So how do you find the right balance between calories consumed and calories burned? To get a rough idea of how many calories your body needs each day follow these steps:

Step 1: Calculate your basal metabolic rate (BMR)
BMR is the number of calories your body needs to support the ongoing, unconscious work of your body (e.g., your heart beating, breathing, maintaining body temperature). BMR accounts for the largest component of your daily energy needs, usually around 60 percent. To estimate your BMR calorie need, multiply your body weight in pounds by 10. For example, if your body weight is 140, you'll need approximately 140 x 10 calories, or 1,400 calories each day just to keep functioning. Keep in mind that many different factors may influence your BMR, such as age, gender, size and body composition. Also, this simple equation may not be accurate if you are extremely over- or under-weight. In this case, consult a registered dietitian to discuss your calorie needs.

Calorie needs tend to decline as we get older, starting after about age 20. This is largely due to the decrease in muscle mass that often accompanies aging. Muscle burns more calories than fat so when muscle mass decreases, the number of calories your body requires also decreases. This also explains why men tend to need more calories than women. On average, men have greater muscle mass than women.

If you're interested in giving your BMR a boost, start exercising. Your BMR may be elevated for several hours after exercise, depending on the length and intensity of your workout. What's more, if you make exercise a daily habit, your body composition will gradually change, and the increase in muscle mass will cause your body to burn more calories around the clock.

On the flip side, you may end up reducing your BMR if you're following a severely restricted diet. This is your body's protective mechanism to conserve energy when there's a shortage, therefore, a very low-calorie diet will definitely hurt weight-loss efforts.

Step 2: Calculate Calorie Needs for Physical Activity
Your remaining calorie needs are based on your activity level. This includes everything from walking to your car in the parking lot to running five miles. If you want to increase calories burned, this is the component you can alter significantly in the short term. The following calculation can help estimate how many calories you need at your level of activity. Choose the description that most closely fits your activity routine. You are not very active. You sit down most of the day and drive or ride wherever possible. If you fit this description, multiply your BMR by 20 percent. You are lightly active. You sit most of the day, but you move around for two to four hours of the day. If you fit this description, multiply your BMR by 30 percent. You are moderately active. You do some amount of regular exercise four to five times a week or your job requires physical labor. If you fit this description, multiply your BMR by 40 percent. You are very physically active. Your job requires heavy physical labor or you are physically active for four or more hours each day--and you do very little sitting or standing around. If you fit this description, multiply your BMR by 50 percent.

Step 3: Calculate the Total
Now that you've determined your BMR and your calorie needs for physical activity, it's time to add them up for the grand total.

Total Energy Needs = BMR + Energy for Activity

Example: a 140-pound, lightly active woman
BMR calories = 140 pounds x 10 calories per pound = 1,400 calories
Activity calories = 1,400 calories x 30 percent = 420 calories
Total Energy Needs = 1,400 calories + 420 calories = 1,820 calories

Lose or Gain
The above calculation determines the approximate number of calories that your body needs to maintain your current weight. If you're looking to lose or gain weight, you'll need to make some adjustments. 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 your physical activity to burn more calories. If you're trying to lose a pound per week, try to consume 500 calories less each day (500 calories x 7 days = 3,500 calories or one pound). Never go below 1,200 calories per day, because you need at least that many calories to support your body's basic functions. To gain weight, follow the same process, but increase calories rather than reducing.

Remember that the number determined using this method is just an estimate. Everyone's body is different and therefore requires different amounts of energy to perform at its best. The best way to determine how many calories your body needs for sure is to be aware of your own body. Eat when you're hungry and stop when you're full. Combine what your body is telling you with what the math above is telling you, and you'll be able to draw your own conclusions about how many calories you need to eat to maintain a healthy body weight.

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