How Many Calories Should You Eat A Day To Lose Weight?

The weather is starting to get warm, and it won’t be long before it’s summer in Totowa, NJ. With the warm weather comes more revealing clothing. There is no more hiding in heavy, oversized sweatshirts during hot summer weather. Many people are now focusing on getting in shape and losing weight. I often get questions on the daily calories people should eat to do this. The answer is less than it takes to maintain your weight. So, how much is that?

How many calories do you need to maintain your weight?

Everyone is different. Your present weight, activity level, gender, age, and body composition all determine the number of calories you burn. People with more muscle tissue burn more calories. Men burn more calories than women. Older people don’t burn as many calories as those who are younger. If you’re heavier, it takes more calories to lift the weight of your body and move around, so you burn more calories.

Find out what your maintenance allotment is.

Use a calorie calculator to get a close estimate of the calories it takes to maintain your weight. A sedentary 5’6″ 36-year-old female weighing 150 pounds requires 1750 calories. If she changes to an active lifestyle, her calorie requirement increases to 2100 calories. If she increases activity and loses ten pounds, her calorie needs drop to 2000 calories, while her active 66-year-old mother, who is also 5’6″ and weighs 140 pounds, only needs 1800 calories.

It takes a 3500 calorie surplus to gain a pound and a 3500 calorie deficit to lose one.

An attainable amount to lose each week is 1-2 pounds. You’d lose one pound a week if you cut your maintenance allotment by 500 calories daily. Cutting it by 1,000 calories would increase the weight loss to two pounds weekly. If a 66-year-old inactive female only requires 1500 calories, losing two pounds a week would mean cutting calories by 1000. That would only leave 500 calories a day and would be too extreme. In this case, instead of cutting calories severely, cutting some calories and increasing activity would be the best route.

• Another way to approach weight loss is using the number of calories for your ideal weight. The 36-year-old active female who wants to weigh 120 pounds would consume 1900 calories or 200 less than her present maintenance calorie intake.
• You don’t have to go on a special diet to lose weight. Eating healthily and filling your plate with extra vegetables and greens can do it. Cut out sugar, fried food, and highly refined foods, and avoid calorie counting.
• If you want more energy and muscle tissue, include adequate quality protein sources in your diet. Protein fills you up and keeps you full longer. Healthy fat from fatty fish, nuts, avocados, or olive oil is also necessary.
• Switch from sugary drinks to water and drink tea and coffee without cream or sugar. Too often, people forget that what they drink adds calories. Don’t substitute diet drinks. Studies show they may increase your belly fat.

For more information, contact us today at Prime Fitness Studio