Calories needed to maintain weight

Here is a basic way to calculate your calorie needs.

Women:
To Maintain Weight - Multiply your weight (in pounds) by 12 This is an estimate of daily calories needed to maintain weight.

To Lose Weight – Deduct 500 calories from the maintain weight figure. This gives you a rough estimate of the daily calories needed for you to lose about 1 pound per week.

Men:
To Maintain Weight – Multiply your weight (in pounds) by 14. This is an estimate of daily calories needed to maintain weight.

To Lose Weight – Deduct 500 calories from this figure. This gives you a rough estimate of the daily calories you need to lose about 1 pound per week.

There is a great calculator on the American Cancer Society’s website.

According the American Cancer Society “To lose weight: To take off 1 pound per week, you need to create a “deficit” of 500 calories per day. You can do this by eating 250 fewer calories a day (for example, cut out a 20-ounce bottle of regular soda) and burning an extra 250 calories through physical activity (for example, walk for 2.5 miles). Another way to cut back on calories is to watch your portion sizes.”