Reducing your daily calorie intake might be a practical weight loss approach (1).
However, determining how many calories you should consume may be difficult because age, gender, size, and activity level depending on age.
Below is a fundamental scientific calorie calculator and five evidence-based suggestions for reducing your calorie intake over time.
Enter your information into the calculator below to determine how many calories you should consume daily to maintain or lose weight.
The calculator is based on the Mifflin-St Jeor equation and may estimate your calorie requirements. It uses demographic statistics and factors influencing your calorie demands, such as genetics, medicines, and lean body mass (2, 3).
How many calories should you eat on average?
The quantity of calories you consume daily is determined by various factors, including age, gender, height, current weight, exercise level, and metabolic health.
When attempting to lose weight, it is critical to generate a calorie deficit by eating fewer calories than usual or exercising more. Some people mix the two, eating less while becoming more physically active (4).
Even if you’re attempting to lose weight, eating enough calories is necessary to give your body the nutrition it requires.
The most vital aspect of any weight loss regimen is its long-term viability. Many specialists advocate for minor calorie decreases to encourage long-term weight loss.
Many fad diets, for example, propose limiting your calorie intake to 1,000-1,200 calories per day, which is insufficient for most healthy persons.
Excessive calorie restriction has various dangerous adverse effects and raises your chance of nutritional deficiencies. It also causes metabolic alterations, making long-term weight maintenance problematic (5, 6).
Here’s a deeper look at how many calories you should consume, according to the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (7).
Women
Women’s calorie requirements vary depending on their age, size, and exercise level.
Most women between the ages of 19 and 30 need 2,000-2,400 calories daily to maintain their weight.
Women aged 31 to 59 have relatively lower energy requirements. Women in this age bracket should take 1,800-2,200 calories daily to maintain their body weight.
Women over 60 typically need fewer calories and 1,600-2,000 calories per day to maintain weight (7).
Remember that the precise number of calories you require may fall on the high or low end of this range — or possibly exceed it — depending on how active you are and your height, weight, and health condition.
Furthermore, these estimations do not apply to pregnant or lactating women, who would require much more calories.
Men
Calorie requirements for males, like those for women, might vary depending on various circumstances.
According to the most recent Dietary Guidelines for Americans, males aged 19-30 should consume 2,400-3,000 calories daily to maintain weight.
As you become older, your energy requirements drop. In reality, males between the ages of 31 and 59 require around 2,200-3,000 calories per day to maintain their weight, but men over 60 need 2,000-2,600 calories (7).
Men who are very active or have specific medical issues may need extra calories. Your height and weight also determine the quantity you require within these ranges.
Children
Children’s calorie requirements vary greatly depending on age, size, and activity level.
Children and teenagers have different energy requirements depending on their gender and age. A 3-year-old toddler may only require 1,200 calories, but a teenager may need closer to 3,000 calories (7).
However, keep in mind that calorie counting is usually unnecessary for growing children and teenagers.
In reality, restricting a child’s calorie intake may raise the likelihood of nutritional deficiencies, limit growth, and establish an unhealthy relationship with food or an eating problem (8).
Instead of tracking calories, encourage kids and teenagers to eat more nutrient-dense foods, make more meals and snacks at home, and engage in regular physical exercise.
What are calories?
As described, a calorie is a unit of energy measurement. Calories are commonly used to calculate energy consumption in meals and beverages.
It would help if you ate fewer calories than your body burns daily to lose weight. To acquire weight, you must consume more calories than you burn (1).
Keep in mind that while the “calories in, calories out” notion of weight loss may appear straightforward, numerous factors, including medical diagnoses, hormonal changes, heredity, and age, all contribute to weight loss or inability to lose weight (9).
Creating a balanced diet and lifestyle plan to help you lose weight and keep it off for good takes much more than calculating your current calorie needs and eating fewer calories in response (9).
How to reduce calorie intake
Although reducing your calorie intake might help you lose weight, doing so without evaluating what meals you eat is not a sustainable approach to losing weight.
Picking more nutrient-dense foods, such as whole grains, nuts, veggies, and fruits, boosts your health more than choosing nutrient-poor meals such as soda, doughnuts, and candies.
As a result, it’s strongly advised that you adopt a few essential dietary and lifestyle modifications to help you sustain a calorie deficit in the long run without feeling hungry or restricted.
Here are five basic ways to lose weight.
1. Eat more protein
Protein is essential when it comes to losing weight.
According to research, boosting your protein consumption may help you stay full and reduce hunger (10, 11).
Protein may also aid in the fight against cravings. High protein snacks, according to some studies, assist increase feelings of fullness while lowering hunger and desire (12).
Besides aiding weight loss, a high protein diet may help prevent or minimize weight return and assist preserve muscle mass, according to some studies (13, 14).
If you want to lose weight in a long-term, sustainable way, consider boosting your protein intake by eating more eggs, meat, chicken, tofu, nuts, seeds, or legumes.
2. Limit sugary drinks
Another simple modification you can make is restricting your intake of sugar-sweetened beverages, such as sodas, fruit juices, chocolate milk, and other sugar-sweetened drinks.
Because your brain does not detect liquid calories like solid calories, they negatively impact your emotions of hunger and fullness (15).
Furthermore, research links sugary beverages to an increased risk of obesity (16, 17).
Sugar’s negative consequences extend well beyond weight gain. In reality, added sugar has been linked to various health concerns, including heart disease, liver difficulties, and type 2 diabetes (17).
3. Drink more water
Drinking more water is an easy way to improve your health.
Adequate hydration is linked to better brain function, weight control, and a lower chance of kidney stones (18).
Furthermore, drinking water before meals may help you lessen your appetite and eat fewer calories (19, 20).
Drinking extra water, especially before meals, appears beneficial for weight loss when accompanied by a balanced diet. Try alternative unsweetened beverages such as coffee, tea, and sparkling water to satisfy your hydration needs.
4. Exercise
Calorie restrictions, particularly many calories, may cause your metabolic rate to slow and your hunger to increase. Furthermore, significantly restricting calories may result in muscle loss, affecting your general health and reducing your metabolic rate.
Weightlifting and other resistance-training exercises have been demonstrated to reduce muscle loss, which may assist decrease metabolic alterations during long-term calorie restriction (21).
If you can’t go to the gym, try practicing bodyweight exercises at home, such as pushups, squats, and situps.
Cardio workouts, such as walking, swimming, or running, are also beneficial for weight loss and general health (22).
Exercise also provides some non-weight-loss benefits, such as a greater lifespan, better energy levels, improved mental health, and a lower chance of chronic disease (23, 24, 25, 26).
5. Reduce your intake of refined carbs and ultra-processed foods
Refined carbohydrates are grains that have lost their bran and germ, such as white bread, spaghetti, crackers, and white rice. Sugar and other sweeteners are also included.
Refined grains are often low in fiber, which aids weight reduction by suppressing hunger and promoting feelings of fullness (27).
Eating fewer carbohydrates, notably fewer refined carbs, may also assist in weight loss via modifying levels of appetite-regulating hormones such as peptide YY (28).
While a low carb or ketogenic diet is not for everyone, substituting refined carbohydrates with nutrient-dense, fiber-rich carb sources, including whole grains, root vegetables, nuts, seeds, and legumes, may be beneficial.
Fast food, packaged snacks, candy, and sugary beverages are additional examples of ultra-processed foods. These foods include not just refined carbs but preservatives, sweets, bad fats, salt, and other elements that should be avoided in your diet.
A few essential weight loss tips
Aside from decreasing calories, there are numerous actions you may do to lose weight in a sustainable and long-term way:
- Exercise mindful eating. Mindful eating limits mealtime distractions and pays excellent attention to your food’s texture, taste, and smell. Furthermore, this method may help to minimize food cravings and support long-term weight loss (29).
