How Many Calories Should I Eat a Day?

Have you ever wondered if a 500-calorie chocolate cake fits within your daily calorie budget? Or maybe you are trying to find out, ‘How much calories should I eat daily?’ Whether you want to calculate calories needed for weight loss, calorie requirements for weight gain, or simply calories for maintenance weight, unfortunately, the correct response is not ‘as much you’d like to!’

Determining the right calorie count can be just as tricky as resisting a loaded chocolate cake slice. A plenty of factors influence the amount of calories you require. Your age, gender, weight, height, basal metabolic rate (BMR), and level of activity all have an effect on your calorie’s requirement.

So, what should you do to know how to achieve the right balance? Worry not! Continue reading on this page for the answer to your question, ‘How many calories should I eat a day?’ along with how to calculate daily calorie needs and more.

How Many Calories Should I Eat a Day?

Your daily requirement of calories is determined by the total amount of daily calory intake and the total amount of calories you spend every day.

You can get an estimate of your calorie intake since every food item has an approximate calorie count. However, it is more difficult to determine the amount of calories you consume. Not only do you burn calories during exercise and regular activities, but your body also uses calories to power biological processes that involve digesting and metabolic processes.

To get a more accurate estimate, you would need to have laboratory tests done to determine your BMR, which refers to the number of calories your body burns at rest. Then you can add the calories you spend every day through your physical activity to get a more accurate picture.

However, most people do not have access to laboratory testing. So, you can plan your diet based on the following guidelines:

• How Many Calories Should I Eat to Lose Weight? : When your body consumes more calories than it burns, it stores the excess energy as fat. To reduce weight, you must create a caloric deficit. That implies you need to consume less calories than you spend every single day. In this manner, your body will use the fat your body has stored to meet its energy needs, causing the weight to drop.

• How Many Calories Should I Eat a Day to Gain Weight? : If you want to gain weight, you should eat greater amounts of calories compared to what your body consumes each day.

• What amount of calories should I Consume Each Day to Maintain Weight? : To maintain the current weight, you must balance the number of calories you consume and drink alongside the number of calories the body spends each day. On average, women need between 1600 and 2400 calories per day, whereas men require 2000 to 3000 calories per day, depending on their age and activity level. If you identify that you require 2000 calories each day, you should aim to maintain your calorie consumption roughly equal to that amount.

Calorie Intake Table

Following is the rough estimate for calorie intake for men and women per day depending on the age, gender, and activity level:

Activity Levels

• Sedentary: Involves minimal physical activity, like desk work.
• Moderately Active: This includes light every day light exercise or walking.
• Active: Includes regular workouts or physically demanding occupations.

In actuality, weight gain and reduction are more complex than these guidelines. Since calorie consumption varies greatly, the simplest way to determine the number of calories you require is to monitor your results. If you are attempting to keep up your weight but are gaining weight, you should reduce your intake of calories or boost the amount of calories you burn by becoming more active.

It’s also worth noting that your metabolism might be influenced by your genes, medical conditions, drugs, and other factors. If you are experiencing problems meeting your goals, consult with a doctor or a dietician to determine what’s standing in your way of your achievement.

How Many Calories Do I Spend Every Day Doing Nothing?

Your BMR is the amount of calories you spend per day while doing nothing. This refers to the amount of calories required by your body to support its basic activities, such as digestion, respiration, circulation, and body temperature regulation. Your BMR accounts for roughly 60% of your total daily calorie burn.

Each person’s BMR varies based on their age, gender, weight, and height. On average:

• Adult men possess a BMR of 1600-1800 calories per day.
• Adult women possess a BMR of 1400-1500 calories per day.

These are only estimations. It is vital to remember that muscle mass has a significant impact on BMR. Maintaining and building muscle requires far more energy than fat. Therefore, the more muscle you possess, the higher your basal metabolic rate will be.

How Do You Compute the Number of Calories Burned?

There are several methods for calculating calories burned:

• Use a fitness tracker : This wearable device estimates the number of calories you burn throughout the day.
• Use a heart-rate monitor : These monitors are generally more reliable in calculating calorie burn than fitness trackers. However, they are not as comfortable for wearing throughout the day.
• Make use of a calorie calculator : You can use an online calculator to calculate the number of calories spent during a certain exercise by entering your age, gender, height, and weight, and also the type of activity and duration.
• Using an equation : You can use the metabolic equivalent of task (MET) value to calculate calorie burn from a certain activity. The MET values are calculated on a scale, with 1 representing the minimum effort and calories spent. To determine your activity’s MET value, you will require a MET value chart. You must also be aware of your weight in kilos.
• For calculating the calories used during activities, use the MET formula:
• Calories Burned/Minute = 0.0175 x Weight (kg) x MET Value
• Example: if you weigh 60 kg and engage in a low-impact aerobic activity (MET 5), you will burn 5.25 calories every minute.
• In a 45-minute workout, you will burn 236 calories (5.25 x 45)

Track Your Calories and Get Fit with Prohance!

Your age, weight, activity level, and metabolic rate all influence how many calories you require each day. While general guidelines serve as a starting point, tools such as a nutrition calculator or wearable fitness monitors can help you adjust your approach to specific goals such as weight reduction, maintenance, or increase.

A well-rounded dietary supplement, such as Prohance, can help those aiming to optimise their calorie intake while maintaining balanced nutrition. Prohance is a diverse solution for sustaining energy levels and ensuring optimal nutritional intake that is tailored to your specific dietary needs. Whether you’re trying to lose weight or live a healthy lifestyle, Prohance provides the ideal balance to supplement your daily nutrition plan.

Start by calculating your requirements and making informed decisions to fuel your body efficiently!