How Many Calories Do You Burn?

This month's UC Berkeley Wellness Letter (December 2008) had an article about metabolism and how to estimate how many calories you burn in a day.

If you're trying to maintain a healthy weight, you need to know how many calories you should consume in an average day. Once you know the number, you can build an eating regime around that.

The below chart gives a very rough idea of daily calorie needs for the average 50-year-old:

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Activity Level Men (175 lbs) / Women (140 lbs)
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Very light 2,150 / 1,635
Light 2,350 / 1,800
Moderate 2,560 / 1,960
Heavy 2,900 / 2,200

NOTE: Very light means mostly sedentary. Light means light activities/exercise a few times a week. Moderate means brisk, moderate exercise most days. Heavy means vigorous exercise and/or manual labor every day.

This chart represents the daily calorie needs for average 50-year-olds, based on how active they are. For people over age 65, numbers would be about 10% lower. For younger people, about 10% higher.

To compute the number for your age, body size, and activity level, go to the Calorie Control Counter.