Calories Per Day For Males

In order to be fit and healthy, we need to take a proper and balanced diet. By this, we mean a diet that not only has all the basic nutrients, in the requisite quantities, but also has the right amount of calories. The calorie requirements of an individual depend upon his age, gender, height, weight, genes, health, physical exercise, etc. However, one can calculate the calorie needs of a normal adult man by taking into consideration his Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) and physical exercise. Let us know how to calculate calories per day for males.

 

The Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) of a man is used to determine the minimum number of calories that is needed by him, to power his body while resting. In other words, BMR is the amount of energy that is used by the body to maintain the routine functions like heart beat, respiration, normal body temperature, etc. the BMR of an individual accounts for around 60-70 percent of his calories requirements. It is at its maximum at the age of 20 and thereafter, gradually starts decreasing.

 

The second major determinant of the calorie requirement of an individual, be it a man or a woman, is the amount of physical exercise undertaken by him. The amount of exercise you do is directly proportional to the amount of calories you burn. Thus, more physical exercise leads to the need for a higher amount of calories. In short, the people who undertake strenuous work will definitely need much more calories than those who don’t.

 

Your daily calorie requirement will depend upon the purpose behind it, namely weight maintenance, weight loss and weight gain. The calories needed for attaining one of these purposes will differ from that of the other. The amount of calories you need for losing weight will be low than those you need for maintaining weight. While, the calories needed for gaining weight will be the highest. For example, 3500 calories make up one pound of weight. So, if you want to increase your weight by one pound in a week, you will be required to eat 3500 more calories than the usual.

 

In Harris-Benedict formula, first the Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) of a man is determined. This is done after taking into consideration his height, weight, age and gender. Thereafter, taking into account the number of calories he burns by exercising, the BMR calorie needs are increased. With this, you get the total calories needed by him. The Harris-Benedict equation for calculating Basal Metabolic Rate is:

66 + (13.7 x weight in kilos) + (5 x height in centimeters) - (6.8 x age in years)

 

After calculating the BMR, you have to multiply it with the appropriate activity multiplier. This determines the exact calorie requirements of a man. The Activity Multiplier is: