Eat less, exercise more. If only it were that simple! While calorie counting has fallen out of favor, some people still find it to be a useful tool to manage their weight.
Start by determining how many calories you should consume each day. To do so, you need to know how many calories you need to maintain your current weight. Doing this requires a few simple calculations.
First, multiply your current weight by 15 — that's roughly the number of calories per pound of body weight needed to maintain your current weight if you are moderately active. Moderately active means getting at least 30 minutes of physical activity a day in the form of exercise (walking at a brisk pace, climbing stairs, or active gardening). Let's say you're a woman who is 5 feet, 4 inches tall and weighs 155 pounds, and you need to lose about 15 pounds to put you in a healthy weight range. If you multiply 155 by 15, you will get 2,325, which is the number of calories per day that you need in order to maintain your current weight (weight-maintenance calories). To lose weight, you will need to get below that total.
For example, to lose 1 to 2 pounds a week — a rate that experts consider safe — your food consumption should provide 500 to 1,000 calories less than your total weight-maintenance calories. If you need 2,325 calories a day to maintain your current weight, reduce your daily calories to between 1,325 and 1,825. If you are sedentary, you will also need to build more activity into your day. In order to lose at least a pound a week, try to do at least 30 minutes of physical activity on most days, and reduce your daily calorie intake by at least 500 calories. However, calorie intake should not fall below 1,200 a day in women or 1,500 a day in men, except under the supervision of a health professional. Eating too few calories can endanger your health by depriving you of needed nutrients.
Meeting your calorie target
How can you meet your daily calorie target? One approach is to add up the number of calories per serving of all the foods that you eat, and then plan your menus accordingly. The nutrition labels on all packaged foods and beverages provide calories per serving information. Make a point of reading the labels of the foods and drinks you use, noting the number of calories and the serving sizes. Many recipes published online, in cookbooks, newspapers, and magazines provide similar information.
If you hate counting calories, a different approach is to restrict how much and how often you eat, and to eat meals that are low in calories. Dietary guidelines issued by the American Heart Association stress common sense in choosing your foods rather than focusing strictly on numbers, such as total calories or calories from fat. Whichever method you choose, research shows that a regular eating schedule — with meals and snacks planned for certain times each day — makes for the most successful approach. The same applies after you have lost weight and want to keep it off. Sticking with an eating schedule increases your chance of maintaining your new weight.
Some people focus on reducing the fat in their eating plan because, at 9 calories per gram, fat by weight contains more than twice as many calories as carbohydrates or proteins (4 calories per gram). However, many people mistakenly think that cutting fat always means cutting calories. Some fat-free foods actually contain more calories than the regular versions because manufacturers use extra sugar to make up for the flavor lost in removing the fat. Moreover, low-fat or nonfat foods are not low-calorie if you consume them in large quantities.
FAQs
A quick look at the best calorie counter apps
- Best overall: MyFitnessPal.
- Best free features: Lose It!
- Best fully free: FatSecret.
- Best for specific diets: Cronometer.
- Best for weight loss: Noom.
- Best for building healthy habits: Lifesum.
- Best for diet quality: MyNetDiary.
- Best for simplicity: Calory.
So researchers thought burning or cutting 500 calories a day led to losing 1 pound a week. But this isn't true for everyone. In general, if you cut about 500 calories a day from your usual diet, you may lose about ½ to 1 pound a week.
How many calories should I eat a day to lose weight? ›
In order to lose at least a pound a week, try to do at least 30 minutes of physical activity on most days, and reduce your daily calorie intake by at least 500 calories. However, calorie intake should not fall below 1,200 a day in women or 1,500 a day in men, except under the supervision of a health professional.
What is the free program to count calories? ›
MyFitnessPal is one of the best weight loss apps and fitness apps, helping nearly 1 million members reach their nutrition and fitness goals every year. Members use it as a calories tracker and calorie counter to log their foods, and take advantage of the app's food database that contains over 18 million foods.
What is the most accurate calorie counting? ›
Our Top 9 Calorie Counting Apps
- MyFitnessPal.
- YAZIO Calorie Counter & Diet.
- Nutritionix Track.
- Calory.
