How Many Calories To Eat To Lose Weight

You can also estimate your calorie needs with predictive equations, such as the Mifflin St. Jeor calculation. This calculation uses your age, sex, height, and weight to estimate your resting energy expenditure (REE) and daily calorie needs.

REE refers to the minimum number of calories your body needs to carry out basic functions like breathing and regulating your body temperature at rest.

Start by plugging your personal information into the Mifflin St. Jeor equations below to estimate your REE:

• Men: (10 × weight in kilograms) + (6.25 × height in centimeters) − (5 × age in years) + 5
• Women: (10 × weight in kilograms) + (6.25 × height in centimeters) − (5 × age in years) − 161

REE doesn’t account for:

• Additional calories your body uses to digest food, known as the ‘thermic effect of food’ (TEF)
• Calories burned during non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT), which contributes up to 50% of daily calorie burn in highly active people (e.g., activities of daily living like fidgeting, typing, or unloading the dishwasher)
• Calories burned during exercise such as running, biking, and weight-lifting sessions

To estimate your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE), you’ll need to multiply your REE by an activity factor. Activity factors account for additional calories burned throughout your day. 

Here’s how to use activity factors to estimate your TDEE:

• Little to no exercise daily: REE x 1.2 
• Light exercise 1-3 days/week: REE x 1.375
• Moderate exercise 6-7 days/week: REE x 1.55 
• Hard exercise daily or exercise twice daily: REE x 1.725
• Hard exercise twice daily or training for triathlon: REE x 1.9

Your TDEE accounts for the calories that make up your REE, as well as the calories you burn during your workouts (if applicable).

TDEE estimates the number of total daily calories you’d need to eat to maintain your current weight. Remember that the number you get from an online calculator is merely an estimate. A predictive equation can’t determine exactly how much energy your body expends daily. 

If your goal is weight loss, you’ll need to eat less or exercise more to create a caloric deficit. For best results, you can combine both approaches. 

For example, you may try to eat 200 fewer calories and burn 150 more calories to create a 350-calorie deficit daily.

A daily deficit of 500 calories is commonly recommended for weight loss. A smaller or larger deficit may be recommended depending on your current body weight, medical status, and health goals.

Even when pursuing weight loss, your daily calorie intake should land somewhere in between your REE and TDEE. Eating fewer calories than your REE requires and creating too large of a calorie deficit comes with health risks, including eating disorders, loss of lean muscle mass, and nutrient deficiencies, among others.

Losing weight, especially if it’s done rapidly, causes the body to burn fewer calories over time, so you may need to recalculate and reduce your caloric intake if continued weight loss is your goal and it’s safe for you.

Calorie counting can help you manage your weight by tracking how much energy you take in versus how much energy you expend. 

Tracking your calories also allows you to see the breakdown of macronutrients in your diet. Macronutrients refer to dietary proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. When you count your calories, you can see if you’re consuming the right proportions of macronutrients for sustainable weight loss. 

However, calorie counting is not for everyone. Many people find calorie counting tedious and emotionally taxing. If you struggle with tracking your caloric intake, there are other ways to manage your weight. 

The best ways to reduce your caloric intake will depend on your baseline habits. For example, if you regularly drink soda, swapping the sweetened beverage for seltzer water can help you slash calories. If you’ve already removed sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) from your diet, you’ll need to rely on other strategies to reduce your caloric intake.

Here are a few simple ways to reduce your caloric intake:

• Eat three balanced meals and one to two snacks daily: Skipping meals leads to hunger, which can drive you to make less mindful food choices later in the day. 
• Remove all sweetened beverages from your diet: This includes flavored and specialty coffee drinks, energy drinks, sodas, juices, and sugary cocktails.
• Cook more meals at home: Fast food and restaurant meals are typically higher in calories due to their ingredients and sizable portions.
• Practice the MyPlate method: Follow national dietary guidelines by making half of your plate fruits and vegetables, a quarter of your plate quality carbohydrates, and a quarter of your plate lean protein.
• Emphasize low-calorie, high-volume foods: Adding more fruits and vegetables to your diet can help you feel fuller for longer without contributing to weight gain since you can eat a large volume of them without taking in excessive calories.
• Reduce your alcohol intake: A standard alcoholic drink provides an average of 125 calories and no nutritional value.
• Minimize calorie-dense foods: Pay attention to how foods are prepared when eating out. Avoid items that are deep-fried or made with butter or cream. 
• Read nutrition labels: Learn how to identify key information on nutrition labels, such as the recommended serving size and calories, saturated fats, and added sugars per serving. 
• Emphasize fresh, whole foods over packaged or frozen meals: Prioritizing minimally processed, whole foods can help you manage your weight. Ultra-processed snacks and meals are often high in calories and easy to overeat.

Tracking your caloric intake can be time-consuming and is not recommended for everyone. It’s also difficult to accurately track calories for meals you haven’t prepared yourself. 

Use a free website or app, such as Cronometer or MyFitnessPal, if you are interested in tracking your calories.

Many programs have helpful functions to make tracking your daily calories simpler. Some apps allow you to scan bar codes on food packages so they’re easily pulled into your tracker. You may also be able to create custom recipes so you can log the same meal each time you eat it with the click of a button.

Here are a few tips for tracking your daily calories: 

• Enter accurate portion sizes: Measure your food portions to ensure you’re logging accurate serving sizes. For example, use a measuring cup to determine how much pasta you’re putting in your bowl, or consider using a food scale to weigh how many ounces of chicken you’re eating. 
• Log everything: Include small items like the creamer in your coffee, the sesame oil in your stir-fry, the lollipop from the break room, and the bites you took of your children’s leftovers. These can add up over the day.

Pairing nutritional changes with exercise is essential for sustainable weight loss. Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity weekly, including strength training with weights at least three times per week, to help maintain lean muscle mass while you shed fat mass. For most adults, weight loss requires more than 150 active minutes per week. 

Eating more protein is also helpful for successful weight loss. Remember that diet and exercise are not the only variables that impact your body weight. Genetics, stress levels, sleep habits, and medical conditions all contribute to body size.

Calorie restriction is not recommended for everyone, nor is it safe for everyone. Potential risks of significant and prolonged calorie restriction include:

• Lower REE
• Disordered eating patterns and eating disorders
• Loss of lean muscle mass
• Menstrual irregularities and compromised fertility
• Lower bone mineral density
• Lower energy levels and fatigue
• Social isolation, anxiety, and depression
• Nutrient deficiencies

If shedding pounds is safe for you—both physically and psychologically—making nutrition and exercise changes can help you meet your weight loss goals.

The best way to determine your daily calorie needs is to work with a registered dietitian. You can also use predictive equations to estimate your daily calorie needs, then track your meals using an app or website to achieve a moderate calorie deficit daily.

How many calories you take in versus how many calories you expend matters for weight loss, but your genetics and health conditions are just as influential.

The quality of your diet is also critical for long-term health. A low-calorie diet isn’t healthy unless it’s full of minimally processed whole foods like fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds, legumes, lean proteins, whole grains, and healthy fats.