Your body requires a certain number of calories each day for energy. The exact amount of calories you need depends primarily on your physical activity level, although a number of genetic and lifestyle factors can contribute to your caloric needs as well. Once you determine your total caloric needs, you can also calculate how many calories you need from each of the three macronutrients: fats, proteins and carbohydrates.
Average Caloric Intake
Most healthy adults need between 1,800 and 2,200 calories each day to support their energy needs. Nutrition labels are generally set based on a standard 2,000-calorie diet, although some include 2,500-calorie-diet recommendations as well. Sedentary people may need closer to 1,500 calories a day. Diets less than 1,500 calories a day are generally not recommended and can result in nutrient deficiencies, dehydration, organ failure and losses in lean muscle tissue.
Estimating Caloric Need
You can determine your exact caloric needs based on your basal metabolic rate, activity level and a number of other factors through a series of calculations, or by using an online calorie calculator. Males and females with light daily physical activity need about 17 and 16 calories per 1 lb. of body weight, respectively. Males and females with moderate physical activity need about 19 and 17 calories per 1 lb., respectively. Males and females with heavy physical activity need about 23 and 20 calories per 1 lb., respectively.
Fat
Fat should account for 25 to 35 percent of your total caloric intake. If you consume a typical 2,000-calorie diet, you would need about 500 to 700 calories a day. Active individuals on a 2,500-calorie diet would need closer to 625 to 875 calories daily; and sedentary individuals with caloric intake around 1,500 calories would need about 375 to 525 calories each day.
Protein
Protein should represent between 10 and 15 percent of your total caloric intake. If you require 2,000 calories each day, about 200 to 300 should come from protein. Individuals with a high level of physical activity would need about 250 to 375 calories from protein. Sedentary people may need closer to 150 to 225 calories each day from protein.
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates should make up the bulk of your diet, with about 45 to 65 percent of your total caloric intake coming from this nutrient each day. A standard 2,000-calorie diet requires about 900 to 1,300 calories from carbohydrates. Highly active people may need closer to 1,125 to 1,625 calories from carbohydrates each day. Sedentary people, on the other hand, generally only need about 675 to 975 carbohydrate calories daily.
References
- "Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning"; Thomas R. Baechle and Roger W. Earle (editors); 2008
- American Heart Association: Know Your Fats
- MayoClinic.com: Healthy Diet: End the Guesswork With These Nutrition Guidelines
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration: How to Understand and Use the Nutrition Facts Label
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