Several factors determine how many calories you should be eating daily. If you want to lose weight, you should be eating less than if you're trying to maintain your current weight. Your age, sex and level of physical activity also play a role in how many calories you should be eating a day. If you have a medical condition or any specific health requirements, talk to your doctor to determine the amount of calories you should be eating.
Step 1
Use a general expert guideline as a starting point, such as what can be found at americanheart.org, for instance. According to the American Heart Association, a sedentary woman between 31 and 50 years of age should eat about 1,800 calories. A man in the same category should eat about 2,200 calories. Active people can eat more: 2,200 calories for a woman and between 2,800 and 3,000 for a man.
Step 2
Get a general estimate of calories by multiplying your current weight by 10 or 11 if you're a woman. Men should multiply their current weight by a number between 12 and 14. Choose the lower number if you're sedentary and the higher number if you're active. This will give you the number of calories you need to eat to maintain your current weight.
Step 3
Subtract 250 to 500 calories from that number if you want to lose weight. Since 1 lb. equals 3,500 calories, cutting down 250 calories per day will result in a loss of 1/2 lb. per week.
Member Comments