Hello. I have been trying...

Question
Hello. I have been trying to get a straight answer for weeks now on how many calories a moderatley active woman at the age of 29 needs daily. I am 132 pounds and I would like to maintain this can you tell me how many calories I require daily to maintain this with exercising about 3 times a week and regular running aroung through daily routine. Your answers would be appreciated.

Answer
Shelly,

The answer to your question is very straightforward, but hard to quantitate as a specific number.  In order to maintain your weight, you need to balance your calorie intake with expense, as you probably know already.  However, determining how many calories your body needs specifically, in conjunction with your acitivity level, is sometimes very difficult to predict.  The calorie range you should shoot for is somewhere between 1800 and 2400 calories, based on your age, weight, and some assumptions I've made about your health.

The long and short is that if you're gaining weight, you're eating too many calories, and if you're losing weight, you're not eating enough.  I know that may sound like circular logic, but it is the most reasonable and practical advice I can offer.  There are formulas that you can use to try and calculate this further, but I think their accuracy is not really proven.  One site that I came across that might give you more of a concrete range is here:

http://www.hussman.org/fitness/bmrcalc.htm

Hope that helps.  

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