The number of calories you need per day if you are active depends on your age, height, weight and activity level. One way to figure this is by finding your resting basal metabolic rate, or BMR. This number is indicative of how many calories you would need if you lay on the floor all day.
The Formula For Women
The formula for figuring the BMR for women is as follows: 655 + (4.35 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) - (4.7 x age in years). For example, a 60-year-old woman of 5-feet 2-inches, weighing 144 lbs. would need 655 + (4.35 x 144) + (4.7 x 62) - (4.7 x 60) = 1,290 calories. If you are lightly active, doing easy exercise 1 to 3 days per week, multiply BMR by 1.375; moderately active, with moderate exercise 3 to 5 days per week, multiply by 1.55; very active, doing hard exercise 6 to 7 days per week, multiply by 1.725; and if extremely active, doing very hard exercise and a physical job, multiply x 1.9.
The Formula for Men
The men's formula for BMR is as follows: 66 + (6.23 x weight in pounds) + (12.7 x height in inches) - (6.8 x age in years). For example, a 25-year-old man weighing 170 lbs. who is 5-feet 10-inches tall would need 66 + (6.23 x 170) + (12.7 x 70) - (6.8 x 25) or 1,834 calories to survive. If he is lightly active, multiply BMR by 1.375; if moderately active multiply BMR by 1.55; if very active, BMR by 1.725 and if extremely active, multiply BMR by 1.9.
Facts About Metabolism
According to Good Housekeeping magazine, your metabolism slows down by 5 percent each decade of your life. Muscle burns three times more calories than fat. If you don't consume enough calories while dieting, your body may react as if it's starving and metabolism will slow down to preserve calories.
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