how many calories should I eat in a day to lose weight.
How Many Calories Should I Eat In A Day To Lose Weight
There isn’t a magic tablet or any special place you can go to make you lose weight. All that we need to do is tackle the problem at source. How many calories should I eat a day to lose weight?
Let’s tackle the question head on, we need to eat enough to work, play and more importantly live.
I can’t be more direct than that!
Let’s not focus only on losing weight, let’s look a little deeper. Food is a very important part of our makeup and not eating enough or eating too little can cause major problems to our health.
Eating for good health.
When we sit down for our daily family meal, the last thing on our mind is how many calories we’re going to consume. Our dinner plate will contain a variety of food which will give us all the vitamins, minerals, protein and carbohydrates that our body needs. To answer the question of how many calories should I eat a day. The basic guideline is simple and that is:
1) Men should consume 2500 calories per day.
2) Women should consume 2000 calories per day.
This is a simple guideline in order to promote good health. This can be broken down a little more, which would make it a little complicated, but accurate for good health and a more accurate method of calorie control.
How many calories should I eat in a day to lose weight.
The calculation that could be applied here is:
- We should eat 0.8 grams of protein per kilo of body weight.
I have always eaten food of my choice. Using either method for understanding how many calories I should eat a day to lose weight was a distraction. I found it so much easier to populate my plate with as many greens as I wanted or that would fit on my plate, followed by an average size of carbohydrates.
This would be either rice, potatoes or pasta. My source of protein would be any meat, my usual choice would be either chicken or fish (Salmon). Now, I would regard this as a healthy diet, all the essentials that my body would need to perform its daily tasks and essentially repair itself too.
Losing weight is a good thing and don’t get me wrong I’m not condoning weight loss, what I’m trying to say is there is more to living a healthy satisfying life.
Targeted living – micro manage your food.
Take a look at how you live your life and try to weed out the good from the bad. Try this simple rule:
- Eat a balanced meal for lunch and dinner.
- Replace bad foods with good foods.
- Enjoy a treat but have small portions.
- Take regular exercise.
- Try not to skip breakfast.
They’re not hard to follow, in fact I’d say they should be quite simple. Rome wasn’t built in a day and you shouldn’t expect to lose weight overnight. It will take time but living a healthy lifestyle will make you lose weight naturally and with minimum effort. Don’t worry too much about how many calories you should eat a day to lose weight.
So what I’d like you to understand here is that you can live your life however you choose and still lose weight.
Being healthy while losing weight – control those calories.
The human body is a complicated/sophisticated machine that requires us to give it fuel, also known as food. It also needs regular exercise to keep it in tip-top condition. The impact of a bad diet on our bodies can be quite devastating and unproductive, sometimes the choices we make now aren’t visible till later on in life.
So while it is important to know how many calories should I eat a day to lose weight. It’s not the only thing to bear in mind. Having a healthy weight is a part of being healthy but not the only part of the program.
The conclusion to how many calories should I eat in a day to lose weight
To take control of your unique machine, I would suggest you follow basic guidelines in my bullet pointed list above. Keep in mind exactly how many calories should I eat a day to lose weight. Try to work with and understand your body because it enjoys the treats that you enjoy too but don’t forget who’s in charge! Just in case you don’t know the answer, IT’S YOU!
My final word is listen to your body, work with it and believe me it will work for you!
I hope you’ve enjoyed this post and I hope you make the right choices that will give you the right rewards. As always if you have any questions or comments please leave them below.
Bon Appetit! UTG.
This is such a great article. I think calorie counting is possibly one of the most boring things in the world but if you are serious about losing weight there is no better way to do it. Even just counting calories using an app for a week gives you a great idea of exactly how many calories are in all types of food. Thanks for the great advice on how many calories we should consume
This is such a great article. I think calorie counting is possibly one of the most boring things in the world but if you are serious about losing weight there is no better way to do it. Even just counting calories using an app for a week gives you a great idea of exactly how many calories are in all types of food. Thanks for the great advice on how many calories we should consume
“listen to your body.” That is the best advice people can implement when it comes to losing weight or fitness in general. I focus on eating what I call “normal foods” and I don’t refer to healthy eating as dieting. Been doing it for years and everything from my weight/physique to my mental state to energy levels have improved tenfold. I know eating the way I eat may not work for everyone, but it did and does for me.
“listen to your body.” That is the best advice people can implement when it comes to losing weight or fitness in general. I focus on eating what I call “normal foods” and I don’t refer to healthy eating as dieting. Been doing it for years and everything from my weight/physique to my mental state to energy levels have improved tenfold. I know eating the way I eat may not work for everyone, but it did and does for me.
