How many calories does the average person need each day to maintain weight? What is the best way to find out how many calories you need without going hungry? To lose weight, what should your daily caloric intake be? The answer to these questions can be found below.
The calorie needs of an average person vary depending on age, sex, height, and physical activity level. The body’s ability to function at its peak is based primarily on the number of calories it consumes and burns each day. Read more to find your calorie needs for weight loss or maintenance.
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Contents
What Is A Calorie?
A calorie is a unit of measurement for the energy we get from food. The body uses calories to keep our heart beating, muscles moving, and brain functioning. Calories come from carbohydrates, fats, and protein-rich foods.
The body needs calories to function and maintain itself. The human brain is a perfect example of this need for energy, it requires about 20% of the total daily caloric intake (according to the National Academy Press). For those who are inactive or only moderately active, you may require less than 1 million calories to stay healthy. However, if someone eats too many high-calorie foods like fast-food each day then they could be at risk for obesity which affects over 30 percent of adults today.
The word calorie comes from Latin “caeli” meaning sky and “gradus” meaning steps because early scientists noticed that heat was released as the food was burnt inside an animal’s stomach; this would cause the scale on which their meat was being weighed out before cooking went up one step with every increase in temperature by around 4 degrees Celsius – so 100 cals burned = 100 grams lost!
How To Find Your Calorie Needs For Weight Loss Or Maintenance
There are a few ways to find out what your calorie needs are. The easiest way is to use an app like MyFitnessPal where you can enter your age, weight, height, sex, and physical activity level and calculate how many calories you should be eating to maintain or lose weight. If that’s not possible, you can estimate using the following formula:
Women: (6.2 x weight in pounds) + (12.7 x height in inches) – (4.7 x age in years)
Men: (6.2 x weight in pounds) + (12.7 x height in inches) – (6.8 x age in years)
You can also use this handy tool to help you calculate your daily caloric needs for either weight maintenance or weight loss by inputting your info below.
Find Your Goal Weight Loss Or Maintenance Target
In order to get your calorie needs, you will need to enter your goal weight. If you want to maintain your current weight then input that instead of the weight you want to lose. You can also input your height and physical activity level for a more custom calculation.
To Maintain Weight:
Men: BMR x 16 + 896 = daily calories
Women: BMR x 14 + 896 = daily calories
To lose 1 pound of body fat per week:
Men: BMR x 11 + 1728 = daily calories
Women: BMR x 10 + 1728 = daily calories
Lose Weight
Losing weight is challenging for many reasons. One of the most common reasons people struggle to reach their weight loss goals is because they’re not eating enough. To lose weight, you need to consume fewer calories than your body needs. That means burning more calories through exercise or by logging food intake with an app like MyFitnessPal. To find out how many calories you need each day, use a calorie counter or read the label on your food items and tally up what you eat in a day.
Maintain Your Current Weight
If you are not trying to lose weight, then your calorie needs are the same as your current calorie intake. If you want to maintain your current weight, then all you need to do is continue with what you’re doing. However, this does not mean that you can eat junk food and potato chips every day. You still need to be mindful of what you eat and how much you eat.
To maintain weight for an average height person: 20-30 years old -2400 calories per day; 31-50 years old -2200 calories per day; 51-70 years old -1950 calories per day; 71+ -1600 calories per day.
Women should consume about 2200 calories a day and men should consume about 2700 calories per day to maintain their weight.
What Are Some Things That Influence Your Calorie Needs?
When calculating how many calories are needed, an individual’s age and sex is the first factor that needs to be considered. For example, a sedentary woman in her twenties would need about 1,800-2,200 calories per day while someone who exercises daily could require up to 3100-3200.
The calorie requirement for adults also increases based on one’s activity level: more exercise leads to higher energy expenditure which must then be met with increased food intake (i.e., eating). An average adult needs between 1200-2400+/-per day depending on their metabolic rate but some people can go as high as 4000+.
How To Count Calories With An App Like Myfitnesspal
Now that you know how many calories you need to maintain weight or lose weight, it is time to start figuring out how to get them.
Your first step is to log your food intake. An app like MyFitnessPal will make this process much easier and more efficient. Download the app from the App Store or Google Play.
Conclusion
Factors such as a person’s weight, height, age, or lifestyle determine their specific calorie needs. Knowing your calorie requirements is essential for achieving any diet goal. That is why we recommend logging your food intake with an app like MyFitnessPal. An accurate count will ensure you are getting enough protein and carbs while keeping an eye on macros and nutrients
References
- How Many Calories Should You Eat Per Day to Lose Weight?
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/how-many-calories-per-day
- Calorie Calculator – Mayo Clinic
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/weight-loss/in-depth/calorie-calculator/itt-20402304
- Calorie Calculator To Maintain And Lose Weight – Forbes
https://www.forbes.com/health/body/calorie-calculator/
- How Many Calories Should I Eat a Day? – Verywell Fit
https://www.verywellfit.com/how-many-calories-to-lose-weight-3495659
