Calories Deconstructed

A good health regimen isn't just focused on your exercise and activity.

There's the eating part, too.

Figuring out how much to eat and how many calories to consume is the tricky part because it's based on how active you are.

Here's a basic guide:

DAILY CALORIC NEEDS FOR MEN AND WOMEN

• If you’re a man, your Base Metabolic Rate or BMR is equal to: 66 + (6.23 x weight in pounds) + (12.7 x height in inches) - (6.8 x age in years). For example, if you’re 170 pounds, 5’11” and 43, your BMR is 66 + (6.23 x 170) + (12.7 x 71) – (6.8 x 43) = 1,734.4 calories.
• If you’re a woman, your BMR is equal to: 655 + (4.35 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) - (4.7 x age in years). Example: if you’re 130 pounds, 5’3”, and 36, your BMR is 665 + (4.35 x 130) + (4.7 x 63) – (4.7 x 36) = 1,357.4 calories.

The next step is to figure out your total daily caloric requirement by multiplying your BMR by your level of activity:

• If you rarely exercise, multiply your BMR by 1.2.
• If you exercise on 1 to 3 days per week, multiply your BMR by 1.375.
• If you exercise on 3 to 5 days per week, multiply your BMR by 1.55.
• If you exercise 6 to 7 days per week, multiply your BMR by 1.725.
• If you exercise every day and have a physical job or if you often exercise twice a day, multiply your BMR by 1.9.

If the man in the example exercises three days a week, his daily caloric requirement is 1,734.4 x 1.55, or 2,688.3 calories.

If the woman in the example exercises six days a week, her daily caloric requirement is 1,357.4 x 1.725 or 2,342.5 calories.

This calculation gives you the number of calories you burn in one day at your current level of activity; this is the number of calories it takes to stay at the weight you are if you don’t change anything.