One of the basic tenets of developing a healthy and well-balanced diet plan is having a goal for the number of calories you consume each day. However, some people need more calories than others, which can make it hard to know what is the "normal" caloric intake for you. When determining what constitutes a normal amount of food, use the number of calories you burn each day as a guideline.
Basal Metabolic Rate
One thing that can help you understand what constitutes "normal" for you in terms of calorie consumption is your basal metabolic rate, or BMR. Your BMR is the number of calories which your body burns regardless of your level of physical activity. Your basal metabolic rate is a function of your gender, age, weight and height. If you are a woman, your BMR is 655 + (9.6 x weight in kg) + (1.6 x your height in cm) - (4.7 times your age in years). If you are a man, your BMR is 66 + (13.7 x your weight in kg) + (5 x your height in cm) - (6.8 times your age), ShapeFit.com explains. Note that 1 inch = 2.54 cm and 1 kilogram = 2.2 lbs.
Physical Activity
Another factor that affects the number of calories you burn each day is your level of physical activity. If you exercise or engage in a number of everyday activities that keep you moving and active, you can eat more calories without gaining weight. You can multiply your BMR by between 1.2 and 1.9 to factor your physical activity, ShapeFit.com notes; the low number applies if you are mostly sedentary, whereas 1.9 is appropriate for people who work out frequently and have a physically demanding job.
Nutrients
Just as important as the number of calories you eat is the source of the calories. Basic guidelines for the amount of fat, carbohydrates and other nutrients can be found on the nutrition labels of many foods. If you are following a 2,000-calorie per day diet, you should consume less than 65 g of total fat, with no more than 20 g of that intake from saturated fat. You should also consume 300 g of carbohydrates each day, with 25 g of those coming from fiber. The remaining calories should come from protein, which means you should eat between 50 and 175 g of protein each day, depending on how many calories you get from fat and carbohydrates. The amount of each of these recommended nutrients will change if you consume more calories each day or fewer, but the basic proportions hold true for most diets.
Special Considerations
Matching your caloric intake to the numbers of calories you burn each day will allow you to maintain your current weight. On the other hand, in some situations you may want to eat less than this. For example, if you are overweight, eating fewer calories than you burn will allow you to lose excess pounds. This is especially important if you have health problems such as diabetes or high cholesterol levels, as being overweight can exacerbate these conditions, the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute reports.
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