Counting calories is pointless if you're unsure how many calories you should consume every day to maintain your current weight. The Harris-Benedict Equation is a simple means of figuring out daily caloric intake based on gender, age, height, weight and exercise.
Basal Metabolic Rate
You can figure out your Basal Metabolic Rate, or the amount of calories your body needs to function properly at rest, by using the link located in the Resources section of this article. Simply input your age, weight, height and gender into the calculator and click the "Calculate BMR" button. The computer will do the rest for you.
Activity Level
From here, determining your daily caloric need is easy. Simply multiply your Basal Metabolic Rate by the number that best corresponds to the amount of physical activity you do every week. Sedentary individuals: multiply by 1.2. Light exercisers: multiply by 1.375. Moderate exercisers: multiply by 1.55. And for heavy exercisers: multiply by 1.725.
Doing the Math
Rachel is 29-years-old, 5-ft.-7-in. tall and weighs 150 lbs., giving her a Basal Metabolic Rate of 1,486. Her work schedule makes it hard for her to get more than two days of exercise per week, putting her into the light exercisers category. If we multiply her BMR by 1.375, we find that Rachel needs 2,043 calories to maintain her weight.
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