Most of us view calories with dread and seem to forget that we can't live without them. Different bodies need different amounts of them to function efficiently. Determining that number is fairly simple, and doing it may help you stay within the amount that's right for you.

The three areas that figure into your calorie needs are your basal metabolic rate, your activity level, and digestion and absorption.

Follow the simple steps below to calculate how many calories you should enjoy each day.

Your basal metabolic rate (BMR):
This is the energy it takes to keep your involuntary body processes going. About 60 percent of the calories you consume are used for such things as breathing, maintaining body temperature, manufacturing hormones and keeping your heart beating. It takes roughly 10 calories per pound of body weight to meet those needs. A 120-pound woman, for example, will need 10 x 120, or 1,200, calories each day just to function.

Keep in mind that many factors can affect your BMR. For every decade beyond the growth years (about age 20), for instance, your caloric needs drop about two percent. A 30-year-old may need 1,200 minus (2 percent x 1,200) = 1,176. Your body build, which is largely inherited, is another factor -- tall, thin types burn more calories because they have a larger surface area, and more calories are burned to maintain normal body temperature.Muscle burns calories, even at rest, and men, on average, have more muscle than women, so they too need more calories.