How Many Calories Should I Eat for Weight Loss?

Introduction

You should cut back on your daily calorie intake by 500–1,000 if you want to lose weight. You can lose one to two pounds every week by doing this. However, unless you are being monitored by a physician, you should not consume less than 1,200 calories per day if you are a woman, or 1,500 calories per day if you are a male.

Personalized daily calorie objectives are provided by Everyday Health’s weight reduction calculator, which was created by registered dietitian-nutritionists (RDNs) and the Lose It! team. Minimum daily calorie intakes of 1,200 for women, 1,350 for nonbinary people, and 1,500 for men are recommended by the calculator. To find the best course of action for you, we advise speaking with a healthcare expert.

To determine how many calories you should consume daily to achieve your ideal weight, follow the instructions in the weight reduction calculator below.

Your metabolism, age, height, lifestyle, level of physical fitness, and the kind and amount of food you eat all affect how many calories you need each day.

Men should consume 2000 calories per day on average, whereas women should consume 2,500 calories per day.

Calories: What Are They?

A calorie is a unit of energy that comes from the food and beverages you eat and the energy you expend when engaging in different physical activities.

You can acquire more strength or energy from eating a food product with more calories. Additionally, your body stores extra calories as fat when your calorie intake is higher than what your body requires.

Each food item has a varied number of calories. It indicates that your body does not require the same quantity of calories from the three macronutrients—fats, proteins, and carbohydrates. The calories are broken down as follows:

• Calories in macronutrients per gram
• 4 calories per gram of carbohydrates
• 4 calories per gram of protein
• 9 calories per gram of fat

For instance, 30 cups of lettuce or a candy bar can provide 150 calories. The most important thing is to realize that every calorie is unique. It will assist you in choosing healthier foods.

What is your calorie requirement?

For our bodies to work, we all require a fundamental level of energy, often known as our basal metabolic rate. Your body needs this much energy every day, even if you spend the entire day sleeping soundly in bed and just moving your breathing. These processes help breathe, circulate blood, give cells and tissues energy, and sustain all of your organs, including the kidneys, brain, digestive system, and lungs.

Your calorie requirements may be influenced by many variables in addition to your basal metabolic rate. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans state that a person’s daily caloric requirements depend on several variables, such as age, sex, height, weight, degree of physical activity, and whether or not they are pregnant or nursing.

You must consume around the same number of calories per day as your body needs to support your normal physical activity and your basal metabolic demands to maintain your weight. You must consume fewer calories than your body needs at your current level of exercise if you want to lose weight.

It is commonly assumed that a 3,500-calorie deficit will result in a 1-pound (lb) reduction in body weight. This rule of thumb overpredicts weight loss, according to research.

Take into account the following elements when estimating your daily energy requirements.

Present Weight

Weighing yourself to ascertain your current weight is the first step in calculating how many calories you need to maintain or lose weight. You should try to consume as many calories as necessary to maintain your weight if it is already within a healthy range for your height. The American Cancer Society offers a chart on healthy weights, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offers instructions on how to calculate your body mass index (BMI), however, the term “healthy weight” might be a subjective one.

To determine how many calories you’ll need to lose weight gradually at your current weight, utilize a weight loss calculator.

Objective Weight

To find out what the calculator will recommend for your caloric needs, try a few various goal weights or pick a reasonable one (more on this later). The majority of weight loss calculators utilize your target weight to determine how many calories you need to lose weight gradually.

A calorie is a unit of energy that comes from the food and beverages we eat and drink and that enables us to carry out daily activities like breathing, thinking, digestion, physical activity, and organ maintenance.

Calories come from all forms of macronutrients, including fat, carbs, and protein. Their calorie content is the only distinction between them. Each gram of fat has nine calories, compared to four calories from protein and carbs.

Being aware of your approximate caloric requirements is crucial for weight loss and maintenance.

The ideal caloric intake for weight loss

Your height, current weight, degree of exercise, age, and health status are some of the variables that affect how many calories you need to eat each day.

If you want to lose weight, you need generally cut back on your daily caloric intake by 500 to shed about one pound or half a kilogram each week.

You can decrease fat while maintaining muscle mass if you drop weight gradually and sustainably. Your unique situation will determine how many calories you need to lose weight healthily.

Depending on several variables, including height, weight, age, metabolism, general health, and level of physical activity, each person will have a different response to this question. Here, a one-size-fits-all strategy is ineffective. To better grasp this, let’s look at an example.

You should consume 500 fewer calories than your body requires if you wish to reduce weight. Long-term, this technique will help you keep your present body weight. There are differences in how many calories you should eat each day.

Somewhat active men

For guys between the ages of 26 and 45 who are moderately active, maintaining their weight usually requires about 2,600 calories per day. You can lose one pound every week by eating about 2,100 calories a day.

In motion

To maintain weight, an energetic male who walks more than three miles a day could require 2,800–3,000 calories daily. Losing one pound per week can be achieved by consuming roughly 2,300 to 2,500 calories per day.

