Well...it's not an exact science by any stretch of the imagination...but I think what you're referring to is your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate).
There's a site run by a guy named Hussman which has a JavaScript BMR calculator...
http://www.hussman.org/fitness/#calories
The link is located in the link above - PLEASE take the time to read what he writes there regarding "how calories work" - that this is just an estimate and your BMR is the calories you need if you're a total slug.
Here's some basic stuff from Krista Scott Dixon's website at
http://www.stumptuous.com/weights.html (one of our faves at the Ladies who Lift forum here at 3FC!!!) because it's not just calories, but the QUALITY of what you're eating...
Quote:
Think of a good diet as simply assembling blocks of Lego. These blocks are:
1. Macronutrients
2. Portion size.
3. Overall caloric intake.
4. Meal frequency.
Let's look at each of these in greater detail.
1. Macronutrients. This is a fancy-shmancy way of saying protein, fat, and carbs. Ideally, each meal should have a little of all three, preferably making protein (chicken, fish, tofu, eggs, beef, whey, cottage cheese, etc.) the centrepiece. Fat should be either EFAs or unsaturated, if possible, such as a spoonful of olive oil, a bit of avocado, some nuts, fish oil, etc. Carbs should be complex, and from whole grains and vegetables (if you find that you are sensitive to carbs, try getting the bulk of your carbs from vegetables).
Thus, a bagel is not a meal because it's mostly just carbs. A whole grain bagel (complex carbs) with a little peanut butter (fat) and a glass of milk (protein) is a meal.
2. Portion size. You should eat a meal size no larger than your two fists together (unless it's something fluffy, like salad). Many folks often underestimate how much they actually eat. And don't get me started on restaurant eating, especially in the U.S.! There's like 3 meals in some of those restaurant suckers! In general, the more calorie-dense the food, the smaller the portion you should be eating. An ounce of cheese is the size of your thumb, 3 ounces of meat/chicken/fish is approximately the size of a deck of cards, and a half-cup of pasta is the size of a small fist. One very easy way to diet is simply to eat what you normally eat, but eat 3/4 of the portions you normally would. Of course this won't work if you already have weird eating habits like living off cucumber and saltines. You may also find it helpful to buy a food scale and measuring cups. The appropriate portion is likely less than you think it is.
3. Overall caloric intake. For fat loss, aim for about 10-13 multiplied by your bodyweight. This gives you your daily caloric intake. For a 150-lb person, this is:
10 x 150 = 1500
13 x 150 = 1950
So, that means your daily intake of calories should be between 1500 and 1950 calories per day. Divide that by 5 or 6, and you have the total number of calories for each meal. Assuming we're eating the upper limit of 1950 calories daily, and we want to eat 6 meals, that means each meal should be around 325 calories. Now you're probably thinking, "No way! No way can I make a 300-calorie meal!" Well, think about this. A small skinless chicken breast, grilled, is around 150-200 calories. Throw that into a nice salad with a spoonful of olive oil vinaigrette and you have a very pleasant 300 calories. You get 6 of those a day! Pretty sweet deal.
By the way, maintenance calories (the calories needed to keep you in a steady state, neither gaining nor losing mass) are around 14-16 x bodyweight per day.
4. Meal frequency. Aim to eat 5-6 small meals daily. This will keep blood sugar levels constant and eliminate cravings.
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Hope that helps a bit...and as far as goal weight - the scale really is a bad barometer of progress IMO...and from personal experience...I'm a size 4 at 149 pounds...
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