The number of calories the body needs is based on a combination of factors. Not only is this number affected by physical activity, but it's also influenced by your age, weight, height and gender. Fat intake, however, is only based on daily calorie consumption.
Base Metabolic Rate
The first step in determining your daily calories involves your base metabolic rate. Using your height in inches, weight in pounds and age in years, you can arrive at this number.
BMR for Women = (height x 4.7) + (weight x 4.35) - (age x 4.7) + 655
BMR for Men = (height x 12.7) + (weight x 6.23) - (age x 6.8) + 66
Activity Level
The second step in determining your daily calories involves level of physical activity. Multiply your BMR by 1.2 if you get little to no exercise. Multiply BMR by 1.375 if you exercise 1 to 3 days a week, by 1.55 if you exercise 3 to 5 days a week and by 1.725 if you exercise 6 to 7 days a week. If you're very active, exercising more than one time a day, multiply your BMR by 1.9.
Fat
The American Heart Association recommends keeping your total fat intake between 25 and 35 percent of your daily calories. But this intake should come from healthier forms of fat, such as monounsaturated or polyunsaturated fat.
Fat Intake
According to Teens Health, a gram of fat is equivalent to 9 calories. This means a diet containing 1,950 calories can consume 54 g to 75 g of fat each day.
Member Comments