How Many Calories Should I Eat?

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Found a great article…figured I’d share…

How Many Calories Should I Eat a Day?

The million dollar question seems to be “How Many Calories Should I Eat A Day?” If you’ve read anything about losing weight, you’ve probably read about calories in vs. calories out. Nutritionists have determined that, in general, a body will lose weight if it burns off more calories than it consumes. This is the logical basis at the core of almost every commercial weight loss plan. If you’re devising your own plan, the first question you should ask yourself is “how many calories should I eat?” Determining the amount of calories your body needs is the first step in deciding what you want to eat each meal within that calorie count limit.

Basal Metabolic Rate

Every person on the planet burns a certain number of calories every day, just by being alive. Small muscle movements, breathing and organ usage all take up various amounts of energy, and this energy is measured in calories. The number of calories needed for existence is known as the Basal Metabolic Rate. In order to determine someone’s Basal Metabolic Rate, or BMR, doctors employ a formula known as the Harris – Benedict equation. The equation takes size and age into account to determine how many calories a body burns in a 24 hour period.

In order to find a person’s Basal Metabolic Rate, take the weight in pounds and multiply it by 4.35. Multiply the height in inches by 4.7. Take the age in years and multiply this figure by 4.7. Finally, add the weight and height numbers together and add 655. Take this final number and subtract the age number. The final answer to all these math problems will be the exact Basal Metabolic Rate for this person.

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