The Healthy Lifestyle Calculator is a program that will help you assess various health needs such as your daily calorie intake needs, your ideal weight, and your risk for cardiovascular disease, certain cancers, and diabetes. Click here to use it now.

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Your metabolism or total calories you expend in a day is calculated by taking your basal metabolic rate and multiplying it by the activity factor of the physical activity you perform.

Your basal metabolic rate (BMR) otherwise known as your resting metabolic rate is the amount of calories you burn to support your normal bodily functions. It is an estimation of the expected amount of calories the average person of your height and weight would burn assuming no activity is done. Other factors of course come into play that could make this value higher or lower such as:

• Age - the younger you are (teen - adult), generally, the faster your metabolism will be.
• Gender - men generally have more lean body tissue which helps burn more calories. They also tend to be larger and have more surface area to let off heat which also helps burns more calories.
• Genetics - some people have slower or higher metabolisms
• Dieting - when you are dieting, your BMR can in fact drop as much as 20%
• Exercise - regular exercise can increase BMR if consistent.

When trying to analyze a person's "ideal weight" a system known as BMI or Body Mass Index was devised as a way to assess various ranges of acceptable weights. BMI of course does not take into account body fat % which would perhaps be a better way to tell if you are "overweight" or underweight. Again, much like calculating your metabolism, BMI is applied for "most people" and that is in part why there is a range of acceptable weights. BMI cannot take into account lean mass. For instance, a strength-trainer might have a BMI that makes him or her appear overweight but they are in fact, in good health and shape. The high BMI is because they have extra lean muscle mass. Your dietitian can help you better understand what weights are acceptable for you and work with you on reasonable goals to achieve your desired weight.

When analyzing your waist-to-hip ratio, you are in fact taking a ratio of your hips and waist in centimeters or inches. The resulting number helps assess if you are at risk for certain cancers, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.

When you use the Healthy Lifestyle Calculator, you will get a customized list of estimates of your nutrition needs, healthy weight ranges, risks, and calorie expenditure.

Click here to use the Healthy Lifestyle Calculator now.