How To Calculate Calories For Weight Loss?

Divide the total number of calories you consumed for 10 days by 10 to find your average daily calorie intake. Then, subtract 500 calories from this number to determine your new daily intake goal for weight loss.

How does the calorie calculator work?

How You Can Maximize Your Weight Loss – If you would like to maximize your weight loss efforts, use the results from this calculator and apply them to this visual hack, Using this one visual tool, you can help avoid the common pitfalls most people run into when trying to lose weight.

How to calculate calorie deficit to lose weight?

Calculate your total weekly calorie deficit to meet your weekly goal. To do this, multiply 3500 by how many pounds per week you want to lose. Example, 1 lbs pounds a week x 3500 calories is 3500 calories. Step 3. Divide your total weekly calorie deficit by 7 to determine your daily deficit.

How do you calculate 3500 calories per day to lose weight?

To do this, multiply 3500 by how many pounds per week you want to lose. Example, 1 lbs pounds a week x 3500 calories is 3500 calories. Step 3. Divide your total weekly calorie deficit by 7 to determine your daily deficit. Example: 3500 calories divided by 7 days is 500 calories per day.

How many calories should I eat a day to lose weight?

Step 2: Calculate your calorie deficit – According to the American Heart Association, you need to eat 500 calories less than your maintenance calories a day to lose 1 pound of weight a week. So, if your TDEE is 2,000 calories, eating 1,500 calories a day for 7 days may help you achieve a weight loss of 1 pound a week as long as you keep your daily activities consistent.

How many calories should you eat per day for weight loss?

An average woman needs to eat about 2000 calories per day to maintain, and 1500 calories to lose one pound of weight per week. An average man needs 2500 calories to maintain, and 2000 to lose one pound of weight per week.

How many calories to lose 2 lbs a week calculator?

To lose 2 pounds of weight a week, you would have to create a calorie deficit of 7,000 calories per week, which translates to 1,000 calories per day. Therefore, you have to create a calorie deficit of 1,000 calories per day for a week, in order to lose 2 pounds a week.

How many calories equal one pound of weight loss?

Why You Have to Burn 3500+ Calories to Lose a Pound – Popular health websites will tell you that because there are 3500 calories in a pound of fat, each pound of weight loss is just simple math. For instance, they will claim that reducing your caloric intake by 500 calories each day, you’ll lose a pound after one week.

500 x 7 = 3500) That’s pretty accurate during your first week, but increasingly less accurate as time goes on. Here’s the important thing to understand: your body is good at adapting to change, As you reduce the number of calories you intake each day, your body starts to make adjustments to work with what it’s given.

That means if you are starting a diet, the number of calories you need to burn (or cut out from your diet) each day to lose one pound is very different on day 1 compared to day 300, Really? That’s kind of frustrating!

How to determine the calories you need to lose weight?

Download Article Download Article For effective weight loss, it is important that you not only get physical exercise, but also control the amount of calories you eat every day. However, it can be difficult to determine exactly how many calories you should consume each day to lose or gain weight effectively.

1. 1 Be aware of the science behind your Basic Metabolic Rate (BMR). Your BMR is the estimated amount of calories your body burns when it is not moving, or at rest. This amount represents the minimum energy your body needs to function, from breathing to maintaining a heartbeat.
   • You use about two-thirds of your daily calories to maintain your BMR, so the daily caloric intake needed to allow you to lose weight or gain weight (and still function as a person) will be based on your BMR.
2. 2 Factor in your age, weight, and gender. Your BMR is based on your age, height, weight, and gender. Most calorie calculators use the Harris-Benedict equation to determine how many calories you should be eating every day.
   • For men, your BMR is equal to: 65 + (6.2 x weight in pounds) + (12.7 x height in inches) – (6.8 x age in years)
   • For women, your BMR is equal to: 655 + (4.3 x weight in pounds) + (4.3 x height in inches) – (4.7 x age in years)

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3. 3 Determine how active you are on a weekly basis. Calorie calculators also factor in your level of activity. If you are very active, for example, with hard exercise almost every day of the week, you may need to consume more calories than if you lead a more sedentary lifestyle, where you do little to no activity.
   • Sedentary: You have a desk job where you sit all day long and do little to no exercise every week.
   • Lightly active: You do light exercise or play sports, one to three days a week.
   • Moderately active: You do moderate exercise or play sports, three to five days a week.
   • Very active: You do hard, intense exercise or play sports, six to seven days a week.
   • Extremely active: You do intense daily exercise or sports twice a day, and have a physical labor job or are doing a training camp for football or another contact sport.
4. 4 Use your BMR and your fitness goals to determine your calorie intake. You can put all of the above information in calorie counting tool that will estimate your required calories per a day, based on your BMR. Once you have your estimated calorie intake, consider how you will reduce or increase your calorie intake per a day based on your fitness goals.
   • If you are trying to lose weight, reduce your estimated calorie intake by 500 per a day. Balance your fitness plan by eating 250 calories less a day and exercising enough to burn 250 calories. Try walking or running 2.5 miles a day. When planning your meals, cut back on portion sizes to reduce the amount of calories you consume by 250.
   • Remember that a pound of body fat is comprised of 3,500 calories, thus subtracting 500 calories per day over seven days will result in one pound weight loss per week.
   • If you are trying to gain weight, eat 500 calories more per day and limit your cardio exercises. Focus on strength training, involving free weights, to add lean muscle mass. You should also be eating at least one gram per pound of body weight of protein and get plenty of rest to recover after your workouts.
   • Always start by reducing or increasing your calorie intake a little at a time, no more than 500 calories either way. This will prevent your body from going into shock and ensure you are consuming enough calories to allow your body to function.

