How Many Calories Do You Need?

Caloric needs of each person are unique. A builder and an office worker who daily sits behind a desk certainly have different needs. Similarly are caloric needs between a mother and an adult daughter, also between a man and a woman.

If you want to know your caloric needs, the following formula will be very helpful.

Calorie needs per day based on Body Mass Index (BMI) and body activity type:

How to calculate BMI is:

     weight/height² (kg/m²).

After that, look in the table below your BMI.

CLASSIFICATION	BMI (kg/m²)
Underweight Normal Overweight	<18.5 18.5-23 >23

Weight	TYPE OF ACTIVITY
	Light	Moderate	Heavy
Overweight Normal Underweight	25 kcal/kg 30 kcal/kg 35 kcal/kg	30 kcal/kg 35 kcal/kg 40 kcal/kg	35 kcal/kg 40 kcal/kg 45 kcal/kg

Example:

If your weight is 60 kg and your height is 1.6 m, your BMI is:

     60/(1.6x1.6)=23.4

Based on classification table, BMI 23.4 is including overweight. That is, if your daily activity is light then your caloric needs per day are:

     60x25=1500

If your activity is moderate, the calories you need are:

     60x30=1800

As recommended by nutritionists, proper nutrient compositions to get healthy food are:

* Carbohydrate: 60-70%
* Fat: 20-25%
* Protein: 10-15%
* Cholesterol: <300 mg
* Fiber: 30 g
* Salt: <6 g

This rule of thumb is generally accepted for those without health problems. If there are health issues, certainly, your physician will change the compositions.

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