There are several factors to consider when determining the number of calories to eat each day. According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), you must consider your rate of daily activity, your gender and your height. The ACS provides a free calculator on their website. Calculating your daily caloric needs requires a few simple computations.
Step 1
Using a calculator on the ACS website, calculate your basal metabolic rate (BMR), or the number of calories your body burns without putting forth any effort. This equation varies for women and for men. According to BMI-Calculator.net, the formula for women is 655 + (4.35 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) - (4.7 x age in years)= BMR. The formula for men is 66 + (6.23 x weight in pounds) + (12.7 x height in inches) - (6.8 x age in years)= BMR.
Step 2
Determine the level of activity you typically exert in a day. In order to be accurate, estimate your level as conservatively as possible. If you participate in a marathon once a year but do not make it to the gym any other time of the year, your activity level should be sedentary. Choose the level that best represents your life every day.
Step 3
Assign yourself an activity factor based on the level you arrived at in step 2. The factors are as follows: Sedentary 1.2; Lightly Active 1.375; Moderately Active 1.55; Very Active 1.725; Extra Active 1.9.
Step 4
Compute your daily caloric needs by using the Harris Benedict Formula. This requires taking your BMR and multiplying it by the activity factor you assigned yourself in step 3. This is the number of calories you need to consume to maintain your current weight.
Tips and Warnings
- Once your daily caloric needs have been identified you can easily determine the number of calories needed to gain or lose weight.
- Women should never consume fewer than 1200 calories per day and men should not go below 1500 calories.
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