How do you determine the recommended daily caloric requirements?

Calories, calories, calories.  To many uninformed teens looking to lose weight and become “healthier,” calories seem to be all they care about.  But rather than trying to lessen the number of calories taken each day, consuming the right amount of calories for your body is a much healthier alternative practice.

What are Calories?

The term “calories” does not refer to a physical particle that your body consumes.  Calories are a unit of measurement measuring the amount of potential energy stored in food.  All macronutrients hold calories, and there is nothing inherently bad about them.  However, consuming more calories of food than is necessary for your body can cause weight gain in fat and this can lead to mobility, breathing and sleeping problems. Consuming less calories than needed can also lead to health problems such as malnutrition, and you may often feel fatigue and nausea.

How many calories should I eat per day?

http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/images/scale_caloric_balance.jpg

How many calories you should consume per day depends on many things, such as age, gender, activity and growth level, height, and weight.  However, the simple guideline of 2,400 to 2,800 calories per day for boys and 2,000 to 2,400 calories per day for girls works well for the average teen who walks or jogs about 1.5 to 3 miles per day.  Teens who exercise more than this should increase their caloric intake accordingly.  For more customized information, use this basic formula. Boys: 45-45 calories/weight in kg. Girls: 40-45 calories/weight in kg. For more accurate information on the number of calories you should be getting per day use these formulas: for boys, 1.6[(12.7 x height in inches) + (6.23 x weight in lbs) - (6.8 x age in years) + 66], and for girls, 1.6[(4.7 x height in inches) + (4.35 x weight in lbs) - (4.7 x age in years) + 655].

Sources: http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/estimated-calorie-requirement

http://www.wikihow.com/Calculate-Your-Total-Daily-Calorie-Needs