- Calorie Counter by MyNetDiary.
- Calorie Counter by FatSecret.
- Lifesum Food Tracker & Fasting.
- Carb Manager Keto Diet Tracker.
MyFitnessPal iPhone App
Reach your weight loss goals with MyFitnessPal, the best calorie counter on the iPhone. Set a daily calorie goal and record your daily food and exercise to make sure you stay on track.
How many calories should I eat to lose 2 pounds a week? ›
Aim to lose 1 to 2 pounds (0.5 to 1 kilogram) a week over the long term. To do that, you'll need to burn about 500 to 750 calories more than you take in each day. Losing 5% of your current weight may be a good goal to start with. If you weigh 180 pounds (82 kilograms), that's 9 pounds (4 kilograms).
How many calories do 10,000 steps burn? ›
For more information, visit our medical review board. The idea of walking 10,000 steps a day, around 5 miles on average, is a popular fitness goal. Most people burn around 300 to 400 calories by walking 10,000 steps. Experts recommend gradually increasing steps, aiming for an extra 1,000 steps per day each week.
Why am I gaining weight on 800 calories a day? ›
Your body composition may be another reason why you are still gaining weight while in a calorie deficit. If you have a higher body fat percentage and lower muscle mass, then you are probably burning fewer calories than if you had more muscle mass.
How many calories should I eat a day by age? ›
Calorie Intake Chart
| Sex (at birth) | Age (years) | Moderately Active |
|---|
| Child | 2-3 | 1,000-1,400 |
| Female | 4-8 9-13 14-18 19-30 31-50 51+ | 1,400-1,600 1,600-2,000 2,000 2,000-2,200 2,000 1,800 |
| Male | 4-8 9-13 14-18 19-30 31-50 51+ | 1,400-1,600 1,800-2,200 2,400-2,800 2,600-2,800 2,400-2,600 2,200-2,400 |
Jan 23, 2024
Though it differs depending on age and activity level, adult males generally require 2,000-3000 calories per day to maintain weight while adult females need around 1,600-2,400 according to the U.S Department of Health. The body does not require many calories to simply survive.
How many calories do you burn in a day without exercise as a female? ›
How many calories do you naturally burn in a day? That depends on your age, sex, height, and weight. It can approximately range from 2,000 to 2,450 calories for men and 1,600-1,950 for women (not including calories burned from exercise).
What is the best calorie calculator? ›
FAQ #1: What is the best calorie calculator? If you don't know your body fat percentage, the Mifflin-St Jeor calorie calculator equation tends to produce the most accurate results. If you know your body fat percentage, the Katch-McArdle equation is the most accurate.
What are the negatives of MyFitnessPal? ›
Baseline calories are often underestimated
Most often, MyFitnessPal grossly underestimates its users' calorie requirements. It doesn't take nearly enough variables into account. For example, it tells me I should be eating 2000 calories per day to maintain my weight, when in fact that number is upwards of 3000.
Can you request a calorie free menu? ›
Ask for a calorie-free menu
Restaurants are allowed to have versions of their menu that don't include calorie content information. This isn't something they have to do, and because of the way the new law works, you will need to ask for one.
Is MyFitnessPal still free? ›
Yes! The standard features of MyFitnessPal are free to use, and creating a basic account is free. The MyFitnessPal app is available to download for free on iOS and Android. We also have our main website at www.myfitnesspal.com.
What is the easiest weight loss app to use? ›
Our picks for the best weight loss app
- Best overall: Noom.
- Best free: Simple.
- Best for strength training: BetterMe.
- Best for Android: Caliber.
- Best for building an exercise routine: Future.
- Best for iPhone: Perfect Body.
- Best for beginners: DoFasting.
One, all of the apps can help you track your food intake and activity levels, and two, some apps are easier to use and update. After our testing was complete, we named LoseIt! Premium the winner because of its simplicity, intuitiveness and affordability.
What is the easiest way to track calories? ›
Keep a food diary
Having a daily record of everything you eat and drink can make it a lot easier to keep track of your calorie intake. Try it for a week or 2 to get a good idea of how many calories you're consuming and continue to keep a food diary if you find it useful.
