Estimate the calories you need to consume each day to maintain or lose weight.
The Calories Calculator can be used to estimate the calories you need to consume each day. This calculator can also provide some simple guideline if you want to gain or lose weight.
To accurately determine your daily calorie amount: Enter your current weight, age, height, and gender into the calculator. Do your best estimate of how much exercise you will be doing.
The results will show how many calories you may eat in order to maintain or lose weight. You don't need to adjust this depending on your exercise rate - that is factored into the equation. The maintenance value is the same as what some people call Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE).
Calories for Fat Loss
Science tells us that 1 pound of fat is equal to 3500 calories, so a daily calorie deficit of 500 should result in 1 pound per week fat loss.
In reality things don't quite work that efficiently!
Generally, a person's energy expenditure becomes less as they get lighter - meaning that you will inevitably plateau. The amount of food intake that once resulted in weight loss, will now only maintain2.
Over time our bodies adapt to the lowered calorie level.
Our body becomes more efficient at using energy (lowered metabolism), and therefore burns less fat. This is why most of us reach a weight loss plateau.
At this point, the only option is to boost metabolism:
increased cardio,
weight training,
'cheat' meals (i.e. occasional high-calorie meals),
cycling (or zig-zagging) calories,
even manipulating macro-nutrient ratios can all help to do this (don't forget adequate sleep and hydration).
You often find that the nearer you get to your goal weight (or body fat percentage) - the harder things get!
Continually dropping calories only serves to lower metabolism even further - the moment you return to 'normal' eating - the weight comes back on.
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