So how many calories do you need to maintain your present weight or how many calories do you need to lose or gain weight?

By using some simple calculations you will be able to work out your calorie intake for your specific requirements.

The first thing we need to do is work out your basal metabolic rate, which is the number of calories required to maintain your current weight. This is your weight in kilos x 25. For example 85kg x 25 = 2,125 calories.

Therefore, to lose weight, you must either eat fewer calories than reflected in your BMR or burn more calories by increasing your activity.

Consistent aerobic exercise can have a positive effect on your BMR. It builds muscle, which takes more energy to maintain than fat.

If you wanted to lose half a kg a week you would need to reduce your calorific intake by 500 calories a day.

Just be careful not to drop too many calories a day as this can send the body into starvation mode and result in lowering your metabolic rate as your body tries to hold on to fat.This, in turn, will stop weight loss.

It will also be very difficult to obtain adequate nutrition on a highly reduced low-calorie diet programme.

It can also be dangerous to your health, so it is important to get the balance right.

If you are looking to put on weight at a steady rate you need to increase your calorie intake by 500 calories a day and look at increasing your carbohydrate for energy and protein, vitamins and minerals for the growth and support of new tissue.

Now this is not an excuse to load up on high fat foods, it means you still need to watch what you are eating.

Whatever your goal is, the best way is to record what you are eating in a food diary so you can then check your calorie intake on a daily basis.