Determining how many calories you should eat in a day depends on several factors, such as age, gender, height, weight, activity level, and metabolism. Here's how you can calculate your daily calorie needs:

HOW TO COMPUTE IT?

1.Determine your basal metabolic rate (BMR)

Your BMR is the number of calories your body burns at rest to maintain vital functions, such as breathing and circulation.

Several formulas can be used to calculate your BMR, but the most common one is the Harris-Benedict equation.

This equation takes into account your age, gender, weight, and height.

Here's the formula for calculating BMR:

• For women: BMR = 655 + (4.35 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) - (4.7 x age in years)
• For men: BMR = 66 + (6.23 x weight in pounds) + (12.7 x height in inches) - (6.8 x age in years)

2. Factor in your activity level

Once you know your BMR, you need to factor in your activity level to determine your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE).

TDEE is the total number of calories your body burns in a day, including physical activity.

Use the following multipliers to determine your TDEE based on your activity level:

• Sedentary (little or no exercise): BMR x 1.2
• Lightly active (1-3 days of exercise per week): BMR x 1.375
• Moderately active (3-5 days of exercise per week): BMR x 1.55
• Very active (6-7 days of exercise per week): BMR x 1.725
• Extra active (very intense exercise or physical job): BMR x 1.9

3. Determine your calorie intake

Once you know your TDEE, you can determine your calorie intake for weight loss, maintenance, or gain.

To lose weight, you need to create a calorie deficit by consuming fewer calories than your TDEE.

To maintain your weight, consume the same number of calories as your TDEE.

To gain weight, consume more calories than your TDEE.

The following are general guidelines:

• To lose weight: TDEE - 500 calories per day (for a weight loss of 1 pound per week) or TDEE - 1000 calories per day (for a weight loss of 2 pounds per week)
• To maintain weight: TDEE
• To gain weight: TDEE + 500-1000 calories per day

That's it, using this method you will be able to know how many calories you should eat in a day.

EXAMPLE

Here is an example of how to compute how many calories you should eat in a day.

Let's say you are a 30-year-old female who is 5'6'' and weighs 140 pounds. You exercise moderately for 3-5 days per week. Using the Harris-Benedict equation, your BMR is:

BMR = 655 + (4.35 x 140) + (4.7 x 66) - (4.7 x 30) = 1,404 calories per day

To determine your TDEE, you need to multiply your BMR by the activity level multiplier for moderate exercise (1.55):

TDEE = 1,404 x 1.55 = 2,177 calories per day

To lose weight at a rate of 1 pound per week, you need to consume 500 calories less than your TDEE:

Calorie intake for weight loss = TDEE - 500 = 2,177 - 500 = 1,677 calories per day

Now that you know how many calories you should eat in a day, you need to create a meal plan that fits those and stick to it. The perfect tool to do that is AutoMealPlanner. It helps you create a meal plan that fits your calories and foods preferences and give you a grocery list for it!