How Many Calories Do I Need?

How many calories do I need? The number of calories you need to lose or manage your weight depends on your physical activity level, sex, weight, size, etc. If your goal is to lose weight you need to be in a caloric deficit by consuming fewer calories than you normally do by exercising more.

One of the best ways to lose or manage your weight is to consume less calories and to be more physically active. But you also want to make sure you are consuming enough calories that gives you energy and nutrients to sustain your daily physical activity level.

How many calories do I need? Photo credit: iStock-nensuria

There are a lot of extreme fad diets that have you consuming less than 1000 calories a day which is dangerous and counterproductive to your overall health.

Based on the U.S Department of Agriculture and 2025 U.S Dietary Guidelines of Americans the number of calories you should be eating and consuming for women is the following:

Women

Age                                Daily calorie requirements

19-30 Years of Age           2000-2400 calories

31-59 Years of Age          1800- 2,200 calories

60 + Years                      1600- 2000 calories

Most women between the ages of 19 to 30 years require at least 2000 to 2400 calories per day to maintain their weight. This number obviously depends on their physical activity level.

Women who are between the ages of 31 years old and 59 years of age require between 1,800 to 2,000 calories per day to maintain their bodyweight.

Women over the age of 60 require 1,600 to 2,000 calories per day to maintain their weight.

The Dietary Guidelines For Americans states that men who are between the ages of 19 and 30 years old should consume 2,400 to 3000 calories per day to maintain their weight.

For men at the ages of 31 to 59 years of age it is 2,200 to 3,000 calories per day to maintain their weight. While men over the age of 60 years of age require 2,000 to 2,600 calories per day to maintain their weight. If you are physically active and you are man, you are going to need more calories to support that physical activity.

The daily calorie requirements for children are the following:

2-4 years of age- Male- 1000-1600 calories

                          Female- 1,000-1,400 calories

5-8 years of age- Male- 1,200-2,000 calories

                          Female- 1,200-1,800 calories

9-13 years of age- Male- 1,600-2,600 calories

                           Female- 1,400- 2,200 calories

14-18 years of age- Male- 2,000-3,200 calories

                            Female- 1,800-2,400 calories

A child’s energy levels need will always be based on physical activity level, age, size, etc.

Many people don’t know what calories are. Calories are used to measure the energy content of foods and beverages. The calorie vs calories out are not as simple as it seems. So many factors contribute to weight loss such as hormonal changes, genetics, age, physical activity, calorie consumption, etc.

Some of the best nutrient dense foods are whole grains, nuts, vegetables, fruits. These are the foods you want to focus on vs nutrient poor foods such as soda, donuts, cakes, candy, etc.

Some of the best weight loss strategies are the following:

• Drink 6 to 8 glasses of water daily. Daily hydration is a great appetite suppressant. It signals to your brain that your stomach is full.
• Eating fruits and vegetables is a great nutrient dense weight loss food that is low in calories and high in nutrients.
• Exercise is important as you need to be able to burn calories to help heighten the caloric deficit which leads to weight loss. Some of the best cardiovascular exercises are swimming, walking, jogging, dancing, and gardening.
• Bodyweight exercises are push-ups, squats, sit ups, etc.

Calorie counting is very popular when you are trying to monitor how many calories you are consuming when it comes to weight maintenance or weight loss. One of the best ways to track your weight loss progress from a calorie counting perspective is logging everything that you are eating daily from a whole food perspective.

Keeping track of how many calories you consume allows you to make sure that your calories aren’t too low, and it will affect your energy levels. Some of the negative side effects of not eating enough food are fatigue, dizziness, headache, nausea, etc.

Eating fewer calories can also lead to a slower metabolism. In fact, research studies have shown that if you consume less than 1,200 calories a day it will lead to a slower metabolism.

The Bottom Line is the number of calories you would need to maintain or lose weight will always depend on your sex, age, physical activity level, weight, size, body type, etc.

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