Ok here is a more candid and elaborate way to understand how much calories we need.

This I found in an Article and very interesting ..

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Your basal metabolic rate (BMR):
This is the energy it takes to keep your involuntary body processes going.
About 60 percent of the calories you consume are used for such things as breathing,
maintaining body temperature, manufacturing hormones and keeping your heart beating.
It takes roughly 10 calories per pound of body weight to meet those needs.
A 120-pound woman, for example, will need 10 x 120, or 1,200, calories each day just
to function.
Keep in mind that many factors can affect your BMR. For every decade beyond the growth
years (about age 20), for instance, your caloric needs drop about two percent.
A 30-year-old may need 1,200 minus (2 percent x 1,200) = 1,176. Your body build,
which is largely inherited, is another factor -- tall, thin types burn more calories
because they have a larger surface area , and more calories are burned to maintain
normal body temperature. Men, on average, have more muscle than women, so they too
need more calories

Ways to affect your BMR:


Exercise. - Depending on the length and intensity of your exercise, you can boost your
BMR for several hours afterward.
Diet. S- evere dieting can reduce your BMR as your body attempts to conserve calories.
This is a survival tactic and not a good idea for a healthy lifestyle.
Increase muscle mass. - Muscle burns more calories than fat. The greater your ratio of
lean to fat, the more calories you will burn.

Caloric needs for physical activity.

About 30 percent of your calories fuel any physical activity you do, from scratching
your nose to running a marathon . Of course, the marathon will take significantly more
than an additional 30 percent.

To figure how many calories you need for your level of
activity, multiply the calories needed for BMR by the percentage that matches your activity
level:
20 percent, sedentary (mainly sitting all day)
30 percent, light activity (such as walking to and from the bus stop, cooking dinner, etc.)
40 percent, moderate activity (very little sitting, heavy housework and gardening)
50 percent, very active (construction work, and active and prolonged physical sports)

Calories needed for digestion:
About 10 percent of your caloric intake goes for fueling digestion and absorbing nutrients.
To determine your caloric needs for this, add the calories for BMR and the calories for
physical activity, and then multiply the total by 10 percent.


Total daily caloric needs:
Now add up the calories for each purpose to determine your total energy needs.
____calories for BMR + ____calories for activity + ____calories for digestion
= ____calories for all your energy needs

Take me, for example.
BMR calories = 115 pounds x 10 calories per pound = 1,150
Activity calories = (computer,housework, 45 minutes of exercise) 35 percent x 1,150 = 402
Digestion calories = 10 percent x (1,150 + 402) = 155
Total calories = 1,150 + 402 + 155 = 1,707

To be honest, I'll have to factor in my age of 43 and decrease that need by 4 percent.
So my total estimated daily caloric need is 1,707 minus (4 percent x 1,667) = 1639 calories.


Now on TOP of all this what is important is your diet and the amout of
actual calories it generates


To lose or gain weight:

One pound equals 3,500 calories. To lose weight, you need to eat 3,500 calories less
for each pound you want to lose or increase physical activity while maintaining your
current level of eating (or a little of both). To gain a pound, do the same in reverse.

Remember that the number you have calculated was determined in the abstract.
The best way to figure the number of calories you need is to tune in to your body.
Listen for signs of hunger or fullness, not only in what your stomach says, but also
in how you feel and how much energy you have. The more you listen, the better you'll hear.
Combine what your body is telling you, what the books and math are telling you, and come
to your own conclusions about how much you need to eat. Then enjoy those life-giving calories
for all their worth.

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Pratickm is right - it all depends on our intake as well.

Our ( Indian ) food, because of our special cooking methods generates very low amout of calories and mostly it is NON- nutrititous as well,
since we burn alll the rich elements.

Another good way to keep up the calories etc without impacting diet is take every day or every alternate day one tablet of
Dietary supplements like " Centrum " or any such multi vtiamin supplements.

I myself take Centrum and feel really comfortable and healthy.

your comments ?

I still don't understand all this obssession with the *quantity* of calories, rather than *quality*.
We all know that most common foods today are devoid of any nutrients.
Unless you take into account the quality and the source of the food, counting calories is simply that - counting calories

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"Mah deah, there is much more money to be made in the destruction of civilization than in building it up."

-- Rhett Butler in "Gone with the Wind"

Quote:

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Orginally posted by pratickm

I still don't understand all this obssession with the *quantity* of calories, rather than *quality*.
We all know that most common foods today are devoid of any nutrients.
Unless you take into account the quality and the source of the food, counting calories is simply that - counting calories

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who cares as long as our BMI is good and we know we dont "feel" fat.
Just dont gorge on Frenchfries

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Dinesh C