How Many Calories A Day To Lose Weight?
Losing weight not only makes you fit but also gives you assurance of a healthy life. The most common tip that you get to lose weight is reducing calorie intake. Undoubtedly, research has shown that this type of action can help people lose weight instead of relying on physical activity only.
However, the problem comes when you are searching for the answer to, “How many calories a day to lose weight?” It is the most confusing question because no one can fix this for you unless they have closely inspected your health, current weight, and estimated your activity level.
However, we have written this blog about this topic to help you understand the calorie needs and their impact on your body weight. We have discussed it in detail to let you manage your daily calories and reduce excessive body mass.
Before you read how many calories you should add to your diet plans to reduce weight, you must understand how it can impact weight loss. Keep in mind that caloric intake is compulsory for our body as it is considered the fuel of our body.
It helps our body in different functions like maintaining metabolic rate, helping proper energy expenditures, and others. However, its excessive intake can severely impact your health, especially weight loss.
According to MSD Manuals, the excessive intake of calories can cause weight gain as extra calories will become fat in the body mass. It is right to say that if you are eating a bag of chips daily, you will start gaining weight because such foods have excessive calories.
In such foods, you will get extra calories per gram as compared to normal foods because of the excessive use of oil and other ingredients. With the help of a calorie counter plan, you can easily keep an eye on your calorie intake and make sure that you are not crossing limits.
It will help you learn whether you should choose nutrient-dense foods to fulfil the calorie needs of your body or pick less-dense foods like white bread, white rice, and others. In simple words, you can say that counting calories will not only help you in weight management but also enhance the results of your weight loss strategies.
For many people, it is common to search whether they will lose weight by following a 1200-calorie diet. Before getting the answer, it is important to understand what a 1200-calorie diet plan is. It is a specific diet plan that is normally considered a low-calorie diet plan.
In this particular diet plan, people will follow meal replacements for caloric restriction to 1200 or less. Many professionals, including doctors and dietitians, recommend that their patients follow this diet plan along with a time-restricted eating mode for reducing weight loss.
According to research, it has been seen that this type of diet plan has helped people in reducing weight. In simple words, a 1200-calorie diet plan can be effective if your aim is to lose weight by reducing calories per pound in your meals.
However, it is also important to focus on increasing your physical activity level, as this diet plan alone won’t help you get the expected results. It is right to say that weight-maintenance calories won’t be impactful unless you are also focusing on physical activities.
So far, you have read about general information regarding the impact of calorie counting on your health as well as weight-loss diet plans. It is time to understand how many calories a day you should eat to lose weight.
Keep in mind that it purely depends on various factors, including body functions, body cholesterol levels, and your activities. For example, if you are an athlete, you have to take a calorie-rich diet as muscle burns more calories during your workout.
However, we have categorised the calorie intake criteria in the following sections according to gender and age. The following data has been collected from a study by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
For Females
In general, the range of calorie intake for females varies from 1600 to 2400 calories per day. It is right to say that females should add fruit smoothies and other meals to their diet plans to reach this mark.
The reason why such a large portion of calories must be achieved is excessive activity in females. As they have to focus on their professional and domestic lives at the same time, it is good for them to avoid feeling empty calories, which can lead them to bad health situations.
For Males
When it comes to diet plans for men, it is important to achieve a calorie intake of 2000 to 3000 calories per day. There is no denying the fact that this type of calorie intake gets nutrition labels for extra calorie intake.
But the thing to consider is that males have to get involved in different physical activities every day. Therefore, their energy expenditure is extensive, which increases their calorie goals to at least 2000 calories per day. However, they should also focus on weight maintenance and focus on losing weight to be healthy.
For Children
When it comes to children, the calorie intake ranges from 1000 to 2200. Keep in mind that the necessary amounts of calories will depend purely on the health condition and age of the children.
So, it is suggested to consult with a professional before focusing on caloric restrictions or increasing their food energy units. You must focus on feeding them with fat-free foods or refined carbs to keep them healthy as well as fulfil their calorie needs.
Quick Reminder!
From the above sections, you must have got an idea of how many calories a day in order to lose weight or be healthy according to your gender. Keep in mind that the above range is decided according to a specific study of healthy and average people.
It is not for people in specific situations, like women in pregnancy, people with metabolic diseases, or any other health issues. Such people shouldn’t focus on rapid weight loss diet plans but should ensure to consult with their doctors for getting a personalised weight-loss diet plan.
