How to Calculate Your Total Daily Calorie Needs

We all need a minimum number of calories simply to survive, but we can also set a calorie limit to maintain a healthy weight. You can calculate the total number of calories you need for your type of lifestyle, then use this figure to decide on a range of calories to consume each day - it's not an absolute figure.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Calculators
• Scales
• Notebook Papers
• Pens
• Pens
• Calculators

1. Calculate the minimum number of calories you need by multiplying your current or desired weight in pounds by 10 if you're a woman, 11 if you're a man. This number represents your basic calorie needs.

2. Calculate the number of calories required for your activity level (see tips, below) by multiplying your basic calorie needs (the calculation from step 1) by your activity level - 20 percent or 0.2, 30 percent or 0.3, 40 percent or 0.4, or 50 percent or 0.5. The resulting number represents your activity-based calorie needs.

3. Calculate the number of calories your body needs for food digestion and absorption by adding your basic calorie needs and your activity-based calorie needs (the answers from steps 1 and 2) and multiplying this sum by 0.10. These are the calories you need for digestion.

4. Add the three calculations from steps 1, 2 and 3: This is your total daily calorie need to maintain your desired weight.

Tips & Warnings

• Use the following as a guideline for determining your activity level: 20 percent if you sit or lie still for most of the day, with little or no exercise; 30 percent if you walk less than two miles per day; 40 percent if you are somewhat active, doing activities such as dancing, doing a lot of work in the house or garden, or taking exercise classes; and 50 percent if you're actively involved in a sport or you have job that requires a great deal of physical labor, such as construction work.
• There are 3,500 calories in a pound, so to lose one pound per week, you need to decrease your calorie intake by 3,500 calories a week, or 500 calories a day.
• Talk to a professional, such as a dietician or a physician, when determining your desired weight - he or she can help you set a goal that is reasonable, healthy and safe.
• Consuming fewer than 10 calories per pound of your current weight will slow down your metabolism and cause you to burn calories more slowly. For instance, if you weigh 145 pounds, avoid consuming fewer than 1,450 calories a day.
• If you have any questions or concerns, contact a physician or other health care professional before engaging in any activity related to health and diet. This information is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice or treatment.

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[christygeorge]

on 8/14/2009 Check the calculation. I am 170 lb. So 170*11 + 170*11*.3(My Activity level) + (170*11 + 170*11*.3 ) * 0.1 = 1870 + 561 + 243 = 2674. So 2674 is the Total calories I need to intake a day to sustain my weight. To reduce 1 lb a week, i need to intake 500 calories less a day, which is 2674-500=2174. So if I take 2174 cal a day my weight will reduce by 1 lb in a week.
But, if I take less than 170*10 = 1700 lb a day u may not loose weight.
So to loose weight, u need to take calories between 1700 and 2674 per day.

[witte2005]

on 1/15/2009 I think the point is that when you do not consume enough calories to maintain a healthy lifestyle and weight - like you haven't eaten enough calories to sustain what your body needs - then your metabolism naturally slows down. your body sends signals saying "stop burning calories, we aren't getting enough!" so your metabolism will slow, which will adversely effect all the healthy eating and working out you have been doing. Some people want to work out but not eat enough to sustain themselves, and they don't realize that that actually hurts your weight loss progress more than helping it. Eating enough to keep your metabolism stable and high is absolutely essential for losing weight and keeping it off.

[striveforhealth]

on 1/10/2009 Don't get the part about consuming fewer than 10 calories per lb of your current weight causing your metabolism to slow down and burn calories more slowly. Don't you have to reduce your calorie intake to lose weight?

[bblonde11]

on 12/29/2008 So if I understant this right, if I wanted to gain weight and I weigh 116lbs, I need to eat less than 1160 calories a day to slow my metabolism down?

[jad8depo81]

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