Reducing the number of calories you eat per day can be an effective weight loss method 1. However, figuring out exactly how many calories you should be eating can be tricky, as it often depends on a variety of factors, including your age, sex, size, and activity level, among others. Below is a simple scientific calorie calculator, along with five evidence-based tips on how to sustainably reduce your calorie intake. Enter your details in the calculator below to figure out how many calories you should be eating per day to either maintain or lose weight.
The calculator is based on the Mifflin-St Jeor equation and can provide an estimate of your calorie needs. The number of calories you should eat per day depends on numerous factors, including your age, sex, height, current weight, activity level, and metabolic health, among several others.
When trying to lose weight , a general rule of thumb is to reduce your calorie intake to fewer calories than your body needs to maintain your current weight. Doing so can help you lose about 1 pound 0. For example, many fad diets recommend restricting your calorie intake to around 1,—1, calories per day, which is not enough for most healthy adults.
Cutting your calorie intake too drastically can not only cause several serious side effects but also increase your risk of nutritional deficiencies and result in metabolic changes that make long-term weight maintenance difficult 5 , 6. Most women between the ages of 19—30 require 2,—2, calories per day to maintain their weight.
Women between the ages of 31—59 have slightly lower energy needs. Generally, women in this age group should aim to consume 1,—2, calories per day to maintain their body weight. Women over age 60 generally require even fewer calories and typically need to consume around 1,—2, calories per day to maintain their weight 7.
Keep in mind that the exact number of calories that you need may fall on the high or low end of this range, depending on how active you are, along with your height, weight, and health status. Additionally, note that these estimates do not apply to those who are pregnant or breastfeeding , as these individuals have significantly higher calorie needs. The most recent Dietary Guidelines for Americans estimates that men between the ages of 19—30 should consume approximately 2,—3, calories per day to maintain their weight.
Energy needs decrease as you get older. In fact, men between the ages of 31—59 need about 2,—3, calories per day to maintain their weight 7. Meanwhile, men who are over 60 generally require 2,—2, calories per day to maintain their weight.
Men who are very active or have certain health conditions may require a higher number of calories. The number of calories that you need can also vary within this range based on your height and weight. Energy needs for children and teens vary based on their sex and age.
A 3-year-old child might need only 1, calories, but a teenager can require closer to 3, calories 7. Simply put, a calorie is a unit that measures energy. Calories are usually used to measure the energy content of foods and beverages. To lose weight, you need to eat fewer calories than your body burns each day.
Conversely, to gain weight, you need to consume more calories than you expend 1. Developing a healthy diet and lifestyle plan that will help you lose weight and keep it off in the long term requires much more than determining your current calorie needs and then eating fewer calories on a daily basis 9. Although decreasing the number of calories you consume can be effective for weight loss, cutting calories without considering which foods you eat is not a sustainable way to lose weight.
For example, choosing more nutrient-dense foods — think whole grains, nuts, vegetables, and fruits — will benefit your health more than opting for nutrient-poor ones like soda, donuts, and candy.
Nutritional researchers agree calorie estimates should take more into account than just the amount you exercise. Here's how to figure out what's right for you:. Jeor calculation, which is considered by our nutritionists and dieticians to be the "gold standard" of calorie calculators. Here's how it works:.
Calculate basal metabolic rate BMR , or the calories your body burns simply by being alive. There are plenty of people who can maintain a healthy body composition without ever counting calories , but for many others, it is incredibly valuable.
Wondering if it's right for you? Registered dietician Susan Hewlings, Ph. It's one measurement of many, but one that definitely matters! To learn more about all the fundamental ideas of nutrition and how to match your eating to your goals, dive into Bodybuilding.
You can do this using food labels, as well as by weighing out your food and using one of the many online nutritional databases. Weighing food may seem like a lot of counting and not much fun, but it gets easier over time. Fitness coach Vince Del Monte says in the article, "From Here to Macros: 4 Steps to Better Nutrition" that you quickly learn to "eyeball" quantities of both calories and macronutrients after just a few weeks of practice.
Calorie counts are almost never percent accurate. But they can be pretty close, as long as you have one crucial piece of information dialed in: the serving size. Whenever you look at a nutrition label, look at the serving size first. All the information that follows is based on that. Sometimes serving size reflects an entire box or bottle of the product, but often, it's just a small amount. Sound scientific? It's not. Serving size is an estimation of the average portion a person eats—and as nutritionist Sara-Jane McShane explains in the article, "5 Sneaky Culprits of Weight Gain," it's not always an accurate one!
If you eat a cup of a product with a serving size of half a cup, you will then double all the nutritional information: calories, protein, carbs, sodium, fat, and everything else. This is essential information if you want your calorie counts to be reliable! Not into doing complicated math? Then maybe pre-portioned foods like tuna fish, protein bars , or packaged nuts are a good choice for you.
These sorts of calorie-counting hacks can be lifesavers! One more "secret" that's increasingly well-known: eat enough protein! A major study in found that as long as your calories are under control and you're eating enough protein, different weight-loss diets work with about the same degree of effectiveness. Once you have your daily calorie intake, it's time to take the same kind of strategic approach to the rest of your training and nutrition.
These popular calculators can help you dial in your plan! Adam Eyal is the editor at FringePursuits. Calorie Calculator Age. Male Female. Feet Meters. Pounds Kilograms. Maintain Current Weight. Lose Weight. Gain Weight. Sedentary Little or no exercise. Here are your next steps to lose weight: 1. An ideal daily intake of calories varies depending on age, metabolism and levels of physical activity, among other things.
Generally, the recommended daily calorie intake is 2, calories a day for women and 2, for men. Calories are a measure of how much energy food or drink contains.
The amount of energy you need will depend on:. The term calorie is commonly used as shorthand for kilocalorie. You will find this written as kcal on food packets.
Kilojoules kJ are the equivalent of kilocalories within the International System of Units, and you'll see both kJ and kcal on nutrition labels. To find out if you are a healthy weight, use the BMI calculator.
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