Because 1 lb. equals 3,500 calories, you would need to ditch 3,500 calories to burn 1 lb. or add an extra 3,500 calories to gain 1 lb., according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. If you're trying to achieve or maintain a healthy weight, you will need to count how many calories you take in every day and determine whether your average daily intake is working with or against your weight goals.
Step 1
Talk to your doctor about the number of calories you should eat every day. If your weight has stayed roughly the same and you are within a healthy weight range, you may benefit from sticking to your normal caloric intake. However, if your body mass index, or BMI, is below 19 or above 24, your doctor may recommend gaining or losing weight at a steady rate of about 1 lb. per week by cutting or adding 500 calories per day.
Step 2
Read the Nutrition Facts label on packaged foods. Look at the term "calories," in addition to "serving size" and "servings per container" to get an idea of how many calories you will actually be eating, recommends the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. A Nutrition Facts label may say 300 calories per serving, but remember to look at how many servings the package contains. You may end up eating 900 calories if you eat the whole package.
Step 3
Ask for nutritional information about nonpackaged foods. Some foods, such as produce items, store-prepared deli goods and restaurant meals, don't usually come with packaging that automatically provides you with nutritional information. However, you may be able to get the information by asking an employee of the grocery store or restaurant for it. You may also find the information on a restaurant's website. Alternately, weigh each ingredient with a food scale and use an online resource such as The Daily Plate's Calorie Calculator to determine how many calories are in that portion.
Step 4
Use a calorie tracker or food diary. The easiest way to calculate daily calories is to use a virtual calorie tracker. All you will have to do is enter the amount of each food you eat and the calorie tracker will do the math for you. Alternately, use the old-fashioned pencil and paper method by writing down the number of calories you eat throughout the day and adding them up at the end. To make this version easier, use a spreadsheet such as FitWatch's printable food diary.
Tips and Warnings
- If, after counting calories, you notice that you are taking in more calories than your body needs, start trimming calories by reducing your intake of alcohol, fat and added sugar, recommends the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. For example, you can avoid an unnecessary 150 calories or so by simply cutting out one can of soda per day.
- You may be tempted to cut out a large portion of your daily calories to lose weight quickly, but your body needs calories as life fuel. Generally, women shouldn't eat fewer than 1,200 calories a day and men shouldn't take in below 1,800 daily calories to stay healthy.
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