Dieting - How Many Calories Do I Need Each Day to Lose Weight?

Diet & Weight Loss Tips, Diet Advice, Diet Article

Calorie Needs for Weight Loss

This question is one of the myriad of reasons why achieving safe, effective weight loss is so difficult. Because each individual is different in age, chemical make-up, frame-size, activity level, the number of calories necessary for weight loss will vary from individual to individual.

Although 1,000 to 1,500 calorie diets are often the prescription, they may also leave an individual's health at risk. Many times, particularly for those in need of dropping a large number of pounds, the calorie intake may be too low.

As a health note, for those individuals in need of losing more than 75 pounds, the oversight of a doctor or nutritionist is the best course.

For those in need of dropping 75 pounds or less, creating a three day record of all the foods consumed over a three-day period, then adding up the calories for each day provides valuable information for your weight loss plan.

Example: If the average calorie consumption is 3,500 calories per day for pre-dieter Joe, decreasing his calorie intake to 2,000 calories per day would render a 5-7 pound weight loss per week in the early stages of his diet.

However, as time passes and more and more weight drops off, calorie intake will again need to be adjusted to ensure weight loss continues. Then again, if Joe's normal recommended calorie intake stands at 2,000, he could simply remain on the 2,000 calorie diet and eventually, would reach his ideal weight.

As a rule of thumb, for every 10 pounds that a person weighs, the body when at rest requires about 100 calories to support. Factor in activity and the required calories necessary for sustaining life increase.

For example, if Susan weighs 150 pounds then her body requires a minimum of 1,500 calories per day just to stay alive. She will require additional calories for activities that she performs throughout the day. Even if she is at rest while ill, her body will require more calories as is the case during times of illness.

Of course, the number of required calories varies according to age, metabolism and so forth.

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