Luckily, I have never really had any problems with my weight but as I grow older I watch what I eat. I usually eat a lot of greens and make them taste good. I like the way that vegetables make me feel after the meal, I can digest better and I do not feel sluggish especially after lunch. I also try to limit my alcohol intake, it is an empty calories but I do not cut it completely when I go out and socialize. I also follow the intermittent fasting the 16:8. I feel good and have more energy. To be honest I no longer count calories anymore, I find it to be too obsessive and I rather enjoy my day than worrying about my calories. 🙂
Luckily, I have never really had any problems with my weight but as I grow older I watch what I eat. I usually eat a lot of greens and make them taste good. I like the way that vegetables make me feel after the meal, I can digest better and I do not feel sluggish especially after lunch. I also try to limit my alcohol intake, it is an empty calories but I do not cut it completely when I go out and socialize. I also follow the intermittent fasting the 16:8. I feel good and have more energy. To be honest I no longer count calories anymore, I find it to be too obsessive and I rather enjoy my day than worrying about my calories. 🙂
Nice post and very informative. Good job in avoiding complications, i.e. keeping it simple. I generally eat carbohydrates before a workout and protein afterward. I have much to learn about nutrition, since I count calories but need to pay more attention to the type of calories.
It seems that I am always either losing weight or gaining weight. 2000 calories per day with an hour workout works wonders for me. But then, I have been known to deviate from this. And often.
The variables are quite important – weight, age, level of fitness, type of workout, and of, course, type of calories. Then there is type of weight loss – with or without muscle involvement. It is very possible to lose weight and then have loose skin and a worse appearance than before.
Very nice job on this post. I have a similar niche and can learn much from you. Thanks, Derek!
Nice post and very informative. Good job in avoiding complications, i.e. keeping it simple. I generally eat carbohydrates before a workout and protein afterward. I have much to learn about nutrition, since I count calories but need to pay more attention to the type of calories.
It seems that I am always either losing weight or gaining weight. 2000 calories per day with an hour workout works wonders for me. But then, I have been known to deviate from this. And often.
The variables are quite important – weight, age, level of fitness, type of workout, and of, course, type of calories. Then there is type of weight loss – with or without muscle involvement. It is very possible to lose weight and then have loose skin and a worse appearance than before.
Very nice job on this post. I have a similar niche and can learn much from you. Thanks, Derek!
Lots of good, common sense advice here. I appreciate the simple but effective steps anyone can take to get control of their weight. My doctor recommended a book on “Volumetrics” that helps as well. The idea is to eat less calories while choosing low-cal foods that have sufficient fiber to make sure you chase off that hungry feeling. If you feel full by eating as much of these types of foods as you want, you will cut calories without desiring more food. Thanks for the encouraging site!
Lots of good, common sense advice here. I appreciate the simple but effective steps anyone can take to get control of their weight. My doctor recommended a book on “Volumetrics” that helps as well. The idea is to eat less calories while choosing low-cal foods that have sufficient fiber to make sure you chase off that hungry feeling. If you feel full by eating as much of these types of foods as you want, you will cut calories without desiring more food. Thanks for the encouraging site!
I agree with your conclusion, I think that breakfast is the most important meal of the day because it gives you the necessary nutrients to make you more alert and active throughout the day. I try to watch the calories I take myself, and it has given me great results combined with consistent exercise. This is really good information provided, nice job.
I agree with your conclusion, I think that breakfast is the most important meal of the day because it gives you the necessary nutrients to make you more alert and active throughout the day. I try to watch the calories I take myself, and it has given me great results combined with consistent exercise. This is really good information provided, nice job.
You are quite right! It will definitely be very difficult trying to measure the number of calories that go into one’s body every blessed day.
And I am glad you made mention it is not something that happens overnight, unlike some people will pitch you products that will make you lose weight in 7 days, only at the end of more than 7 days, such product may not even have any effect.
With your honesty, I am compelled to try out your way, by trying to incorporate a balanced diet into every meal I have. And try to keep up wit my breakfast, as it is one thing I am not consistent with.
Hopefully, these changes will help me get the desired result.
Thanks for sharing…
You are quite right! It will definitely be very difficult trying to measure the number of calories that go into one’s body every blessed day.
And I am glad you made mention it is not something that happens overnight, unlike some people will pitch you products that will make you lose weight in 7 days, only at the end of more than 7 days, such product may not even have any effect.
With your honesty, I am compelled to try out your way, by trying to incorporate a balanced diet into every meal I have. And try to keep up wit my breakfast, as it is one thing I am not consistent with.
Hopefully, these changes will help me get the desired result.
Thanks for sharing…
Hi. While I was on your site I thought I would check out your blog on ‘how many calories should I eat’. This very issue is something that has been on my mind a lot lately. I am normally a good eater, meaning that I eat lots of fruit and vegies, but I have become a bit lazy over the last few years and tend to snack on too many biscuits , cakes and chocolate. A recent visit to my doctor highlighted the need for me to be more careful with what I place in my mouth. Apparently I have a medium to high chance of having a heart attack in the next 5 years. So when I saw your blog I simply had to read it. You can be sure that I’ll add salads to my diet every day for lunch, I’ll replace those bad foods with something good and I’ll start eating a healthy breakfast. Jim
Thanks Jim, your comments are very appreciated.
I’ve always wanted to ask this question and thanks to you, you answered it already for me before asking. There’s been so many controversies about how much calories should be eaten to lose weight and I must say I’ve really been confused by the series of answers I get and I wasn’t satisfied with, this article just simplified everything for me and I now understand better. Weeding the bad from the good in your food is really necessary to keep healthy and I’ll help lose weight naturally. Thanks for the concluding note, I’ll make use of it.
This is a topic that will never grow old and with so many different ideas appearing in the media, the confusion can become greater.
Thank you for your comment.