How Much Calories Do You Need Daily

How Much Calories Do You Need Daily

The food that we eat on a daily basis provides our body with calories, which are later converted into energy when we engage in any physical activity. The amount of calories that is not converted into energy gets stored inside the body, in the form of fats. In order to maintain your present weight, you need to know your calorie needs per day. If you consume more calories than you need, you will end up gaining weight. On the other hand, if you consume less than the required calories, you will experience weight loss. If you want to calculate how much calories do you need daily, make use of the daily calorie needs calculator provided below.

Calculate Your Calorie Needs Per Day

The calorie needs of an individual depend upon three aspects, namely basal metabolic rate, amount of physical activity and the thermic effect of food, explained below:

Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)

BMR is the amount of energy needed by the body, when it is resting. Approximately 60 to 70 percent of the calories burned in a day are used in supporting the basic body functions. These functions include activities like beating of heart, breathing, blinking and maintaining body temperature. For the purpose of calculating your BMR, usually the Harris-Benedict formula is made use of.

Adult Male - 66 + (13.7 x weight in kilos) + (5 x height in centimetres) - (6.8 x age in years)
Adult Female - 655 + (9.6 x weight in kilos) + (1.8 x height in centimetres) - (4.7 x age in yrs)

Example

Let us take the example of a 30-year-old man, who weighs 57 kg (125 lbs) and is 165 cm (5'5") tall.
BMR = 66 + (13.7 × 57) + (5 × 165) - (6.8 × 30) = 1467.9

Physical Activity

The second major determinant of the calorie requirements of an individual is the amount of physical activity he indulges in. Physical activity includes any and every type of movement, including making your breakfast, jogging, climbing stairs, walking bending, and so on. The more physical activities you indulge in a day, the more your calorie needs will be. The usual formula followed in case of physical activity is:

Calorie Calculation

If you are sedentary (little or no exercise): BMR x 1.2
If you are lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week): BMR x 1.375
If you are moderately active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week): BMR x 1.55
If you are very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week): BMR x 1.725
If you are extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training): BMR x 1.9

Example

Keeping the above example in mind, the BMR came out to be 1467.9. Now, if the man is moderately active, if calorie intake should be:

Calories to be Consumed: (1467.9 X 1.55) = 2275.245

Thermic Effect of Food

Last but not the least, the number of calories required by a person in a day depends upon the thermic effect of food. It can be defined as the amount of energy that is used by your body to digest the food you consume. For the purpose of calculating the thermal effect of food, multiply the total number of calories you eat in a day by 0.10, or 10 percent. Mathematically:

Thermic Effect of Food - Total kcals consumed x 10% (0.10)

Example

Keeping the above example in mind, the calorie requirements came out to be 2275.245. In view of the thermic effect of food:

Calories to be Consumed: 2275.245 + (2275.245 X 0.10)
= 2275.245 + 227.52
= 2502.765 (final result)