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weight and just cannot seem to. A skinny friend, whose body I envied when young, used to try and put on weight eating extra rich foods. Obviously her metabolism could cope and she never gained any weight despite her best efforts. Of course sometimes it is that, overall, a person's calorie intake may be less than their body uses each day.

However the principle is the same. Work out what would be the ideal amount of calories you should consume in a day by looking at your height, weight, levels of activity and age. There are many books which may help you work this out and there are Internet sites where you can put in your details and a calorie calculator will do the calculation for you. Whatever is your ideal amount of calories a day then needs to be increased a little. It takes about an extra 3,500 calories, I think, just to gain one pound. As you can see you will need to be patient and monitor your weight making any calorie adjustments necessary.

THE NORMAL AMOUNT OF CALORIES YOU SHOULD EAT.

As I have already said the amount of calories a day which are right for you is very personal. Everyone's metabolism is different. However you can increase your activity to burn off extra calories. What is usually classed as the average amount of calories just to maintain your weight is often 1,800 to 2,000 for a woman and 2,000 to 2,500 for a man.

I found on the Internet a calculation which is supposed to enable you to determine the correct amount of daily calories for you. I have shown it below and the source is http://primusweb.com/fitnesspa rtner/library/weight/calsburne d.htm:-

Men-Multiply your body weight(in pounds)by 10; then add double your body weight to this value.

Women-Multiply your body weight by 10; then add your body weight to this value.

These calculations, when the energy expanded during physical activity and the thermic effect of food is included, will give you your Base Metabolic Rate. Clear as mud I know.

As the site says for most people these calculations are too confusing. They then give an easier formula:-

For sedentary people: Weight x 14 = estimated cal/day

For moderately active people: Weight x 17 = estimated cal/day

For active people: Weight x 20 = estimated cal/day

These however do not take into to account the differences between men and women which really they should. Looking at the earlier calculation on the site I take the weight figure to be in pounds. This would mean a woman weighing 140 pounds, in a sedentary job, would need 1,400 calories a day to maintain her weight. To me that does not seem a lot and I think these figures should only be used as a guide. Still as a rough guide they are better than nothing.

CONCLUSION.

If you follow the general guidelines, for the amount of calories which you need to consume daily, and you find that you put weight on, for example, then cut down a little. As individuals we are all so different that there are really no hard and fast correct amounts for calorie intake a day, just what's right for you.

Please remember that any unexplained weight loss or weight gain should always be investigated by a Doctor just to rule out health problems such as a Thyroid disorder.

Learn more about this author, Ethel Smith.
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