What Should My Caloric Intake Be If I Want To Lose Weight?

TV ads and fitness stores are full of pills and powders promising quick and easy weight loss, but in reality, shedding extra pounds takes dedication and commitment to healthy eating habits. Every person is different, and once you know how many calories your body needs to maintain your current weight, you'll be able to adjust your diet accordingly and watch the fat melt away over time.

The Calorie Equation

One pound of fat is equal to 3,500 calories. If you want to lose 1 lb. each week, you need to create a daily deficit of 500 calories through diet and exercise. While it's true you'll lose weight eating just about anything as long as you're maintaining a deficit, some foods fuel your body better than others, making it easier to stick to your weight loss plan. For example, 1 g of fat contains 9 calories, while 1 g of carbohydrates or protein contains only 4 calories. When you eat more protein and carbohydrates instead of fat, you'll feel full on fewer calories.

Determining Your Caloric Needs

If you want to lose weight, you need to figure out how many calories you require at your current weight. Start by finding your basal metabolic rate, or BMR, by plugging in your weight in pounds, height in inches, and age into the equation 655 + (4.35 x weight) + (4.7 x height) - (4.7 x age) for women and 66 + (6.23 x weight) + (12.7 x height) - (6.8 x age) for men. This number represents the minimum number of calories your body needs to survive. Multiply your BMR by your daily activity factor to calculate your current caloric needs. Your activity factor is 1.2 if you get little or no exercise, 1.375 if you exercise one to three days per week, 1.55 if you exercise three to five days per week, 1.725 if you exercise six or seven days per week, and 1.9 if you exercise more than twice per day.

Creating a Deficit

Now that you know your daily caloric requirements for your current weight, you can determine how many calories you need subtract to lose weight. To lose at a healthy rate of 1 to 2 lb. per week, you need to create a deficit of 500 to 1,000 calories. For example, if your current caloric need is 2,200 calories per day, you need to reduce your food intake to 1,700 to 1,200 per day. Reducing your food intake to below 1,200 for women and 1,400 for men puts you at risk of malnutrition, so consider adding exercise to help create the necessary calorie deficit. If you walk an extra 30 minutes per day, burning an average of 200 calories, you'll need to deduct only 300 to 800 calories from your number to lose weight.

Designing a Balanced Meal

Keep your metabolism active and your stomach feeling satisfied by splitting your daily calories into five or six smaller meals instead of three big ones. Try to balance each meal so 45 to 65 percent of the calories come from carbohydrates, 10 to 35 percent come from protein and 20 to 35 percent come from fat. Limit your saturated fat intake to 10 percent of your daily calories. To get the most nutrition out of every meal, eliminate processed, sugary or high-fat foods and replace them with whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, lean protein, and low-fat dairy.