A calorie is a unit for measuring energy. It measures the energy content of food and beverages. How many calories I should eat a day is a common question and its answer depends upon various factors like the current body weight, height, age, metabolic health, physical activity, etc.

How Many Calories Should I Eat A Day?

Below are the details that will help you find the answer to the question, “how many calories should I eat a day?”

Calorie Count For Men

An average active man between the age group of 26-45 needs 2600 calories per day. For weight loss, the person needs 2100 calories per day. Therefore, 2,100 calories per day will let the person lose one pound or 0.45 kg per week.

A man who walks 3 miles a day will need 2,800–3,000 calories per day and 2,300–2,500 calories per day to lose 1 pound of weight per week.

Young men in the age group of 19–25 need more calories as they have higher energy needs. They will need around 2,800 calories per day and up to 3,000 if they are into physical exercise.

Active young men underweight loss regimen must consume 2,300–2,500 calories daily.

The energy requirement ceases as the age advances. For example, men between the age group of 46–65 need an average of 2,400 calories per day. After 66 years, the average calorie needs to decrease to about 2,200 calories per day.

Calorie Count For Women

An average, moderately active woman in the age group of 26–50 requires 2000 calories per day to maintain her weight. A woman will need 1,500 calories per day to lose 1 pound weight per week.

Active women who walk more than 3 miles per day need 2,200 calories and 1,700 calories to lose 1 pound weight per week.

A woman in her early 20s requires about 2,200 calories per day to maintain her weight.

A woman over age 50 generally needs fewer calories. For example, the average moderately active woman over 50 needs about 1,800 calories per day and 1,300 calories per day to lose 1 pound per week.

The estimates mentioned are not applicable to pregnant and lactating women. Their calorie requirement is higher, and they must do any alterations upon doctor consultation only.

Calorie Count For Children

Children have varying calorie requirements depending on their age, size, and activity level. An average toddler needs 1,200–1,400 calories per day, and an average moderately active teenager needs 2,000–2,800 calories per day. Children who have an average body growth and are active do not need to count their calories in their growth years.

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What Is A Weight Loss Calorie Calculator?

If shedding weight is your goal, then it is beneficial to use a weight loss calculator. Get to know about this fun procedure that is very simple yet effective to use.

You need to input your data such as age, current weight, activity status, and gender. Once data is received, the calculator uses the Mifflin St. Jeor equation to calculate the resting metabolic rate.

After that, based on your provided personal data, the calculator adds the number of calories your body needs for daily activity. Then, the calculator will further add calories to gain weight or subtract calories to help you lose weight. With this simple weight loss calculator, one can easily answer the question in their minds – how many calories should I eat a day?
If you want to sustain your current weight, the calculator will also let you know about the calorie intake from that perspective.

How Many Calories Should I Eat To Lose Weight?

You need to use more energy and consume fewer calories to lose weight.
Calorie intake depends on your BMI (body mass index), body activity, and age.

In general, the calorie requirement ranges from:

• 1600-2400 per day for women
• 2000-3000 per day for men

The lower range is for the people with a sedentary lifestyle with not much physical activity. The higher calorie range is for active people. Calorie needs also tend to decrease as age advances.

Again, how many calories to lose weight? To lose one pound a week, a person must consume 500 fewer calories per day than their current calorie intake.

You should not go below 1200 calories per day without a doctor’s or a dietician’s advice.

Few Tips To Monitor

It is a vital question – How many calories do I need to lose weight? In order to answer it right, there are several points that you must remember and to achieve the desired results.

• Calorie requirements are different for everyone. There must be a customized calorie calculator done for every single individual.
• The calorie calculator gives an estimate of the number of calories needed per day to lose weight. You can further make your estimates of how much weight you can lose by doing workouts.
• Opt for a seven-day calorie cycle as a human body is adaptive, and it gets adjusted to the lower calorie level. You need to keep an eye on what you consume the entire day and compare the results a week later. Keep in mind that daily workouts are a crucial part of losing weight quickly.
• Make notes on what you eat, when you eat, and how you feel after you eat. An account of your food intake and your reaction will help you analyze your urge and need to eat. This analysis will help to identify the core areas and work upon them.
• Change food intake habits and switch to healthy options.
• Use smaller plates.
• Eat slowly and chew well.
• Have fixed meal timings.
• Indulge in having healthy snacks such as chopped vegetables, fruits, and nuts.
• Avoid all forms of junk food, sugar-sweetened beverages, red meat, processed and packaged food containing trans fat.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q.1 What is the accuracy of the calorie calculators?

Calorie calculators are 90-100% accurate. Primarily they are based on the Harris-Benedict formula. It helps to determine the basal metabolic rate of your body. These calculators are an excellent way to start with your weight loss programs initially.

Q2. How many calories do we need?

The number of calories depends upon your age, weight, height, and physical activity. A teen and adult need around 1500-2500 calories per day.

Q.3 How many calories do I need for weight loss?

As a rule of thumb, 3500 calories is the need to gain one pound of weight. You can follow the practice in the reverse manner, and you need to cut 3500 calories to lose one pound of weight. You should also take into account that weight loss depends on various factors.

Q.4 How to keep track of calorie intake?

Taking notes is a simple method to keep track of calorie intake. You can also sign up for various calorie measuring apps and keep track of your daily calorie intake.

Q.5 What happens when the calorie intake is too low?

When the calorie intake is too low, your body suffers from nutritional deficiencies. It is vital to intake the required amount of calories per your age, weight, and activity level.