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1. 1 Create a diet based on your calorie intake. Use your estimated BMR, minus or plus 500 calories based on your fitness goals, to create meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Always eat three meals a day, and balance out the protein, vegetables, and healthy fats on your plate to maintain a healthy diet.
   • For example, you might be a 28 year old female who weighs 140 pounds and is very active. You do intense exercise seven days a week, with one hour at the gym every other day and recreational soccer two days a week. Your estimated calorie intake, based on your BMR, is around 2050 a day. If you are looking to lose weight, you would remove 500 calories by subtracting 250 calories from your daily intake and burning 250 more calories during your exercise routine. You would now consume 1,800 calories a day and add more exercise to your existing routine to burn 250 extra calories.
   • It is very easy to overeat when following a limited diet, so it is important to create a meal plan and stick to it.
   • You could break down your 1,800 calories a day further into each meal, so 600 per a meal (600 x 3) or you could allot more calories for lunch and dinner and less calories for breakfast (500 for breakfast, 650 for lunch, and 650 for dinner).
   • Avoid under eating by consuming less than your estimated amount of calories, based on your fitness goal. This will lead to unhealthy weight loss and a lack of energy. It’s always better to burn off weight, rather than starve it off. You should also avoid overeating if your goal is to gain weight by building up muscle mass, as you will need the right amount of energy to get through your workouts.
2. 2 Record your calorie intake per day. Start a food journal that charts your daily calorie intake, as well as the amount of exercise you are doing every week. Though you should not be too concerned about your weight on a scale, you should also note how much your weight fluctuates every week.
   • You can also download a calorie counting app on your phone so you can easily record your calorie intake for the day.
   • After several weeks of healthy eating, based on a well estimated calorie intake, as well as exercise, you should start to notice changes in your body weight and your energy levels. Consuming enough calories to maintain your body’s functions and give you enough fuel to do daily exercise, means you will not end up losing or gaining weight in an unhealthy way.
   • Accountability is key. It is very easy to consume too much food in one sitting when you are not properly measuring and recording your foods for the day.
3. 3 Update your BMR after several months of healthy eating and exercise. Once you start to notice results, you may want to go back into a calorie calculator and adjust your BMR profile. Update the amount of exercise you are doing every week, as well as your total weight. Based on the calorie calculator results, you may need to reduce the number of calories you eat further or increase the number of calories you consume every week.

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Add New Question

• Question How many calories should I eat in a day? Claudia Carberry is a Registered Dietitian specializing in kidney transplants and counseling patients for weight loss at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. She is a member of the Arkansas Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Claudia received her MS in Nutrition from the University of Tennessee Knoxville in 2010. Master’s Degree, Nutrition, University of Tennessee Knoxville Expert Answer Everyone has different calorie needs based on height, weight, gender, and activity level.
• Question How do you calculate calories? Claudia Carberry is a Registered Dietitian specializing in kidney transplants and counseling patients for weight loss at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. She is a member of the Arkansas Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Claudia received her MS in Nutrition from the University of Tennessee Knoxville in 2010. Master’s Degree, Nutrition, University of Tennessee Knoxville Expert Answer Use the BMR equation found in this article. It takes into consideration your age and gender.
• Question How many calories should I burn a day to lose weight? Claudia Carberry is a Registered Dietitian specializing in kidney transplants and counseling patients for weight loss at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. She is a member of the Arkansas Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Claudia received her MS in Nutrition from the University of Tennessee Knoxville in 2010. Master’s Degree, Nutrition, University of Tennessee Knoxville Expert Answer Burning 500 calories per day will result in 1 pound per week weight loss. You can split that up to 250 from exercise and 250 from eating less food.

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There is point where excessive-calorie counting and food measuring can become a problem. Obsessive calorie counting is a symptom of anorexia nervosa, a life-threatening eating disorder. Talk to your doctor if you feel your calorie counting has gotten out of control. As a small thank you, we’d like to offer you a $30 gift card (valid at GoNift.com). Use it to try out great new products and services nationwide without paying full price—wine, food delivery, clothing and more. Enjoy!

Advertisement Article Summary X To calculate calories per day, start by figuring out your BMR, or basic metabolic rate, based on your age, height, weight, and gender. Next, determine your current activity level. Then, use your BMR and your fitness goals to determine your estimated calorie intake per day.

Indira Usman