You will typically wish to maintain your current weight after you achieve your weight loss goal. The weight maintenance phase of your weight loss plan requires you to consume the same number of calories that you burn. Your calorie expenditure depends on your activity level and physical factors, such as your gender, age, height and weight.
Basal Metabolic Rate
Basal metabolic rate (BMR) is your calorie expenditure rate while you're at complete rest in a metabolically neutral environment. This generally means that your external environment is at room temperature, so that you don't need to expend additional calories to regulate your body temperature.
Equations
You can estimate your BMR with one of the Harris-Benedict equations. The Harris-Benedict equation for females is BMR = (Weight x 9.563) + (Height x 1.850) - (Age x 4.676) + 655.1. The corresponding equation for males is BMR = (Weight x 13.75) + (Height x 5.003) - (Age x 6.775) + 66.5.
Conversions
You'll typically measure your weight in pounds and your height in inches. You'll need to convert your weight to kilograms and your height to centimeters to use the Harris-Benedict equations. Convert pounds to kilograms by dividing by 2.2. Convert inches to centimeters by multiplying by 2.54.
Activity Level
You must also consider your activity level when calculating your calories requirements. A generally sedentary person has an activity level of 1.2, according to the Multi Vitamin website. Additional activity levels include 1.375 for light exercise, 1.55 for moderate exercise and 1.725 for heavy exercise.
Calculations
Let your weight be 65 kg, and let your height be 169 cm. Assume you are a 39-year-old female for this example. Your BMR is therefore (65 x 9.563) + (169 x 1.850) - (39 x 4.676) + 655.1 = 1,407 calories per day. Assume that you have a moderately active lifestyle, giving you an activity factor of 1.55. Multiply Your BMR by your activity level to get your daily calorie expenditure. Your calorie requirement is 1,433 x 1.55 = 2,221 calories per day.
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