Hi there. would you be able...

Question
Hi there. would you be able to tell me exaclty how many calories a woman of 29 wieghs 132 pound and is 5 ft 1 would need to take in daily for being moderatley active?

Thank you
Shelly

Answer
Hello Shelly,
 That's a great question. However, it is near impossible to know how many calories any one individual needs, considering all the variables that come in to play. I know people feel like they need a magic number. The beautiful thing about the human body is it will adjust its food intake when needed. Meaning you have to listen to your body. Too often people get caught up in counting calories, and ignore the feelings of hunger. If we step back and think for a minute, why are we feeling hungry? Because our brain is sending us signals that we need food/energy/calories.
Often times people who say you need x number of calories never take the moment to explain to people what a calorie is. A calorie is simply a measure of heat, our bodies are heat producing machine, meaning we burn calories all day long.
All calories are not created equal either. Too often people get caught up in the idea oh fat is bad, or carbs are bad. When ever I hear this I ask them to think of 2 different scenarios. If you were to eat 2,000 calories a day of donuts, cookies, and cake would you look the same as if you were eating 2,000 calories a day of lean protein, fibrous vegetables, and starchy carbohydrates? The answer is clearly no. So, instead of counting everything that goes into one's mouth, if we start to focus more on eating less processed, refined foods and eating more natural untouched foods, our bodies can begin to tell us better if we need to eat more or less.
I know you were looking for a simple number here, but that will just lead to ultimate failure in an attempt to change. I'm going to provide a few articles for you to read over that should be of help to you. One thing to remember is that in order to see positive physical change, 3 things need to be in place
1. proper nutrition
2. moderate aerobic exercise
3. concern for muscle  (resistance training)

http://philkaplan.com/thefitnesstruth/metabolism.htm
http://philkaplan.com/thefitnesstruth/caloric_deprivation.htm
http://philkaplan.com/thefitnesstruth/update_8_15_01.htm
http://philkaplan.com/thefitnesstruth/supportive_eating.htm
http://philkaplan.com/thefitnesstruth/sugar.htm
http://philkaplan.com/thefitnesstruth/women&weights.htm

You didn't mention your specific goals, but these articles will help you no matter your goal, as they will lay the fundamental ground work for you to start from.

If you have any more questions I would be delighted to help!

-Mark Shields

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