How many calories should you eat per day to lose weight?

How many calories does the average person need per day?

Any activity requires a certain amount of energy expenditure. Without them, physical and mental abilities do not fully manifest themselves. Eating a diet that provides a lot of energy increases fat mass. On the contrary, with a low-calorie diet, gradual weight loss begins.

The whole difficulty lies in finding the golden mean. Losing weight or gaining muscle mass should be, first of all, guided by proper nutrition, and the number of calories must be selected as accurately as possible.

There is an expert opinion on how many calories you should consume per day. For the stronger sex – about 2500 cal., for the weaker sex – 2000 cal. These numbers are approximate.

There are many factors that influence these values:

• Lifestyle;
• work activity;
• schedule;
• meal times;
• floor;
• age;
• amount of physical activity.

You cannot put, for example, a manager in an office and a worker in the construction of a residential building on the same level.

It is also difficult to calculate consumption for a young body. The correct diet, in this case, is difficult to determine even a couple of months in advance.

At the same time, it is possible to take out some axioms:

• the older a person is, the less energy he needs;
• a man needs more energy than a woman;
• pregnant and young mothers form reserves for themselves and their baby;
• during heavy physical activity, the diet must be doubled.

Benefits of proper nutrition

Modern nutritionists call the basic principles of proper nutrition the “Free Diet.” This is one of the most effective and safe directions in the process of weight normalization. Among the main advantages of this system are:

• No need to make a sacrifice in the form of giving up certain foods;
• To lose weight, you just need to follow certain recommendations and plan your diet wisely;
• Rapid improvement in metabolism, which promotes rapid weight loss;
• This diet is ideal for those people who have problems with digestion, gastrointestinal tract problems, diabetes mellitus or heart and vascular diseases.

If a person chooses proper nutrition, within a month he notices how his performance significantly increases and his mood improves. The reason for this advantage is based on the fact that in each dish, built according to the rules of PP, there is an optimal ratio of fats, carbohydrates and proteins.

Impact of the quality of calories consumed

Food should consist of equal amounts of fats, proteins and carbohydrates. The percentages are 30, 50 and 20. Without these proportions, excess fat remains in the body.

And with excessive consumption of carbohydrates with a decrease in the value of proteins, you will immediately feel a lack of strength, lethargy, and decreased immunity. When you lose one thing, you gain another.

Disadvantages of losing weight using the calorie counting method

• Opponents of the calorie counting method put forward a weight loss theory based not on reducing calories, but on the correct ratio of proteins, fats and carbohydrates. Some nutritionists believe that extra pounds come to us not because of overeating, but because of an incorrect ratio of proteins, fats and carbohydrates. And it would be more logical not to reduce the amount of carbohydrates consumed, for example, but to completely exclude them from the diet or bring them to an acceptable minimum.
• Another opponent of calorie counting suggests learning to distinguish between the sensations of hunger and appetite. Accordingly, you need to eat only when you actually feel hungry. And you need to learn to control and suppress the feeling of appetite. The main disadvantage of losing weight using the calorie counting method is that you do not “listen” to your body.
• Some nutritionists offer another alternative to counting calories - a guideline not based on the calorie content of a dish, but on its volume. Most often, they suggest comparing the serving size with some reference: a fist, a palm, a glass, a dessert plate, etc. In their opinion, you can avoid constant mathematical calculations, but maintain a low caloric daily intake and fractional meals.

A weight loss system based on daily calorie counting is not at all new in dietetics. The method was invented back in the 20s of the last century. Whether you follow this method or not is entirely your decision. But it’s definitely worth a try if you want to achieve lasting results in losing weight, relieving your body of stress. Smooth and natural, proper weight loss while normalizing the daily calorie content of meals has long been proven and tested by many people. Good luck in losing weight!

Calculation of daily caloric intake

If we assume that 1 calorie per 1 kg of weight is burned every hour, then further calculation will show what energy is needed for a weight of 75 kg in the amount of 1800 cal.

This value is only sufficient for normal operating conditions. If you add here the digestion of food, physical and mental stress, the figure will immediately increase.

Currently, the approximate calculation is as follows: on average, per 1 kg of body weight, you need to burn 24 calories in 1 hour. Calculating calories per day for women is more difficult to perform due to the special physiology of the body.

