In order to determine the amount of calories you need to eat every day you need to take into consideration many factors like your age and weight. For example; a 22 year old male that is 6 feet 2 inches tall, who exercises every day, would need a higher caloric intake than a 70 year old woman with a sedentary lifestyle.

The amount of calories you need to eat if you want to lose weight also depends on different things. Here is some useful information on determining how many calories you should eat in a day.

How Many Calories Should a Woman Eat?

The following table will give you an idea of how many calories you need to eat according to the amount of activity you do. The following numbers are the recommended amounts by the Institute of Medicine Dietary Reference Intakes macronutrient report of 2002. The numbers are based on Estimated Energy Requirements or (EER) and are rounded to the nearest 200 calories. These are only estimated guidelines and many factors may cause the amounts and needs to vary.

Please refer to the following guidelines when determining activity levels:

Sedentary – Very light physical activity involving only the activities of normal daily living

Moderately Active – The normal activities of daily living, plus the addition of physical exercise the equivalent of walking 1.5 to 3 miles daily at 3 to 4 miles per hour.

Active – Activities of daily living, plus physical activity equivalent to walking 3 or more miles per day at 3 to 4 miles per hour.

How to Calculate the Calories You Need: Harris-Benedict Formula

This formula can help you determine the approximate amount of calories you need each day based on your; height, weight, activity level and age. Use the following formula according to the following steps:

Step One

Calculate: 655 + (4.35 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) - (4.7 x age in years)

Step Two

Multiply the number that you got above, with the number that corresponds to your activity level:

Sedentary – Very little exercise to none = 1.2

Light Activity – Some exercise or work 1 to 3 days a week = 1.375

Moderate Activity – Moderate exercise or work 3 to 5 days a week = 1.55

High Activity – Heavy exercise or work 6 to 7 days a week = 1.725

Extra Activity – Extra hard activity or hard work 6 to 7 days a week = 1.9

Step Three

The final result is your approximate daily amount of calories needed.

How Many Calories Should a Woman Eat To Lose Weight?

How Many Calories Do You Need To Reduce?

If you want to lose weight, you need exercises to burn more calories than you take in and you also need to encourage your body to burn fat stores by reducing how much you eat. Use the following tips for a safe reduction in calories for weight loss:

• To Lose One Pound Per Week – Cut 500 calories per day
• To Lose One and One Half Pounds Per Week – Cut 750 calories per day
• To Lose Two Pounds Per Week – Cut 1000 calories per day
• To Lose 20 Pounds Per Month – Cut 2400 calories per day if you are extremely overweight and eating around 4000 calories per day
• To Lose 20 Pounds Per Year – Cut 200 calories per day from the number you were eating when you were at a stable weight

You can also visit this helpful site and use the calorie calculator to determine how many calories you need to eat each day to encourage weight loss:

http://www.healthyweightforum.org/eng/calculators/calories-required/

Factors to Consider

In order to determine the right amount of calories you need to lose weight, you need to consider the following factors:

• Type of Exercise – If you do Interval training and weight resistance your body will continue to burn calories even at rest.
• Type of Diet – Eating higher amounts of protein will cause your body to burn more calories due to the density of protein.
• Amount of Weight You Want to Lose – You will need to adjust your caloric needs to a lower level in order to actually lose excess pounds.
• Factor in Your Body’s Metabolism – No two bodies are alike, you may need to make some adjustments to your calorie needs and not eat too much or too little. Those with higher metabolism need more calories.