DEAR DR. DONOHUE: Please reprint the method to calculate the number of calories needed to maintain current weight. – G.S.

ANSWER: There are a million ways to calculate maintenance calorie requirements, but the discrepancies among them also number in the millions. I’ll give you two as examples. Formula 1, for men whose physical activity is light is: multiply weight in pounds by 17; for men whose activity is moderate, multiply by 19; and for very active men, multiply by 23. For women whose activity is light, multiply weight by 16; if activity is moderate, multiply by 17; if activity is heavy, multiply by 23.

The second formula makes no differentiation between sexes. It says if activity is light, multiply weight in pounds by 13; for moderate activity, multiply by 15; for heavy activity, multiply by 17.

Many considerations have to be taken into account for an accurate estimation of daily calorie need: gender, body metabolism, activity level and age. The best way to arrive at a reasonable answer to your question is for you to do your own calculations. For five days, while your weight remains stable and while your physical activity is at its usual level, make a log of all the calories you consume each day. Take the average of those calories and use that as the number of calories needed to maintain your current weight.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I love to exercise, and I do so daily. I have one problem – my feet and shoes. They have a horrible odor. I have to take my shoes off in the bathroom and immediately take a shower or the entire house would be uninhabitable. What can I do? – J.P.

ANSWER: Foot odor comes from moisture and the bacteria that moisture spawns. To conquer foot odor, change your shoes daily. You need two pairs of regular shoes and two pairs of exercise shoes. Change socks twice a day. If you can expose your feet to air by wearing sandals, do so. Bathe your feet twice daily with mild soap.

Foot powder keeps feet dry. You also can spray your feet with an antiperspirant that contains aluminum chloride. You’ll find many such antiperspirants on the shelves of every drugstore.

Take a look at your soles. If they have pits in them, you have a condition called pitted keratolysis, which calls for application of clindamycin, an antibiotic. It comes in gels and lotions. It requires a prescription. It can get rid of the bacterium that causes this condition and produces a terrible odor.

Dr. Donohue regrets that he is unable to answer individual letters, but he will incorporate them in his column whenever possible. Readers may write him or request an order form of available health newsletters at P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. Readers may also order health newsletters from www.rbmamall.com