Everyone's daily calorie requirement is a little different. Your age, sex, current weight and activity levels all factor into how many calories your body needs each day in order to process its normal functions. Most of the calories you eat are burned during the course of a day; however, if you're eating too many calories above your basal metabolic rate, weight gain could result.
Basal Metabolic Rate
Your body needs energy, also known as calories, to perform basic functions like circulating blood, repairing cells and breathing. The amount of calories needed to keep your body functional every day is called your basal metabolic rate, or BMR. Everyone's rate is a little different and is based on a person's age, sex and body size. You can calculate your BMR with the following formula:
Women: 655 + (4.35 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) - (4.7 x age in years)
Men: 66 + (6.23 x weight in pounds) + (12.7 x height in inches) - (6.8 x age in years)
Total Calorie Needs
Even if you don't exercise, you burn calories above your BMR every day by doing simple activities like housework or walking from your car to your office door. To get a better idea of your total calorie expenditure, multiply your BMR by 1.2 if you generally do not exercise. Increase the factor to 1.375 if you are lightly active, 1.55 if you're moderately active, 1.725 if you are very active and 1.9 if you are extremely active or if your job requires hard physical labor.
Calories Burned from Exercise
The amount of calories burned by a specific exercise depends on its intensity, your weight -- heavier people burn more calories -- and the length of your workout. For a 154-lb. person, 30 minutes of walking at a moderate pace will burn 140 calories, while 30 minutes of jogging will burn 295 calories. Federal guidelines recommend 150 minutes of moderate physical activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity per week.
Losing Weight
One pound is the equivalent of 3,500 calories. Compare your BMR, including your activity level, with your daily diet to see if there's a "calorie deficit." For example, if you want to lose 1 lb. per week and your daily calorie need is 2,000, take in about 1,500 calories per day for a daily deficit of 500 calories or a total weekly deficit of 3,500 calories. Also achieve this deficit by increasing your activity level.
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