You burn calories all day, whether you're sleeping, eating, breathing, watching TV or exercising. Your basal metabolic rate, or BMR, tells you how many calories your body actually uses to stay alive. By determining your BMR and your activity level, you can calculate how many calories you use on a daily basis.
Step 1
Stand on the scale to determine your accurate weight. Use a measuring tape to determine your exact height.
Step 2
Calculate your BMR based on your sex and the information gathered above using an equation called the Harris Benedict equation. For women, BMR = 655 + (4.35 x weight in lbs.) + (4.7 x height in inches) - (4.7 x age in year ). For men, BMR = 66 + (6.23 x weight in lbs.) + (12.7 x height in inches) - (6.8 x age in year).
Step 3
Determine your activity level. If you are sedentary or do minimal exercise, your activity level is 1.2, according to the Harris Benedict formula. If you are moderately active, use 1.5. If you are very active, use 1.72. And if you are physically active in your personal and business lives, use 1.9.
Step 4
Multiply your BMR by your activity level to determine how many calories you burn on a daily basis.
Step 5
Determine the total number of calories to consume on a daily basis using your BMR multiplied by your activity level. If you want to lose weight, eat less than that figure. If you want to gain weight, eat more. If you want to maintain, eat about this figure amount.
Things You'll Need
- Calculator
- Scale
- Measuring tape
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