In addition to making smart nutritional choices, if you're a 155 lb. male you should have a good idea how many calories you need to consume everyday to properly fuel your body -- and maintain your weight.
A Helpful Equation
Determining your daily caloric needs can be done using a formula called the Harris-Benedict Equation. The first step of this equation is to find Basal Metabolic Rate, or the rate at which your body burns calories at rest. For example, if you're a 24, 5-foot 8 inch man who ways 155 lb., you're BMR 1,732.
Factoring in Activity Level
The next step is to figure out how many additional calories your body needs to account for exercise. For heavy exercise of 6 to 7 days per week, multiply your BMR by 1.725. For moderate exercise 4 to 5 days per week, multiply by 1.55. And for light exercise 1 to 3 days a week, multiply by 1.375. If you never exercise, multiply by 1.2. Assuming you're highly active, your daily caloric needs would be 2,987 calories to maintain your current 155 lb. weight.
Losing Weight
Weight loss is achieved by consuming less calories than your body burns everyday. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 to 2 lb. per week is a healthy rate of weight loss. Knowing that 3,500 calories equals 1 lb. of fat, you can lose 2 lb. per week if you cut 1,000 calories per day.
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