• Skip to content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • Shop ModernMom
  • Become An Insider

ModernMom

The premiere destination for moms

  • Parenting
    • Pregnancy
    • Baby
    • Kids
    • Tweens and Teens
    • ModernMom Monday Videos
  • Cooking
  • Living Healthy
    • Breast Cancer
    • Health & Fitness
    • Body after Baby
    • Beauty
    • Relationships
    • Love
  • Lifestyle
    • Crafts
    • At Home
    • Education
    • Travel
    • Pets
    • Decorate
    • Money
    • Brooke Burke
  • Celebrate
    • Holidays
      • Easter
      • Valentine’s Day
      • New Year’s
      • Christmas
      • Hanukah
      • Halloween
      • Thanksgiving
    • Birthdays
    • Parties
  • Must Have
  • Contests
  • Entertainment

How to Calculate Daily Caloric Requirements

March 30, 2010 by ModernMom Staff Leave a Comment

If you are on a diet, you may be confused as to the number of calories you need each day to lose weight. While recommended daily allowances give a ballpark amount that is sometimes divided into male and female categories, it is not difficult to determine that you may need and burn more calories than your 84-year-old grandmother who sits all day long. The formula used to compute caloric needs is the basal metabolic rate (BMR); it takes into account your weight, height and age as well as factors in your personal physical activity. This gives you a personalized amount of daily calories needed to maintain, lose or gain weight.

Step 1

Convert your personal statistics into metric by multiplying your height in inches times 2.54 to arrive at centimeters. Take your weight times 0.454 to convert it to kilograms.

Calculate your BMR by inserting your measurements into the equation: 655 + (9.6 x weight) + (1.8 x height) – (4.7 x age)

For example, say a 35-year-old woman weighs 130 lbs. and is 63 inches tall. Multiply 130 lbs. times 0.454 to get 59 kg; 63 inches tall times 2.54 equals 160 cm.

Multiply 9.6 times 59 kg (equals 566.4) and 1.8 times 160 cm (equals 288).

Finish the equation:

655 + 566.4 + 288 – 35 (years old) = 1,474.4 calories per day, or your BMR.

Step 2

Use your BMR to calculate your exact needs by deciding on the activity multiplier that best describes your lifestyle.

If you have a desk job and get very little exercise, multiply your BMR times 1.2 for a sedentary lifestyle.

If you are moderately active, multiply by 1.55.

If you are very active, such as participating in a sport six or seven days a week, multiply times 1.9.

For example, a 35-year-old woman exercises three times a week, so she is moderately active. Multiply her 1,474 calories per day times 1.55 to arrive at 2,284.7 calories needed per day.

1,474 x 1.55 = 2,284.7

Step 3

Modify your personal numbers by using activity multipliers that fall between the main categories. For example, if you work at a desk but take a leisurely walk three times a week, use 1.375 as your activity multiplier; if you start an extremely physical job or start daily training for a marathon, change your multiplier to 1.9.

Photo Credit

  • weight image by julien tromeur from Fotolia.com

Comments

comments

Filed Under: Health/Fitness

About ModernMom Staff

Reader Interactions

Primary Sidebar

Search

Tell a friend

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
ModernMom Boutique

ModernMom TV

Featured

10 Life Lessons I Want To Pass On To My Daughter

I look at my little girl, who is now three years old, and I … [Read More...] about 10 Life Lessons I Want To Pass On To My Daughter

Must Have

STEM-related Toys to Include in Your Child’s Easter Basket This Year 

April has arrived which means it’s time to pull out the food … [Read More...] about STEM-related Toys to Include in Your Child’s Easter Basket This Year 

Did you know?

Bake Frozen and Pre-Breaded Chicken

How to Bake Frozen and Pre-Breaded Chicken

Mild Cramping During Early Stages of Pregnancy

Causes of Lethargy in Toddlers

How Early Can an Ultrasound Detect a Fetus?

How Early Can an Ultrasound Detect a Fetus?

substitution for oil in baking brownies

Substitution for Oil in Baking Brownies

How to Cook Beef Round Cubes in a Pan

Refrigerate Fresh Lemon Juice

How Long Can You Refrigerate Fresh Lemon Juice?

Footer

  • About Us
  • Contact ModernMom
  • Advertise With Us
  • Press
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Contributors

Copyright © 2023 Modern Mom. All Rights Reserved.

Reproduction of any portion of this website only at the express permission of Mom, Inc.

The information provided on ModernMom is for educational use only. It should not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.