Young men

To maintain their weight, younger men need more energy, which can amount to 2,800 calories on average or up to 3,000 if they are more active. Losing one pound per week can be achieved by consuming roughly 2,300 to 2,500 calories per day.

Males in the 46–65 age range

As people age, their energy needs decrease. Men between the ages of 46 and 65 who are moderately active need about 2,400 calories per day. The average daily calorie need drops to roughly 2,200 after the age of 66. You should eat between 1,700 and 1,900 calories a day to lose weight.

Moderately active women

About 2,000 calories must be consumed daily by moderately active women between the ages of 26 and 50 to maintain their weight. You should eat about 1,500 calories a day to lose one pound of weight every week.

In motion

To maintain their weight, active women who walk more than three miles a day must consume at least 2,200 calories. You should eat about 1,700 calories a day to lose one pound of weight every week.

Young ladies

To maintain their weight, women in their early twenties need about 2,200 calories. You should cut back on your daily calorie consumption to about 1,700 if you want to lose one pound of weight every week.

Women over fifty

Compared to younger women, women over 50 often require fewer calories. Women over 50 who are moderately active might need about 1,800 calories a day to stay the same weight. You might need to cut back on your daily caloric intake to about 1,300 if you want to drop one pound every week. These figures do not, however, account for pregnant and nursing women, whose calorie needs are much higher.

Kids

• Children have a wide range of calorie needs.
• Moderately active teenagers will probably need 2,000 to 2,800 calories per day, but an average toddler may need 1,200 to 1,400 calories.

Deficit of calories

Your body stores extra energy as fat when you consume more calories than it requires. However, if your daily energy needs aren’t met by the calories you eat, your body will draw energy from your fat reserves to make up the difference. You experience a calorie deficit as a result, which leads to weight loss.

How to figure out how many calories you need each day to lose weight

The first step in figuring out how many calories you should eat to lose weight is to understand how many calories you need to ingest daily.

Here’s how to figure out how many calories you need each day to lose weight:

• Divide your weight by two to convert it from pounds to kilograms.
• The weight (kg) is multiplied by 1.0 for men and 0.9 for women.

Examine the lean factor.

Lean factor multiplier
To consider your body fat percentage, apply the lean factor multiplier:

Men

• 14–18 years old (1.0)
• 19–28 years old (0.95)
• 29–38 years old (0.90)
• older than 38 (0.85)

Women

• 10–14 years old (1.0)
• 15–20 years old (0.95)
• 21–28 years old (0.90)
• Over 28 years old (0.85)

For illustration, let’s examine the caloric requirements of a man who works on a construction site and weighs 134.5 lbs (61 kg) with a body fat percentage of 30%:

1.0 (male) x 24 x 0.90 (30% body fat) x 61 kg (134.5 lbs.) = 1317.6

The number that results is your basal metabolic rate (BMR), or how many calories you burn each day even if you are not moving.

Multiplier for daily activity level

To determine how many calories you should eat each day based on your lifestyle and occupation, multiply your BMR by the daily activity level multiplier:

• 1.3 (Very light): A typical office worker who spends minimal time moving around the office.
• 1.55 (Light): You have a job that involves walking or standing.
• 1.65 (Moderate): You must perform physical tasks like cleaning, riding a bike, or running as part of your employment.
• 1.8 (Heavy): You must perform heavy manual labor tasks, like construction, for a minimum of four hours per day.
• 2.00 (Very Heavy): You must engage in moderate to strenuous physical activity for at least eight hours every day as part of your job.

The male individual’s activity multiplier in the example computation is 1.8 because he works on a construction site. Accordingly, he would need the following number of calories per day:

Light activity (1.8) times BMR (1317.6) equals 2,372 calories daily.

You must consume about 500 fewer calories than you require to maintain your present weight to shed about one pound of body weight every week. According to the sample calculation, the man would have to cut back on his daily calorie consumption to 1,872.

How can calorie intake be decreased?

Although cutting calories is known to help people lose weight, it’s crucial to do so without sacrificing any nutrients. Many people make the mistake of eliminating food in an attempt to reduce calories, which can result in deficiencies in vitamins, minerals, and other crucial micronutrients.

Therefore, it is advised to avoid high-calorie, low-nutrient foods like soft drinks, chips, biscuits, and the like and instead turn to nutrient-dense foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, meat, eggs, etc.

The following are a few of the best strategies to cut calories:

• Avoid fruit juices and sugary drinks.
• Increase your intake of protein and make sure you drink enough water.
• Reduce your intake of processed carbohydrates and engage in frequent exercise.

Spending more energy than you take in may seem easy, but incorporating this into your daily routine can be difficult. Cutting calories without taking into account the nutritional value of the foods you eat is not advised.

Since processed foods are less filling and nourishing than whole meals, eating them in place of them is not a sustainable or healthful strategy to lose weight and may cause you to feel hungry and/or overeat.

You can lose weight in a sustainable, healthful manner by adopting the following lifestyle modifications:

Increase your intake of vegetables

The high fiber content of vegetables fills you full without adding calories since the body cannot digest it.

Additionally, satiating, nutrient-dense, and low-in-energy foods including fruits, whole grains, and legumes contain fiber.

