Dieting women have many food choices to make, but a leading choice should be how many calories to consume. Losing weight is only possible by burning more calories than are consumed, and 3,500 calories have to be burned for each pound you want to lose. Because it can be very challenging to do that, there are recommended caloric consumption levels to consider for dieting women who want to go the distance. Talk with your doctor prior to drastically altering your diet.
Healthy Caloric Limits
While upper limits on caloric consumption are not set, there are lower limits for women who are dieting. These are different for independent diets and medically supervised diets, which can be more extreme. A lower limit for women is 1,200 calories per day for independent or home diet plans, notes Medline Plus, while medically supervised diets can be set at levels as low as 500 to 800 calories per day.
Counting Liquid Calories
One common pitfall for dieting women is to only count food calories in their diet plans and ignore the liquids in their diets. All calories count, even liquid calories. While this may seem obvious, sugar-free colas, juices and other "healthy" drinks are often consumed in lieu of snacks but not counted in daily totals, leaving women frustrated when the scale doesn't move. Avoiding alcohol, comfort drinks, or energy drinks and choosing water instead will help cut calories from the diet and keep the scale moving.
Accounting for Activity Levels
Activity levels are important when calculating the recommended calories on a diet, to avoid potential health risks. Aerobic exercise, weightlifting, or doing housework all have different caloric requirements, and planning to support them appropriately with dietary choices is critical for health. Not eating enough during periods of exercise or physical exertion leads to more exercise-related pain and an increased risk of stress fractures, reports Medical News Today.
Health Warnings
Overdoing dieting can lead to health complications related to malnourishment, notes Medical News Today. Women who are dieting want to be sure they balance the goals of fat loss and nutrition. Changes in the menstrual cycle or dramatic levels of weight loss are issues to consider, according to Medical News Today and Medline Plus.
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