How Many Calories Do I Really Need?

The exact answer to this question is, “We don’t know”. How many calories a person needs per day depends on various factors including his age, body size, gender, and lifestyle.

Below is a chart that recommends daily calorie intake.

An adult woman should consume no less than 1200 calories per day while men should consume no less than 1500 per day. Ideally, women should consume 1800 – 2000 calories per day while men should consume 2000 – 2600 calories per day.

Here sedentary activity level means a daily routine that involves light physical activities such as doing home chores and walking less than 1 mile per day. However, moderate activity level means a daily routine that involves intense physical activities such as lifting weights and running more than 4 miles per day.

Use Calorie Count Calculator To Find Out The Right Amount Of Calories You Need Per Day

Whether you want to lose weight, gain weight, or maintain your weight you need to keep track of your daily calorie intake. There are many online calculators available that will give you a general idea about your daily calorie requirements.

The calculator requires your age, gender, height (in inches), and weight (in lb) to calculate the number of calories you need per day. However, if your goal is to reduce weight you need to go for a calorie deficit.

In calorie deficit either you need to take 400 – 600 fewer calories than your daily calorie intake or if you are not consuming fewer calories you need to burn more calories with exercises.

Counting calories offers many amazing benefits. For example, you can keep track of everything you eat. From breakfast to dinner, you can count the calories of every meal. This tracking will help you a lot in planning your meals.

Find No. Of Calories In Protein Carbohydrates & Fats

A balanced diet consists of three main macronutrients. Carbohydrates, fats, and proteins all are required to provide energy in a body. The amount of energy these nutrients provide is calculated as calories.

For example,

• 1 gram of protein is equivalent to 4 calories
• 1 gram of carbohydrate is equivalent to 4 calories
• 1 gram of fat is equivalent to 9 calories

SpendLessy is sharing with you a case study that will help you calculate your daily calorie requirements

Harris-Benedict Equation

This equation is commonly used to calculate Basal Energy Expenditure (BEE) energy requirements based on your sex, age, height, and weight.

Weight W = in kilograms, Height H = in centimeters, Age A = in years

Formula To Calculate BEE

Men BEE: 66.5 + 13.8(W) + 5.0(H) – 6.8(A)

Women BEE: 655.1 + 9.6(W) + 1.9(H) – 4.7(A)

Here now we are assuming a woman who wants to calculate her BEE. Look below for an example:

Sara is a 47-year-old female. She is 5’5” tall and weighs 147 pounds. What is her BEE?

To use a formula, we need to convert her weight from pounds to kg and height from inches to centimeters.

147 pounds/2.205 = 66.8kg

65 inches*2.54 = 165cm

BEE = 655.1+ [(9.6) (66.8kg)] + [(1.9) (165)] – [4.7(47)]

BEE = 1900 calories

However, if Sara does regular physical activity, her BEE may need to be multiplied by a factor of 1.2 – 1.5 to make up for the extra calories required for a workout.

We are considering here 1.2 to represent an average amount of her activity per day.

1900 calories (1.2) = 2280 calories

Daily Protein Requirement

The American Dietic Association (ADA) recommends daily protein intake for adults should be between 0.8 – 1.0 g of protein/kg of body weight.

Let’s assume:

Kali weighs 178 pounds. How much protein does she need per day?

(178)/(2.2g/kg) = 80.7 kg (converting her weight from pounds to kg)

80.7 kg * 0.8g/kg = 65g

80.7 kg * 1.0g/kg = 81g

Kali will need around 65 – 81 g of protein per day.

Daily Fat Requirement

According to the Dietary Guidelines For Americans, daily fat intake should be around 20 – 35% of your total calorie intake.

For example,

Jany consumes 1600 calories per day. How many calories and grams of fat should she be consuming each day?

1 gram of fat = 9 calories

Assuming 30% fat intake daily

1600 calories * 0.3 = 480 calories from fat

480 calories / 9 calories/g = 53g of fat per day

Daily Carbohydrate Requirement

The American Dietic Association (ADA) recommends that carbohydrates should make up 45 to 65% of total daily calories. For example, if you consume 2000 calories per day, 900 – 1300 calories should come from carbohydrates which makes roughly 225 – 325 carbs per day.

To consume 60% of total daily calories from carbohydrate:

• An 18-year-old male (moderately active) who needs roughly 2800 calories per day would need to consume around 1680 calories from carbohydrate
• An 18-year-old female (moderately active) who needs roughly 2000 calories per day would need to consume around 1200 calories from carbohydrates.