A 190-lb. man looking to gain, lose or maintain weight first needs to have a grasp on the correct number of calories he should consume to fuel his body.
A Helpful Equation
The Harris-Benedict Equation is a useful tool for determining daily caloric intake. The first step is to find your basal metabolic rate, or the number of calories your body needs to perform basic metabolic functions at rest. For example, a 25-year-old, 6'1", 190-lb. male has a BMR of 2,006. Use the calculator at bmi-calculator.net to find your BMR.
Factoring in Activity Level
Your daily caloric needs also depends heavily on the amount of exercise you get every week. For heavy exercise, multiply your BMR by 1.725; for moderate exercise 4 to 5 days a week, multiply by 1.55 and for light exercise 1 to 3 days, multiply by 1.375. If you get little to no exercise, multiply your BMR by 1.2. If we assume for the example above, the man works out 3 days per week, he would need to consume 2,758 calories per day to maintain his weight.
Losing Weight
Losing weight is a simple process of consuming fewer calories than your body uses per day. If you want to lose 2 lbs. per week, the maximum recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, you should cut 7,000 calories per week from your diet, or 1,000 calories per day.
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