The Harris-Benedict Equation uses age, height, weight, gender and activity level to estimate a person's daily caloric needs. With this tool, any male can figure out how much he should be eating everyday to maintain his current body weight.
Basal Metabolic Rate
Determining your Basal Metabolic Rate is the first step in figuring out how many calories you should eat every day. BMR equals the amount of calories your body needs at rest to do things like stay warm and repair cells. For men, the formula is: BMR = 66 + (6.23 x weight in lbs.) + (12.7 x height in inches) - (6.76 x age in years). Use Reference 2 below to calculate your Basal Metabolic Rate quickly.
Activity Level
Finish the Harris-Benedict Equation by multiplying your BMR by the decimal that fits your exercise regimen the best. 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
Mick is 48 years old, 5 feet, 10 inches. and weighs 182 lbs. Using the formula described, his BMR calculates to be 1,762. He gets a moderate amount of exercise every week, meaning we should multiply his BMR by 1.55. Doing this tells us that Mick should consume 2,731 calories every day to keep his weight the same.
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