trying to get back....

[Remington]

Well after almost a year lay off, full of drinking and eating like a pig, I decided to 'get back'.
Stats: 36 years old...6'4...283 pounds of fat.
Been traing on and off most of my adult life.
I hit the gym yesterday for a light work out a little cardio.
Im not gonna use ANYTHING untill I'm at at least 250.
That would be a 38 pound fat drop for me.
Question:

How come when I dont eat like i used to when I wasnt dieting do I get headaches?
As soon as I eat something it goes away.

Question 2 :
How many calories should I be taking in?
I know this is a vague question...but I figured I'd ask you guys cause your much better at this stuff than me.
Thanks

[hawktribal]

this will help you figure out what your caloric needs are. i stole this directly from the sticky's (top posts "bookmarked" on the page). that would also be a great place for you to start reading about a possible diet.

Harris Benedict Formula for Calorie Calculations
“The Harris Benedict equation is a calorie formula using the variables of height, weight, age, and gender to calculate basal metabolic rate (BMR). This is more accurate than calculating calorie needs based on total body weight alone. The only factor it omits is lean body mass and thus the ratio of muscle-to-fat a body has. Remember, leaner bodies need more calories than less leaner ones. Therefore, this equation will be very accurate in all but the very muscular (Harris-Benedict will under-estimate calorie needs) and the very fat (Harris-Benedict will over-estimate calorie needs).”

That being said, there are is no concrete number of daily calorie intake your body needs, however using this formula will give you can idea of what you do need.

Harris Benedict Formula for Men
BMR = 66 + (13.7 X weight in kilos) + (5 X height in cm) - (6.8 X age in years)

Notes:
1 inch = 2.54 cm.
1 kilogram = 2.2 lbs.

Example of BMR
You are 25 years old
You are 6 feet tall
Your weight is 220 pounds
Your BMR is 66 + (1370) + (914) - (170) = 2180 calories

Harris Benedict Formula for Men - STEP 2
To determine your total daily calorie needs, now multiply your BMR by the appropriate activity factor, as follows:

If you are Sedentary - little or no exercise
Calorie-Calculation = BMR X 1.2
- If you are Lightly Active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week)
Calorie-Calculation = BMR X 1.375
- If you are Moderately Active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week)
Calorie-Calculation = BMR X 1.55
- If you are Very Active = BMR X 1.725 (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days/week)
Calorie-Calculation = BMR X 1.725
- If you are Extra Active (very hard daily exercise/sports & physical job or 2X day training)
Calorie-Calculation = BMR X 1.9

Total Calorie Needs Example
If you are lightly active, multiply your BMR (2180) by 1.375 = 2997
Your total daily calorie requirement is therefore 2997 calories.
This is the total number of calories you need in order to MAINTAIN your current weight.

If you want to gain body weight, you must consume more calories than you burn. One pound of body weight is roughly equivalent to 3500 calories, so eating an extra 500 calories per day will cause you to gain one pound a week. Etc….

We have included an excel document created by Elliot @ AR that will calculate your calorie needs for you, using the Harris Benedict formula.

Elliot's Harris Benedict Calculator for Males:
http://www.geocities.com/arelliotness/
Download the document named: harris-elliot.xls