Important body processes like feeding your gut bacteria and controlling bowel movements are supported by fiber.

Get rid of distractions.

Eating while watching TV, or using a computer, a smartphone, or a tablet diverts your attention from your hunger and fullness cues and makes overeating more likely. To completely appreciate the flavor and aroma of your food, try eating slowly and thoughtfully while avoiding outside distractions.

Cut back on condiments.

You may be unaware of the numerous hidden calories in condiments, sauces, and salad dressings. Large levels of fat from cream and oils are found in dressings like ranch, blue cheese, mayonnaise, and Caesar, which may quickly add up to a lot of extra calories.

To manage your portion sizes when dining out, request dressings or sauces on the side. Use lemon juice, mustard, or vinegar at home for a taste boost that is significantly fewer in calories than rich condiments.

Drink plenty of water

Maintaining proper hydration is crucial for weight loss. Water helps with fullness and has no calories, so you’re less likely to overeat at your next meal.

In addition to being essential for staying hydrated, water also helps with metabolism, digestion, and the removal of toxins from the body by your organs.

Workout

Long-term calorie restriction raises the risk of muscle loss and lowers metabolic rate, which can lead to weight plateauing. Your body stores energy rather than burning it to make up for a calorie shortfall. Maintaining muscle mass and encouraging fat loss can be achieved by increasing strength-based training, such as lifting weights.

Up your intake of protein

You should consume a lot of protein if you wish to reduce your weight. According to a study, eating 25% of your daily calories from protein will help you stop obsessive thoughts about food by 60% and cut down on late-night snacking by 50%, both of which can contribute to weight gain.

Because it keeps muscle mass intact and decreases hunger and cravings, eating more protein is a good approach to losing weight. Because it takes more energy to digest than fat or carbs, protein can also raise your metabolic rate.

Prepare meals at home

Dishes made at home frequently contain fewer calories than those served at restaurants. Restaurants frequently add a lot of sugar, salt, and fat to their cuisine to make it as enticing as possible. The ingredients you use, the quantity of fat and oil you utilize, and the portion sizes you serve yourself are all under your control when you prepare.

You can drastically cut your calorie consumption to lose weight and eat healthier by cooking your food. Think about buying lunchboxes, preparing meals ahead of time, and dividing up your lunches to bring to work or school. This will benefit both your wallet and your waist.

Buddha bowls, chicken-vegetable stir-fries, vegetarian chili, and whole-grain pasta with turkey and vegetable sauce are a few simple, low-calorie, and healthful lunch ideas.

What possible drawbacks might calorie counting have?

It might be difficult to consistently calculate calories since if a person does not consume enough calories each day, they may experience mood changes, irritability, and hunger pangs. It’s also critical to recognize that the body’s daily calorie needs vary. As a result, closely monitoring caloric intake may be harmful to one’s general health.

Therefore, it is advised to stay away from highly processed, high-sugar foods and to only eat clean, organic sources of nutrients. Increasing your level of physical activity and exercising can also aid in calorie burning and foster a healthy appetite.

Does 1200 calories a day help people lose weight?

If you are trying to lose weight, 1200 calories a day is usually regarded as a caloric deficit. Aiming for 1-2 pounds per week is advised for safe weight loss. This entails consuming 500–1000 fewer calories per day than you need for upkeep.

You multiply your weight by 15 to determine your maintenance calorie intake. A person who is moderately active, for instance, walks 1.5–3 miles a day at 3–4 miles per hour in addition to their regular activities. If you weigh 150 pounds, your maintenance caloric intake is 150 x 15 = 2250 calories. Consequently, 1200 calories per day is beneficial for weight loss.

Conclusion

Your age, gender, height, current weight, amount of activity, and health all affect how many calories you require each day.

You usually need to cut back on your daily caloric intake by about 500 calories to lose one pound of weight per week. While cutting calories too drastically and too quickly can backfire, this is regarded as healthy weight loss. It might make you more likely to overeat because of desires and hunger. Long-term calorie restriction can also result in muscle loss and other health issues.

Focus on making little lifestyle adjustments over time, including exercising, eating more veggies and protein, drinking enough water, and getting enough sleep, if you want to lose weight sustainably and healthily.

FAQs

Reference

• HealthMatch staff & HealthMatch Pty Ltd. (2022, May 17). How many calories should you eat to lose weight? HealthMatch. https://healthmatch.io/weight-management/how-many-calories-to-lose-weight#how-to-reduce-calorie-intake
• Clc, A. G. M. R. C. (2025, February 1). Weight loss calculator by Everyday Health. EverydayHealth.com. https://www.everydayhealth.com/weight/weight-loss-calculator/
• Hospitals, A. (n.d.). Apollo Hospitals. Apollo Hospitals. https://www.apollohospitals.com/diseases-and-conditions/how-much-calories-do-i-need-per-day/
• Surgeon, R. R. E. H. a. N. (2023, January 5). How many calories should I eat a day to lose weight? 1200 calories a day. MedicineNet. https://www.medicinenet.com/how_many_calories_to_eat_a_day_to_lose_weight/article.htm