There is an online Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) calculator which you can use to see how many calories you can consume to maintain the same weight, or loose a few lbs. =)
Here is the first page loaded up with some data for an average 45 y/o male that works out 3-4 times a week
The calculation definition for TDEE
Once you click on calculate, here is the data. I can eat 2,666 calories per day! Where's the chocolate cake?
It calculates max muscle for your height and percentage of body fat. I don't think too many people here are extreme weight lifters or body builders.
Here are suggestions for the breakdown of proteins, fats and carbs to maintain body weight. There is a breakdown for moderate carb, low carb and high carb all with the same total calories.
The chart for Cutting calories, a minus 500 calories.
The chart for bulking, plus 500 calories. (Got to work out hard for those extra 500!)
The bottom line for people that want to loose weight is to eat a little bit less per day and do a little more exercise. Here is how many calories you burn if you walked 1 mile in 20 minutes.
If you used resistance bands, for 20 minutes, you would burn more than walking for 20 minutes.
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For those that are still young, this does not mean that much. But when you get 'older', your life is more sedentary and those extra calories per day really add up. It is much easier to put on body fat which makes it harder to move around. There is also genetics which is a factor, some people will always be slim. (I'm not that type)...