Calorie Intake for Women 

Calories are the units of energy you need to be able to perform your daily routine. How much energy a woman needs depends on a number of factors like weight, height, age and how active she is. While this article will give you a general guideline for the number of recommended calories women should have every day, it's only a basic guideline and the actual number could be greater or less, depending on every person's personal situation.

Maintaining a balance between how many calories you consume and how many calories you burn every day is imperative to maintain your weight. Literally everything you eat and drink has calories in it. Similarly, any activity you perform will help you burn calories¡ªeven breathing will help you burn calories. By eating too few calories you can experience weight loss and eating more than you can burn can cause weight gain. It helps to have a basic knowledge of daily calorie intake for women so that you could achieve better shape or lose weight if combined with proper exercises.

How Many Calories Do You Need?

Like we said in the introduction, every woman's recommended number of calories is different based on many factors. Similarly, too women consuming the same amount of calorie every day don't necessary have the same shape or body condition. To find out how many calories you are recommended to consume every day, you're going to have to do a bit of math.

By using a formula that is called the "Harris Benedict" principle, you can determine what your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) is. After completing the formula, you will be able to know how many calories you need to eat every day to be able to maintain your current weight. If you're looking to lose weight then you will have to cut back on your calories or work out more so you can burn more. It's interesting to know that people generally use 60% of all calories they consume on things like breathing.

How to Calculate Your Calorie Number

Step 1: Solve the following calculation after filling in your details:

655 + (4.3 * your weight-lbs) + (4.7 * your height-inches) - (4.7 * your age-years). This is the Harris Benedict principle and the answer is your BMR.

Step 2: The next step is to do another small equation and add a percentage to your BMR that you should have worked out above so you can determine how many calories you can consume one day.

If your level of activity is very low and you mostly sit all day then multiply your BMR by 20% only.

If you do minor activities every day, then multiply your BMR by 30%.

If your level of daily activity is above average (you work out most days) then multiply your BMR by 40%

If your level of daily activity is very high then multiply your BMR by 50%

After you've got your second number, add it to the number you got when you calculated your BMR. The result is your recommended daily number of calories that you should consume.

If you're looking to cut back on calories to lose weight, then you should try to increase your activity level and cut back by only 500 calories a day from your recommended amount. This should make it possible for you to lose about 1lb every week.

Below is an example of how to calculate your recommended calorie intake:

If you weight 175lbs, are 67inches tall and are 37years old, then you would use the following formula to determine your BMA:

655 + 4.3 x 175 + 4.7 x 67 - 4.7 x 37, which equates to:

655 + 752.5 + 314.9 - 173.9 = 1548.5

Your BMA is 1548.5

Now, you have to determine what your activity level is. If you're moderately active then you'll multiply your BMA by 40%, so

1548.5 x 40% = 619.4

Now you add the 619.4 to your BMA which is 1548.5, so

1548.5 + 619.4 = 2167.9

Your daily recommended calorie intake is about 2160.

Considerations

If you consume the recommended amount of calories for you but find yourself losing or gaining weight, alter the number of calories accordingly so that you are consuming your optimum level. You should be aware, however, that while consuming fewer calories than you burn is a good way to lose weight, it can also be dangerous if you eat way too few. The recommended minimum daily number of calories for women is 1,200 calories a day just to avoid nutritional deficiencies. Also remember to eat a balanced diet of proteins, minerals, vitamins, carbohydrates and fats.