Calories are needed to maintain your current weight, and contrary to popular belief, that number is not always 2,000 calories. Although nutrition labels base caloric intake percentages on a 2,000-calorie diet, you may not be planning your meals correctly if you are following guidelines on the side of a package. Learn to calculate your true calorie intake per day, depending on your body size and level of activity.
Height, Weight and Age
The Harris-Benedict equation is the formula that doctors use to calculate a patient's basal metabolic rate, or BMR. This formula is no secret and can be used by anyone to calculate their own basal metabolic weight at home. The BMR is the amount of calories an individual would need to eat if he or she was completely sedentary and did not leave the bedroom all day. This number is dependent on height, weight, age and gender. For men, the equation is: (13.75 x weight) + (5 x height) - (6.76 x age) + 66.
To complete this equation, the patient's weight in pounds is multiplied by 13.75, then added to the patient's height in inches multiplied by 5, subtracted by the patient's age in years multiplied by 6.76. Then, this number is added to 66. For women, the equation is: (9.56 x weight) + (1.85 x height) - (4.68 x age) + 655, calculated in the same way as the men's equation. This final number is the basal metabolic rate of the patient.
Level of Activity
Most people don't sit in bed all day, so calculating the patient's basal metabolic weight alone is not an accurate number of how many calories you should eat per day. After calculating the BMR, the patient must consider his rate of activity. It is important to be honest about the actual rate of activity, as opposed to where the patient would like to be per day in terms of activity. If the patient is sedentary, the BMR should be multiplied by 1.2.
This number should be used if the individual works a desk job or has little to no physical activity throughout the day. If the patient is lightly active, the BMR should be multiplied by 1.375. Lightly active individuals do light exercise between one and three times a week. Moderately active patients should multiply their BMR by 1.55. Moderate exercise is defined as exercise three to five times per week. If the patient is very active, the BMR should be multiplied by 1.725. Very active individuals participate in strenuous exercise between six and seven days a week. Extremely active patients should multiply their BMR by 1.9. Extremely active patients have a job that is physical and do strenuous exercise six to seven days a week. The product of these two numbers determines how many calories the individual should eat in a given day.
Losing Weight
The calorie result based on the equations above determine how many calories a patient must eat in order to maintain his current weight. In order to gain or lose weight, the number must be altered. You must either consume fewer calories or become more active, or both, in order to lose weight. You must burn approximately 3,500 calories more than you consume in order to lose 1 lb. of fat, so eliminating approximately 500 calories from your diet per day will create a loss of 1 lb. per week if the patient adds no additional exercise. Similarly, burning 500 extra calories per day will cause the patient to lose 1 lb. per week. A combination of subtracting 250 calories from your daily caloric intake and burning an additional 250 calories while exercising is the most effective way to lose weight because it can be maintained.
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