How many Calories do you Need each Day?

How many calories should you consume to achieve a healthy body weight?  This answer will vary for every individual.  If you think about this for a moment, it makes logical sense.  Someone who is 6’6, very active and weights 250 pounds needs more calories than someone who is 5 feet, sedentary, and weights 120 pounds.

Energy (calories) needs are based on your activity level, basal metabolic rate (the amount of energy your body requires to maintain basic functions), and thermic effect of food (energy body requires for digestion, absorption, and transportation of food). 

To calculate how many Calories you need, use the following information and do some basic calculations.

Women 

3-10 years 22.5 x weight (kg) + 499

10-18 years 12.2 x weight (kg) + 746

18-30 years 14.7 x weight (kg) + 496

30-60 years 10.5 x weight (kg) + 829

>60 years 10.5 x weight (kg) + 596

Men

3-10 years 22.7 x weight (kg) + 495

10-18 years 17.5 x weight (kg) + 651

18-30 years 15.3 x weight (kg) + 679

30-60 years 11.6 x weight (kg) + 879

>60 years 13.5 x wight (kg) + 487

Activity Energy REquirements (AER)

At bed rest: 1:20

Low Activity (walking): 1.30

Average activity: 1.50-1.75

High activity: 2.0 

Instructions:

Step 1

Calculate your energy requirements based on your sex, age, and weight.

Ex: A male who is 24 years old.  15.3 x 70.0 Kg + 679 = 1750 

Step 2

Multiply your RER (resting energy expenditure) by your AER (Activity energy requirement) to determine how many calories you need each day to maintain your weight.

Lets assume for this example the male is 24 year old and Highly Active.

RER (1750) x AER (2.0) =  3500 Calories 

In this example our 24 year old male who is highly active needs to consume 3500 Calories per day to maintain their weight. 

Now you try! How many Calories do you need daily to maintain your body weight?