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How many Calories one should take to Lose Weight?

Source: mccartyweightloss.com

Maintaining the right BMI helps an individual remain active and healthy. Individuals can practice regular exercise and consume a balanced diet to achieve their desired result.

Keep reading to learn about the calories to lose weight and the ways to calculate it.

What Are Calories?

The human body breaks down the calories from food and to produce energy. This energy helps the body to perform daily activities.

On average, a man needs around 2,500 kcal to maintain the perfect body weight. Contrastingly, a woman needs around 2,000 kcal to maintain body weight and perform daily activities.

However, these values can change depending on a person's weight, height, size, and age.

Individuals can consult a dietician to know the exact calories needed to lose weight.

Generally, dieticians suggest including food items filled with nutrients and the needed calories in a balanced diet. One can easily find nutrient-dense food items containing fibre, minerals, protein, etc.

There are also food items like fries and soda that have empty calories. These food items have no or low nutrients but offer calories that lack energy.

Hence, different food items offer different energy levels. For instance, certain food items rich in carbohydrates and protein supply fewer calories and more fat.

It is essential to select the right food items that fulfil calorie intake to lose weight. Individuals can consult a dietician and develop a diet chart that supports the said need.

Let’s look at the amount of calories an individual needs to sustain a healthy weight.

How Many Calories Should an Individual Consume to Lose Weight?

 

Individuals need to assess several factors such as height, age, current weight, physical activeness and metabolic health when deciding how many calories they should eat to lose weight.

Hence, individuals trying to lose weight must reduce at least 500 Kcal from their regular diet. This will help maintain the right BMI. Individuals can lose up to 0.45 kg per week by following this method.

Certain articles or blogs suggest wrong dieting methods or fad diets that can cause serious health issues. For instance, some sites advise consuming around 1,000–1,200 calories per day which is insufficient for healthy adults.

Nevertheless, this table explains the amount of calories to eat per day to lose weight according to gender and activity level.

Gender and Age Sedentary Active
Female - 19-30 years 1800-2000 2400
Male - 19-30 years 2400-2600 3000
Female – 31-50 years 1800 2200
Male – 31-50 years 2200-2400 2800-3000
Female - 51years and above 1600 2000-2200
Male - 51 years and above 2000-2200 2400-2800

 

Note- This table specifies the calorie requirement for women and men who have a BMI of 21.5 and 22.5, respectively. These measurements can change according to different BMIs.

Moreover, pregnant women might need higher calorie levels to support their children.

It is advisable to consult a dietician to understand how many calories should one take to lose weight.

How Many Calories Do Teenagers and Children Need to Maintain Healthy Weight?

 

The following table explains the calorie requirement for teens based on age and gender.

Gender Calorie Requirement
Female teen- 13-14 years 1,800 to 2,400
Male teen- 13-14 years 2,000 to 3,200

 

Let’s check the specifications on how many calories children should eat to lose weight.

Gender Calorie Requirement (Per Day)
2-3 years old 1,000 to 1,400
Girl- 4-8 years 1,200
Boy- 4-8 years 1,800
Girl- 9-13 years 1,400-2,200
Boys- 9-13 years 1,600-2,600

They can follow simple ways to calculate the exact calorie requirement.

How to Calculate Calories to Lose Weight?

Ideally, the individual’s gender, age, physical activity and other proportions are needed to calculate calorie requirements.

However, a manual calculation can be time-consuming and filled with errors. In this regard, one can check the sites offering calorie calculators.

Here are the general steps to use these smart tools online.

  • Step 1: Check for a website offering the calorie calculator.
  • Step 2: Select the unit such as metric or imperial system.
  • Step 3: Enter the gender and age.
  • Step 4: Fill in the weight, height and physical activity.
  • Step 5: Click on the calculate option to find the desired result.

How to Reduce Calorie Intake to Lose Weight?

Individuals should know cutting down calories may offer a temporary solution. They should opt for a diet rich in protein, minerals, carbohydrates, etc.

Food items such as pulses, nuts, whole grains, fruits and vegetables are ideal for weight loss. Comparatively, consuming food like soda, sweets, wafers, etc., will only reduce hunger and add pounds.

This will help maintain a healthy weight in the long run and reduce junk food cravings.

Nevertheless, here are simple strategies to reduce calorie intake.

Limiting Sugar Consumption

Consuming sugary items or drinks can increase weight significantly. Hence, it is beneficial to avoid the consumption of chocolates, doughnuts, icecreams, pastries, sodas and other sweetened beverages.

Increasing Protein Intake

Proteins fall in the category of calories to eat to lose weight. It enhances the feeling of fullness and reduces the appetite in general.  Individuals can include meat, eggs, nuts, pulses, legumes, tofu, etc., to their diet for protein content.

Exercising

The calorie restriction and activities like resistance training can slow metabolism and lead to muscle loss.

Drinking Water

Consuming fluids keeps the body hydrated and improves weight management. Drinking water after meals helps reduce hunger. This practice also supports healthy skin and prevent kidney stone formation.

Reducing Carbs

Individuals can restrain from consuming pasta, white bread, white rice, etc.

Instead, consume refined grains that lack fibre and support weight loss. It makes an individual feel full and reduces hunger.

Eating fewer carbs also promotes weight loss by altering levels of appetite-controlling hormones.

This is vital data on calories to lose weight and the appropriate measurements. Individuals can consult a dietician or medical practitioner to get a detailed chart on weight loss foods.

Professionals would give detailed input on how many calories to eat a day to lose weight.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does eating fewer calories help me reduce weight in seven days?

No, consuming fewer calories won’ help reduce weight in seven days. However, one can reduce belly fat by reducing total body fat percentage.

Does age matter when calculating calorie requirements for weight loss?

Yes, age is assessed when making a diet chart for weight loss.