powwow) | 360+ |
| Darts | 150 |
| Driving | 110 |
| Eating | 90 |
| Farm work (milking, bailing, etc.) | 490 |
| Fishing in boat | 150 |
| Fishing in waders | 350 |
| Football and baseball (catch) | 150 |
| Football (touch) | 490 |
| Frisbee | 207 |
| Gardening | 250-400 |
| Golf (carrying your clubs) | 325+ |
| Handball | 700+ |
| Hiking | 350 |
| Hiking (mountain) | 600 |
| Horse grooming | 350 |
| Horse riding | 300+ |
| Hunting (dependant on weather, terrain, amount of sitting, tracking, dragging, etc.) | 300+ |
| Ice skating (recreational) | 430 |
| Kayaking | 300 |
| Lacrosse/stickball | 500+ |
| Martial arts | 590 |
| Mowing lawn w/push mower | 330 |
| Racquetball | 600 |
| Raking leaves | 250 |
| Rock climbing (ascending and rapelling combined) | 650+ |
| Rollerblading | 500 |
| Rollar skating | 430 |
| Rugby | 600 |
| Running (10 mph/6 min. mi.) | 950 |
| Running (6 mph/10 min. mi.) | 590 |
| Running (5 mph/12 min. mi.) | 480 |
| Running (x-country) | 550 |
| Sewing/knitting | 90 |
| Shoveling snow | 360 |
| Skateboarding | 300 |
| Skiing (snow) | 440+ |
| Sitting | 85 |
| Snorkeling | 320 |
| Soccer (casual) | 430 |
| Softball | 320 |
| Squash | 720 |
| Stairmachine (not leaning on arms) | 370 |
| Swimming (laps) | 500 |
| Tennis | 400+ |
| Typing | 140 |
| “Power” (fast and using arms) walking | 500 |
| Sleeping | 60 |
| Walking (slow/2 mph) | 150 |
| Walking with crutches | 250 |
| Water skiing | 350+ |
| Weightlifting (vigorous) | 400+ |
| Weightlifting (moderate effort) | 190 |
| Yoga | 250 |