How much to eat ?

It is very important to understand what you should eat and how much you should eat. Eating more calories than required add up to your body weight, even when you do not know that you are overeating. The amount of calories you should eat depends upon your present body weight and physical activity. The more active you are, less are the chances of gathering extra calories in your body as fat.

There is a way to count the correct numbers of calories you should eat to maintain your current body weight. Divide your bodyweight in pounds with 2.2 to convert it into kilograms. After that, multiply the result with 30. For example, if you are of 140 pounds,

140/2.2= 63.64 kilograms

63.64 kilograms x 30= 1909

This means that a person of 140 pounds should eat 1909 calories to maintain his/her present body weight. But if you want to have a lower weight than your current body weight than you should consume lesser calories than what your current body weight suggests.

Usually, men need to eat more calories than women, and physically more active people need more calories than deskbound people.

Another way to calculate your correct amount of calorie intake to maintain your body weight is called the Harris-Benedict principle through which you can evaluate your Basal Metabolic Rate or BMR. It includes;

• The amount of energy your body needs to function
• Height
• Weight
• Age
• Sex

The first step to calculate the BMR is to use the following formula:

Women: BMR = 655 + (4.35 x weight in pounds ) + (4.7 x height in inches ) - (4.7 x age in years )

Men: BMR = 66 + (6.23 x weight in pounds ) + (12.7 x height in inches ) - (6.8 x age in years )

The second step is to incorporate activity into your daily caloric needs;

• inactive : BMR x 1.2
• lightly active: BMR x 1.375
• moderately active (exercise most days a week.): BMR x 1.55
• very active (exercise daily.): BMR x 1.725
• extra active (into hard labor or are in athletic training.): BMR x 1.9

Every 3500 calories is equivalent to 1 pound. If you wish to lose weight, you have to cut down your calorie intake as well as burn the extra calories you have stored in your body. To cut down and control your calorie intake, you need to know how to control your food portions.

According to the American Cancer Society's guide to eating healthy and being active, it is easy to visualize what a portion should look like. Depending on that you can understand what portion you should eat while planning meal at home or outside.

A matchbox: 1 oz. meat:

A deck of cards or bar of soap—the recommended portion for a meal: 3 oz. meat

A thin paperback book: 8 oz. meat

A checkbook: 3 oz. fish

4 dice: 1 oz. cheese

A computer mouse: Medium potato

A ping pong ball: 2 Tbs. peanut butter

A tennis ball: 1 cup pasta, about one half cup of ice cream

A hockey puck: Average bagel: a serving of vegetables or fruit is about the size of your fist

A rounded handful: about one half cup cooked or raw veggies or cut fruit, a piece of fruit, or ½ cup of cooked rice or pasta: a snack serving, such as chips or pretzels

Golf ball or large egg: one quarter cup of dried fruit or nuts

Compact disc: one serving of pancake or small waffle

The Table below shows total calories, grams of carbohydrate, protein and fat per serving for each food group according to Food Guide Pyramid and Diabetes Exchange Lists for Meal Planning