How many calories should a 5'2 100 pound girl eat a day?

Answer 1

Good question--we just went over this in one of my nutrition classes, and its pretty easy to calculate. Who wouldn't want to know their recommended calorie intake? I apologize if this is a bit wordy, but I just would like to explain the "formula" and the reasoning behind all this:

I like to think of it as a three-step process: Estimate your RMR (resting metabolic rate), estimate your total energy expenditure, and then reduce or increase your caloric intake by X amount of calories.

Step 1: First, we estimate your resting metabolic rate (the number of calories you burn in a 24 hour period at rest). For most people, the Harris-Benedict equation is commonly used. There are slight differences in it depending on your gender, and its a bit long, so I won't include it here. For the above mentioned profile, the resting metabolic rate would be approximately 1271 calories/day. Its pretty amazing--that's how much you would burn per day by just sitting around doing nothing.

Step 2: Now we can estimate your total energy expenditure (your resting metabolic rate multiplied by your activity level factor). This is where you have to decide how active you are. There are four categories, from sedentary (typical daily activities like reading and watching TV) to very active (>60 minutes/day of moderate to vigorous activity in addition to your normal daily routine). All four categories have a point value assigned to them. Sedentary = 1.05; low active = 1.2; active = 1.4; very active = 1.55. Just multiply one of those values with your resting metabolic rate value. For example, if you were low active (<30 minutes/day of moderate-vigorous activity) then you would multiply 1271 by 1.2 and get your total energy expenditure, which is 1525 calories per day.

Step 3: Last of all, you can decide how much you want to lose, gain, or maintain your current weight. Again, the adjustments differ slightly between men and women. For women, if you want to lose weight, subtract anywhere from 250 to 500 calories from your expenditure. For example, if you want to cut out 300 calories, subtract 300 from 1525 to get 1225, and that will be your daily goal. For weight gain, add anywhere from 400 to 500 calories. These adjustments are slight, so your body won't go into "shock" or anything, and you'll still be able to see the effects after a while--its pretty cool. I'd suggest starting with the minimums to see how you feel, and then increase a little more if you feel you can.

Oh, one more thing...try not to go below 1200 calories/day. The body won't be able to function very well, metabolism will slow down, you'll lose your lean mass...not good.

Anyway, hope that worked for you! Let me know if I can be of further help. Good luck.

Answer 2

Assuming that you're not pregnant or lactating, that you're 25 years old, and that you're sedentary, it would be 1736 Calories. That's not much food, so it really helps if you're exercising regularly. You can look up nutrition calculators on the internet to get more accurate, personalized information.

Answer 3

I would say about 2 calories a day would DEFINITELY make you lose major poundage!

Answer 4

Consult with nutritionist/dietician rather than seeking counsel with unreliable sources

Answer 5

less than you do now