The weaker sex, according to statistics, gains weight faster. And if you are expecting or giving birth to a child, your weight increases by leaps and bounds.

Lifestyle plays an important role here. With low mobility, middle-aged women will need 1800 per day, with average mobility - 2000, with high mobility - 2200.

When losing weight, subtract 500 units from the value you derived. This scheme will allow you to lose weight by 0.5 kg weekly. The main thing is not to get carried away with weight loss. Reduce calories below 1200 units. undesirable.

The calorie intake for men is significantly different compared to women's. A man needs protein. And to get it, energy reserves will have to be increased.

With a sedentary lifestyle, middle-aged men require 2200 cal., with moderate mobility - 2500 cal., with high mobility - 3000 cal.

Recommendations for counting calories for weight loss

1. In the process of calculating the ideal number of calories for your weight loss using the formula proposed above, it is important to adequately assess the nature of your physical activity. According to statistics, many people overestimate their “sports success” during the week. Some people do really intense workouts 5 times a week and set themselves a coefficient of 1.55, while others lift 2 kg dumbbells and do a short jog and also set themselves a coefficient of 1.55. Remember that it is better to slightly underestimate the nature of your training than to overestimate it.
2. Be sure to weigh your portions. Some people correctly calculated the number of calories in a 100 gram portion, but relying on their “eye”, they give themselves a much larger portion, and then complain that the weight loss system with calorie counting does not work.
3. Counting calories throughout the day is painstaking and meticulous work. Don't forget to add the calories contained in mayonnaise, juice with sugar, coffee with sugar, etc. to your total calories for the day. Some people forget to take into account such “little things” and also do not see any progress in losing weight. Absolutely everything you put in your mouth should be strictly counted.

Daily calorie intake for weight loss

In order to find out how many calories you need to consume to lose weight, you should calculate your daily energy expenditure. After you have calculated your daily requirement, feel free to subtract 20% from this value, but let us remind you that this figure should not be less than 1200 units.

This will be your calorie intake for weight loss. Strive to stick to the results you get and you will soon feel the changes yourself.

Proper diet for children

If the adult male and female organisms are fully studied, the issue of proper nutrition for children remains on the surface from year to year. Each child is individual.

The quality of food is of paramount importance. Depending on the age, a child needs 800 calories at 1 year, 1500 at 3 years, 2000 at 6 years, 2900 at 13 years.

Keeping yourself in good shape throughout your life is no easy task. Her decision depends only on you.

For questions about proper nutrition, cleansing the body, choosing the right diet, you can always contact us. In our case, we are always ready to come to your aid.

How to eat calories to lose weight. Daily diet options with different calorie content

Menu option for 1800 kcal

1. Breakfast. Lean boiled meat 90 g, green peas 250 g, 1 boiled egg, coffee with milk.
2. Lunch. Apple.
3. Dinner. Vegetable soup 200 g, steamed cutlets from raw lean meat 120 g, stewed beet salad 150 g, jelly with sugar substitute 50 g.
4. Afternoon snack. Low-fat cottage cheese 100 g, unsweetened compote 200-250 g.
5. Dinner. Boiled fish 100 gr, fresh vegetable salad 150 gr.
6. Before bedtime. Low-fat kefir 200-250 gr.

Menu option for 1200 kcal

1. Breakfast. Boiled fish 100 g, fresh vegetable salad 200 g, coffee with milk.
2. Lunch. Apple.
3. Dinner. Vegetable soup 200 g, chicken meat 100 g, fresh vegetable salad 40 g, unsweetened compote.
4. Afternoon snack. Low-fat milk 250 gr.
5. Dinner. Lean boiled meat 90 g, stewed vegetables 200 g.
6. Before bedtime. Glasses of low-fat kefir.

Menu option for 800 kcal

1. Breakfast. Low-fat cottage cheese 100 g, coffee without sugar.
2. Lunch. Apple.
3. Dinner. Soup with vegetable broth 200 g, boiled lean meat 90 g, compote without sugar 200 g.
4. Afternoon snack. Compote without sugar 200 gr.
5. Dinner. Boiled chicken breast 90 g, green peas 50 g.
6. Before bedtime. Low-fat kefir 200 gr.