by Carolina Dream Chapman

Created on: July 28, 2007   Last Updated: March 03, 2009

How Many Calories Do I Really Need?

Trying to figure out how many calories your body needs each day may seem like a difficult task. However, it is relatively easy to figure out how many calories to consume on a daily basis in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle or even to lose weight.

Daily Calorie Requirements:

As a rule, you should multiply your weight by a set number ranging from 10 to 13. The total will be the amount of calories you should consume per day. A sedentary person will obviously need to consume fewer calories per pound than an active person. Here is a simple guideline to help you figure out how many calories you should consume per day based on your weight and activity level.

Sedentary Person:

Most sedentary people have limited activity because of health factors while others spend a large amount of time sitting due to jobs. While even others are simply, couch potatoes by choice.

If you are inactive, you should take your current weight and multiply it by 10. The total is the amount of calories you will need to consume in order to maintain your current weight.

Slightly Active Person:

A slightly active person is someone who has a normal lifestyle with a limited amount of exercise. If this is you, take your current weight and multiply by 11 in order to discover the amount of calories needed to consume in order to maintain your current weight.

Moderately Active Person:

Moderately active people tend to burn calories more efficiently, because their lifestyle includes a good deal of varied exercise. These people are generally on the move much of the time.

If you are moderately active, you will need to multiply your weight by 12 in order to discover the amount of calories you need to consume while maintaining your current weight.

Very Active:

Very active people are those that indulge in sports and much exercise in their daily life. These people generally exercise an hour or more every day.

A very active person will need to consume more calories therefore, you will need to multiply your current weight by 13 this will give you the total number of calories needed to maintain your weight.

Target Calorie Range:

Depending on your personal metabolism, these totals may need a little adjustment here and there. Some people can safely consume 15 or 16 calories per pound of weight while maintaining. Therefore, it is important to find a target calorie amount and then work from there.

Most people have a specific calorie range that works really well for them. After you have your target

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