Calories needed a day

How many calories are needed in a day? It sounds like a basic question but it depends greatly on the individual in question. The amount of calories you need to consume every day is of course linked to how much you weigh to begin with. It's also affected by how much activity there is in your lifestyle including how much you exercise. In addition, age, height and the composition of your body need to be considered. As a rough guide though you can look to the UK's department of health. According to them, the Estimated Average Requirements (EAR) for men is 2550 calories needed a day and for women, it's less at 1940.

If you work out a lot or are in highly active job that involves physical labour, you will burn up the food you eat much quicker. Most of us living in the West tend to spend our days stuck in a chair in front of a computer and thus lead quite sedentary lifestyles. One rough formula you can use to figure out how much you need is to take your weight in pounds and multiply it by twelve. This will give you a rough estimate of what your intake should be if you wish to maintain your current weight. If you're aiming to lose weight, say a pound a week, you should subtract five hundred calories from this to give you an idea of what your intake should be on a diet. Remember though it's not just a question of eating less but what your body does with what you eat. Long term, a healthy balanced diet with plenty of exercise is the best way to keep yourself fit and trim.