Calculating Your Calorie Needs

In order to eat fewer calories than you need, you have to determine how many calories you actually need. Adults can calculate their approximate energy needs using the following formula:

A. Body weight multiplied by 12 (for men) or 11 (for women) e.g., 150 lbs. x 12 = 1800

B. Activity One third body weight multiplied by the number of hours you don't sleep, typically 16 hours 150 lbs. x 1/3 = 50 x 16 = 800

C. Required Calories A + B 1800 + 800 = 2600

Thus, we determine that a 150-pound man requires approximately 2600 calories per day. The "Basal Metabolic Rate" is the number of calories a man of that weight would burn just to keep the heart beating, the lungs pumping, etc. You would just burn your basal metabolic rate worth of calories if you slept all day. Thus the "Activity" calculation is approximately the amount of calories a person would expend by spending his or her whole day sitting around. If you are engaging in activities other than sitting all day, you can increase your activity hours by the number of hours you are actually active.

Adult females can calculate their approximate energy needs using the same formula, except that the "Basal Metabolic Rate" is determined by multiplying body weight times 11 instead of 12. Children and teenagers require more calories by body weight, but the amount varies by age and by individual child. It is best to consult a physician before altering a child's diet, however activity and exercise increases won't hurt the average youth of today.

Beverley Brooke, Editor of Health & Finesse - Free health, diet and fitness articles and weekly newsletters

---

Enjoy The Holidays Healthfully

How To Have A Healthy ThanksgivingEnd of the year holidays are a time when our eyes are often bigger than our stomach! Many of us wonder how we will get through them without... Read More

Fruitceuticals - The Evolution of Fruit

Since the beginning of time, everyday fruits have been known to help maintain a healthy body. The popular "5-A-Day for Better Health" is a national program encouraging Americans to increase their daily servings... Read More

Fish Oil

The research in support of dietary omega-3 fatty acids (such as in fish oils) continues to flood the scientific literature. This is perfectly predictable given our genetic roots. In the wild, eating natural... Read More

5 Ways to Get the Best Out of Radishes

They sit left behind on relish trays. They're often by-passed in grocery store refrigerator shelves. Dad and Grandpa usually eat them but later complain of belching them up. The poor radish has gotten... Read More

Capsulized Food: The Next Step in Food Evolution

Anyone who has spent a day fasting from food, or who has even skipped a meal, knows just how much time we save when we are not provisioning and consuming meals. Of course,... Read More

The Truth About the Meat You Eat

There are so many topics to discuss which affect our health that it is hard to choose just one at a time. My motto is Unhealthy Soil = Unhealthy Plants and Animals =... Read More

Good Eggs -- Rediscover The Simple Pleasures of Eggs!

Health food or heart attack on a plate? Eggs had a bad rep for a few years. We worried that they would elevate our cholesterol levels. But, that was then. Now, it turns... Read More

Whatever Happened to the Basic Four Food Groups?

What Ever Happened to the Basic FourThe USDA was originally given the conflicting task of educating the public on agricultural matters while simultaneously working with food producers to provide a reliable and consistent... Read More

Focus on Trans Fat

There's no doubt--carbohydrates have taken center stage in public discourse about dietary practices. You can't turn on the TV, open a newspaper or walk past the office water cooler these days without hearing... Read More

Aging Gracefully with the Aid of Various Nutrients

During the past thirty years there has been a steadily growing amount of scientific evidence linking vitamins and minerals to having a direct effect in protecting one's self from aging. Apart from the... Read More

That Cookie Might Kill You!

Chances are you may have had a food product that contained Trans Fatty Acids. What's the danger you ask? I 'm about to share with you just a little of the hidden dangers... Read More

You Dont Have to be Wealthy to Eat Well: The Truth about Your Grocery Budget

Many people complain that organic foods are more costly than conventional. In many cases, organic foods are priced higher. However, people aren't weighing the costs of eating healthy against the costs of eating... Read More

Food Labels: Fact or Fiction?

How often do you pick up items at the grocery and scan the labels? Do you understand them? Ever wonder if they are really accurate? Many consumers probably glance at them, but based... Read More

Soytastic ? The Health Benefits of Soy

It is often taken as a given fact that soy is beneficial to our health, and that it is certainly a healthier alternative to dairy products and meat. However, it is rare that... Read More

Discover Which Fruit and Vegetables Help Relieve Arthritic Pain

If you or someone you know suffers from rheumatoid arthritis, you know how painful and debilitating it can be. If you haven't walked a mile in those shoes, you can't imagine how frustrating... Read More

Magnesium 101

Magnesium is an important mineral that serves numerous essential functions in the body. There are more than 300 biochemical processes in the human body that require the use of the mineral magnesium. From... Read More

The Magic in Food: LOVE

Remember the old adage, you are what you eat? The simplest magical ritual that you can do is to cut open a fruit or vegetable and eat it while thinking of your magical... Read More

The Many Benefits of Green Tea Extract

The Benefits of Green Tea Extract: Anti-Aging, Anti-Cancer, Weight Control One of the great advancements in nutrition in the twenty-first century is the scientific confirmation of the many benefits of green... Read More

Our Livers Need for Water

Although many realize that the liver has its own cleansing system, it does need help - as it cannot maintain its healthy state if its being abused. Abuse occurs when too much of... Read More

What You Eat Can Protect Your Skin from the Sun

(ARA) - By now you probably think you've heard all of the health reasons there are for eating your vegetables. But recently, researchers from Harvard University have announced that lutein -- a potent... Read More

Fasting & Enemas...For A Clean Body Detox

A hundred years ago, life was very different here on earth. The air was cleaner and the earth was rich in nutrients. Then, in our need to feed our ever-increasing population, we gradually... Read More

Olive Oil -Not Just for Popeye

Archeological records indicate that man has cultivated the olive tree for about 6,000 years; having been especially popular in the Isle of Crete (which as you recall, also appeared in the Seven Countries... Read More

9 Tips to Stop Food Cravings and Help You With Your Diet

Most of us are "regular" people. We don't eat the perfect diet all the time and have our struggles with food, same as everyone else. But having an awareness of this fact and... Read More

What Actually Is Health?

Nature works mostly on the principle of thing and no thing. Light is the thing and darkness is the absence of light. Sound is the thing and silence is the absence of sound.... Read More

Chocolate Splendor: Food For The Gods; Bodybuilding Nutrition

A fictional overheard conversation at a Thelma's Fine Dining.Hi, I'm your waitress, Flo. How are you two doing tonight? Just come from the gym? Whew, one of you needs a shower. Here's our... Read More

What is A Balanced Diet For Losing Weight and Good Health?

The total calories that you should be consuming depend on whether you are a women or a man. It depends on your body structure and your activity level. So you need to make... Read More

Protein: Common or Missing Link?

Most of us equate the word diet with calorie reduction. This is understandable, since most diet marketing is relentlessly focused on offering consumers low-calorie options.Unfortunately, this way of thinking is categorically wrong. The... Read More

Startling New Evidence: You Can Slow the Aging Process, Scientists Say

What if you could actually slow your rate of aging, and live healthier longer, simply by eating certain foods? U.S. Government scientists now say it's possible.Floyd P. Horn, then Administrator of the scientific... Read More

A Home Water Filter - Do We Need To Filter Our Drinking Water?

Do we really need a home water filter? Can't we just assume the water that flows from our kitchen and bathroom tap is sufficiently treated for contaminants by our municipal water facility? In... Read More