- Increase your intake of fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables are low in calories while being high in fiber. In addition to increasing your intake of vital nutrients, eating more fruits and vegetables may help you lose weight (30, 31).
- Stock up on healthy foods. Following a balanced diet becomes much more difficult when your kitchen is stocked with processed items rich in sugar and calories. Instead, fill your refrigerator with various nutritional items and healthful snacks.
- Seek assistance. According to research, social support can help in weight loss. To increase your chances of success, find a friend or family member with similar objectives, join an online weight loss forum, or look for support groups in your region (32).
- Try meal planning. Meal planning is a popular approach for many individuals to eat correctly while saving time. Choose one or two days to prepare your meals ahead of time so you can enjoy great foods throughout the week.
Potential downsides of counting calories
Although calorie counting can be a successful weight management approach, it’s vital to remember that there are many other things to consider when deciding what and how to eat.
Rather than focusing exclusively on calories, it is essential to eat a well-balanced diet rich in a range of healthy, complete foods. This can guarantee that your body receives the vitamins, minerals, and nutrients required to support weight control and general health.
If you decide to restrict calories, be careful not to cut them too drastically since this might result in significant adverse effects such as increased appetite, dizziness, exhaustion, headaches, and nausea (4).
Eating too few calories may also decrease your metabolism, making it more challenging to maintain long-term weight loss (5).
It also takes time to lose weight healthily. Small, incremental improvements should be prioritized over drastic weight loss measures.
Finally, tracking calories isn’t an exact science. On certain days, your body requires more calories than on others. Concentrating solely on statistics and weight may also contribute to disordered eating (33).
Frequently asked questions
How many calories should you eat for breakfast?
The quantity of calories you should consume for breakfast is determined by various factors, including your daily requirements, personal preferences, health objectives, and overall diet.
While many individuals find that one-third or one-fourth of their total daily calorie consumption works for them, others may need to change this amount based on their unique needs.
How many calories should you eat for lunch or dinner?
The quantity of calories you should consume for lunch or supper depends on various factors, including your particular tastes.
For example, whereas some people like a huge lunch and a smaller supper, others may choose to spread their calorie consumption more equally.
Because everyone’s requirements and tastes differ, it’s better to identify what works for you and stick to it when meal planning.
How many calories should you eat to lose weight?
Numerous factors determine the number of calories required to lose weight.
Reduce your intake of ultra-processed foods such as sugary drinks, ice cream, fast food, and high calorie snack foods to help long-term weight loss. Additionally, consider increasing your physical exercise.
A nutritionist can assist you in determining your calorie requirements and an appropriate calorie target to aid in weight loss.
How many calories should you eat to gain weight?
To gain weight, you must be in a calorie surplus, meaning you consume more calories than you burn.
Increase your intake of high-calorie, nutrient-dense foods such as nut butter, full-fat yogurt, and fatty salmon.
How many calories should you eat to gain muscle?
Gaining muscle often necessitates a calorie surplus, which is eating more calories than you expend during the day.
You may need to boost your daily calorie intake by a few hundred calories. A sports nutritionist can assist you in developing a suitable regimen (34).
The best online calorie counters
Many websites and applications can assist you in keeping track of your calorie consumption.
Use a calorie counter or tracker for at least a few days to observe how many calories, carbohydrates, protein, fat, fiber, vitamins, and minerals you’re consuming.
This may be a quick and easy approach to uncover nutritional gaps in your diet and make changes to ensure you get the nutrients your body needs.
Working with a registered dietitian (RD) can also help you gain, maintain, or decrease weight while meeting your nutritional needs.
The bottom line
The number of calories you require per day is determined by whether you want to maintain, lose, or gain weight, as well as other factors such as gender, age, height, current weight, activity level, and metabolic health.
Although counting calories can help you lose weight, it’s also essential to eat a balanced diet and consider the nutritional value of the foods you eat.
Simple dietary and lifestyle modifications may aid in weight loss and health improvement, including exercising, drinking enough water, and boosting protein consumption.
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