Extra calorie intake can lead to excessive weight, which, in turn, impacts your health. You can face various problems like high cholesterol levels, high blood sugar, and unusual hormone production. To keep you away from all such situations, we have researched and listed some effective tips to reduce calorie intake to be healthy and fit.
Eat More Proteins
Many people consider that protein intake is also the same as calorie intake. It is completely wrong because eating more protein will help you reduce your calorie intake. Protein-rich foods are considered a must-have part of most popular diets for weight loss.
According to a study in 2020, when you increase protein intake, you will be able to reduce cravings and fulfil your appetite. In turn, you won’t have any need for calorie-rich foods.
Limit Sugar Intake
Another effective step that you can take is to limit sugar intake, which means that you have to avoid taking sugar-rich foods or drinks. It means you should avoid taking sugar drinks like soft drink/soda, fruit juices, and others.
With this approach, you will not only be able to reduce weight but also focus on blood sugar regulation to feel healthy. According to research, sugar-rich drinks won’t impact your appetite, which means that you will have the hunger to consume more calories.
According to many registered dietitian-nutritionists, you will have more chances of eating calorie-rich foods after taking sugar-rich foods.
Drink More Water
One of the most effective tips for reducing calorie intake is drinking more water. It will become more impactful when you drink a suitable amount of water just before your meal. The reason is that it will help you reduce hunger, which will automatically encourage you to eat fewer calories.
Along with this, it will help you improve your brain health. This is the main reason why competitive athletes are encouraged to take extra water to burn fat and lose weight.
Exercise Regularly
Another step that you can take to reduce calorie intake and lose weight is focusing on exercising. Many people gain weight just because they eat and sit at work with no physical movement.
Many studies have shown that exercise can help you keep your body moving as well as lose fat. In turn, it will help you lose weight, which is your final destination. Keep in mind that all exercises are good to follow, but some of them, like walking, swimming, and jogging, will help you get extensive outcomes.
From the above sections, you have learned the major tips that you can follow to limit your calorie intake. Now, the question comes as to how you can limit it. The simplest way to do this is to set realistic goals instead of trying to take a huge jump.
Many people fail in achieving their goals of calorie intake because they set extensive goals. They try to apply caloric restrictions immediately to their diet plans, which impacts their health badly. Keep in mind that you should focus on realistic goals and choose to reduce calorie intake step by step.
For this purpose, you have to change your diet plan slowly by focusing on meal replacements instead of removing multiple foods. You can also focus on using a calorie calculator that will help you know how many calories you are consuming.
With this approach, you can ensure that you have a realistic mark to achieve in your caloric intake plan. As a result, there are huge chances that you will be able to not only reduce your caloric intake but also achieve your health goals.
Undoubtedly, everyone can read about how many calories a day to lose weight and tips to follow for reducing this intake. However, many people aren’t able to follow up with the weight-loss strategies. It is because they have to face common challenges during their weight-loss journey. Let us share some of the major challenges that people are facing in this regard.
Emotional Eating
The most common challenge that people face in reducing caloric intake is emotional eating. Many people eat to reduce the emotional stress they are facing instead of reducing their hunger. Such people don’t have any eating plan, but they start eating whenever they want.
Additionally, these people try to get calorie-rich foods like French fries. It is highly recommended to focus on reducing this habit. It is because you will never be able to reduce your weight if you keep eating such meals without any time management.
Losing Motivation
Another challenge that people face is getting demotivated. Most people don’t continue their most popular health plans because of no results. Keep in mind that weight loss demands patience, and you can’t experience results within a few days.
So, you must remain motivated and follow your diet plan to reduce caloric intake and get the expected results in weight loss.
Undoubtedly, you have learned how many calories you should consume to lose weight. However, you can’t blindly follow the diet plans without consulting with professionals like ours. At Longevity Clinics, we have highly professional doctors and nutritionists who can help you get a personalised weight loss plan and follow it to get the expected results. Our doctors don’t just share the most popular plans with you, but they focus on working closely with you to know about your health conditions and refer the best plan. We don’t only focus on reducing calorie intake, but also on overall wellbeing. This is what makes our medical experts suitable for your consultation to get a personalised diet plan to reduce calorie intake.
We’ve developed a comprehensive six-step process that acts as your personal health roadmap, to follow towards your health goals.
