While many
people live by the 2,000 calorie a day diet, the truth is the number of
calories you need to maintain your body weight will vary greatly
depending on your activity level and current weight. Caloric intake
requirements should be calculated regularly with fluctuations in
activity and weight loss or weight gain. A simple equation can help you
determine the number of calories needed to maintain your weight. This
number can then be altered to either lose or gain weight.
Instructions
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1
Calculate your daily calorie intake with the following
equation. Active males can determine the number of calories needed to
maintain body weight by multiplying their weight in pounds by 15, while
active females should multiply their weight by 12. Inactive males should
calculate daily caloric intake by multiplying their body weight by 13,
and inactive females should multiply their weight by 10.
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2
Determine how many of your calories should be derived from
fat. Use the number of calories determined through the first equation
and multiply the number by .30, or 30 percent for the number of fat
calories you need daily.
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3
Figure the number of grams that constitute the number of fat
calories needed each day to maintain body weight by dividing the number
of fat calories by nine. The resulting number is the amount of fat
grams you should take in daily.
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4
Lose one pound per week by creating a calorie deficit of 500
calories daily. For example, if your body requires 2,000 calories to
maintain your body weight, you should take in only 1,500 calories per
day to lose a steady pound per week. Gain one pound per week by adding
an additional 500 calories to your determined daily calorie intake.
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5
When calculating fat grams for weight loss or weight gain,
add or subtract 500 from the number of calories needed to maintain body
weight, and recalculate fat calories and fat grams.