A useful calculation...

If you want to start to take control over the amount of food that goes into your body then a great way to start is to have an understanding of how many calories you need on a day to day basis. The amount, which everyone has in their mind, is 2000 calories, however this is an average recommendation. The calculation, that can be used to work out how many calories you need if you are carrying out NO exercise at all during the day, is the following:

        Men:                                                               Women:

        10-17 y/o  = 17.7 x W + 657                             10-17 y/o  = 13.4 x W + 692

        18-29 y/o  = 15.1 x W + 692                             18-29 y/o  = 13.4 x W + 487 

        30+ y/o     =11.5 x W + 873                               30+ y/o    =  8.3 x W + 846    

                                          

                                         W= Body weight in kilograms 

As well as this, if you have a more muscular physique, then you should be adding approximately 100-150 calories extra onto the result, which you have calculated. 

Now having this result in mind, you can understand that if you are carrying out any form of physical activity, this result will need to be increased to replace the energy lost during exercise.

This calculation will give you the amount of calories which is good for you per day and this can then help you take control over your own diet. Once you know the amount of calories needed, you can start to adapt this figure to fit in with your fitness levels and other aims such as weight loss or weight gain.

Let me know your findings!