Stumbled across this last night and thought it was interesting. The Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) is how many calories a person's body consumes just to keep breathing and the blood flowing. It is how much energy your body consumes while at rest, doing no exercise, like when I'm sitting on my butt watching Film Noir movies on my living room couch. Go here to calculate your rate, based on your height, current weight and age. It is possible to get the real number via a medical exam for around $60 if anyone is interested. From what I've read and heard, the calculated value ends up being very close to the medically measured number so it usually isn't worth spending the money.
Note that this calculated value doesn't account for the energy you spend walking around doing your normal daily routine or any actual exercise you would do. Add those calories to your BMR and you get the number of calories you need to consume to maintain your current weight. If you want to lose or gain weight, another rule of thumb is:
Men: Goal Weight X 12 = Calorie budget for the day
Women: Goal Weight X 10 = Calorie budget for the day
Yes, the ladies get the short end of the stick. Besides being able to pee standing up, it seems that men have the further advantage of burning more calories due to greater average muscle mass.
So if my goal weight is 180 lbs then my calorie budget is (180X12=2160) not counting exercise. I'm fortunately at my goal weight so I can a eat a bit more depending on how much exercise I do. Nice!
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