You can take the guesswork out of how many calories your body needs each day. You don't want to consume more calories than what your body requires, because extra calories cause you to gain weight. By knowing how many calories your body needs daily, you can monitor your diet and reduce your risk of obesity and other weight-related diseases.
Step 1
Multiply your weight by 10 if you are a female or by 11 if you are a male. Write down this number as your basic calorie number. You'll need this number for other calculations.
Step 2
Multiply your basic calorie number by 20, 30, 40 or 50 percent, depending on your activity level. Use 20 percent for sedentary, 30 percent if you exercise less than 30 minutes a day, and 40 percent for 30 to 60 minutes of exercise a day. If you are very active and exercise more than 60 minutes a day, then multiply your basic calorie number by 50 percent. This number represents how many more calories you need above the basic calorie number to maintain your weight. Write down this number as your activity calories.
Step 3
Add your basic calorie number and your activity calories together. Take this sum and multiply it by 10 percent. Write down this number as your digestion calories. According to Mayo Clinic, your body uses approximately 10 percent of your total calorie intake each day to digest the foods you eat.
Step 4
Add together the numbers that represent your basic calorie needs, your activity calories and your digestion calories. The result is the calculated amount of calories your body needs on a daily basis to maintain your current weight.
Step 5
Use the interactive tool on the United States Department of Agriculture's website. This tool will help you find your daily caloric requirements, along with other nutrients you need. You won't need to calculate your daily calories using this tool, but you will need to fill out a questionnaire so that the tool can do the calculations for you. You'll have to input your age, gender, height, weight and activity level.
Things You'll Need
- Calculator
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