Calories are the units of energy that your body uses to function. When you eat, you’re consuming calories and when you exercise, you’re burning them off. The average person needs about 2,000 calories each day to maintain their current weight, but this number may be different depending on your gender, age, height, and activity level. If you want to lose weight or gain muscle mass, however, you need to know how many calories to eat each day.
Are you having a hard time losing weight? Or maybe you’re someone who wants to gain more muscle mass and are confused about how many calories you should consume?
A person's recommended calorie intake is determined by the sort and quantity of food they consume. The quantity of calories in a meal is a decisive factor for many persons on a weight-loss program or a weight gain.
We acquire weight if we consume more energy than our bodies can use. We'll lose weight, fat, and muscle mass if we don't eat enough.
In this article, we will focus on determining what’s a healthy caloric intake for your body type and how you should attain such calories each day.
Best Recommended Calorie Intake Per Day for Each Body Size
The amount of energy in a serving of food is expressed as a calorie. To maintain a healthy weight, you must eat as much energy as you expend (calories consumed vs. calories burned). You will lose weight if you consume fewer calories than you expend.
However, if you eat more calories than you need, your body will store them for the future (in the form of extra padding on your hips and around your middle).
Because everyone's daily caloric requirements fluctuate, it's difficult to pin down a single quantity.
As a general rule, males consume more calories than women. Active folks need more than those who work at a desk. Because their metabolisms slow down as they become older, younger individuals need more calories than their older counterparts.
Smaller body sizes require fewer calories
When it comes to what kind of calories you should be consuming each day, body size doesn't matter! Your energy needs to change depending on your activity level, body composition, and age. The larger your frame size is the more calories you need. However, if you are constantly in a sedentary position or not physically active then you would need fewer calories.
Women typically require fewer calories than men. Women who are always inactive require about 1200-1400 kcals per day and those who are often active will consume about 2000-2200 kcals per day. Men on the other hand usually require 1800-2000 kcals per day when they are sedentary but 4000-5000 kcals when they're often active
Middle body sizes require fewer calories
If you're a medium-sized person (a healthy weight with a waist measurement between 35 and 40 inches), your calorie intake should be 1,600 per day. If you're a large-sized person (a healthy weight with a waist size greater than 40 inches), your intake should be 1,200 per day. Smaller-framed people (healthy weight with a waist size less than 35 inches) need fewer calories to maintain their health. They'll need around 900 each day. All three body sizes require an adequate amount of protein: 50 to 65 grams for small, 45 to 55 grams for medium, and 55 to 65 grams for large.
Larger body sizes require fewer calories
There are a lot of factors that come into play when figuring out how many calories you should be eating each day. The amount you need depends on factors like your age, weight, height, and activity level. For instance, if you're an active 18-year-old male who weighs about 180 pounds and is six feet tall, you need 2200 calories per day. For example, if your occupation entails long periods at a desk without much physical activity then it would be better for you to eat less than the standard calorie allowance per day (2200), but if your profession requires heavy lifting or physical labor throughout the day then consuming more than 2200 might be necessary.
How many calories you should eat in a day?
How many calories per meal?
There are a few different ways you can estimate your calorie intake without counting calories or using a food diary. One way is by evaluating your weight. Another option is to use your height and weight. Lastly, you can figure out your basal metabolic rate with the Harris-Benedict equation (1). It involves multiplying your age by years times 4 plus 36 for females and 40 for males. Next, divide that number by 3,500 for women and 4,500 for men. Finally, add 500 if you exercise less than one hour per day or subtract 500 if you exercise more than one hour per day. That’s how many calories should be consumed each day based on size and lifestyle habits!
Ways to estimate your calorie intake if you hate counting
- If you do not want to measure food or log into a site like MyFitnessPal every day, it is fairly easy to estimate your caloric intake with a little math. Use this website as an example. The first thing that you need to do is find out your approximate weight in pounds. For instance, if you weigh 140 lbs., then input 140 as the weight for this field on the page. Next, you need to calculate how many calories are in 1 pound of fat. Multiply the number of pounds by 3,500. In this case, 145 * 3,500 = 58950. As long as you eat about 58950 calories less than what your body needs each day, you will lose about 1 lb per week (or 2-3 lbs per month).
How to Determine Your Daily Calorie Requirements
To find out how many calories you require, you must first calculate your resting metabolic rate (RMR).
Mifflin-St Jeor Equation, which varies between men and women:
Male: [(10 x weight in kg)+ (6.25 x height in cm) – (5 x age in years) + 5]
Female: [(10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) - (5 × age in years) - 161]
Let’s say you want the daily calorie intake for a female and If you are 35 years old, weigh 150 pounds (68 kilograms), and are 65 inches (165 cm) tall, you should consume 1,377 calories a day, according to this formula.
Now, let's take the example of men. To maintain his weight and height of 72 inches (183 cm), a 40-year-old male who weighs 200 pounds (90.7 kg) would need around 1,857 calories per day.
You may use this figure to get an idea of how many calories your body burns during the day. If you're looking for a certain number, you should know that this is only an approximation.
Please note Your height, weight, and daily activities, all matter when it comes to figuring out the best calorie needs for you.
For a Healthy Life, an Ideal Number of Calories to Consume
We can't use a one-size-fits-all strategy in this case.
An example will help you better grasp this concept.
A calorie deficit of 500 calories below what your body requires is recommended for weight loss.
You'll be able to keep your present weight in the long term if you follow this advice. But every person's calorie needs are different.
Women
In general, women between the ages of 26 and 50 should consume around 2,000 calories each day.
It is believed that active women (those who walk at least 5 kilometers each day) need 2,200 calories per day.
At least 2,200 calories per day are needed by women in their early 20s to keep their weight under control.
Women over the age of 50 require 1,800 calories a day, compared to the 2,000 calories needed by women under the age of 50.
Men
Men ages 26 and 45 who engage in moderate physical activity need 2,600 calories per day.
About 2,800 to 3,000 calories per day are needed for active males who walk at least 5 kilometers every day.
Men in their late twenties and early thirties need around 2,800 calories per day.
2,400 calories/day is the daily calorie requirement for men ages 46 to 65.
Men over the age of 66 will most likely need 2,200 calories per day.
Weight Gain Calories
A considerable quantity of calories is needed if you are underweight to acquire weight.
You should try to consume between 1,500 and 2,000 calories each day.
Anyone who isn't active should consider the suggestions listed here.
To gain weight while being inactive, you must consume more than 2,000 calories each day.
If you work out five days a week, you should consume around 2,000 to 2,500 calories.
People who desire to gain weight but are in good health should aim for a daily caloric intake of 1,000-1,500 calories.
Consuming more than 2,000 calories per day is necessary for fast weight growth.
Weight Loss Calories
You must eat fewer calories than your body uses if you want to lose weight.
If you are underweight, you should consume between 1,200 and 1,500 calories per day.
A daily caloric intake of 1,200-1,500 calories or fewer is recommended for those who are overweight or obese.
On the other hand, if you're exercising consistently, you may eat 2,000 to 2,300 calories a day.
The good news is that even if your daily caloric intake has been 1,500, you may still expect to shed some weight. Consume no more than 1,000 calories each day if you are obese.
Here’s one of my favorite books on meal prep for weight loss. Read and execute to lose weight the healthier and tastier way.
Final Words
Gaining weight or losing weight can get tough if you don’t know how many calories you’re consuming. And in this article, we learned that each individual has their own respective needs.
But the best way to figure out what’s best for you is to just calculate it using this formula:
Male: [(10 x weight in kg) + (6.25 x height in cm) – (5 x age in years) + 5]
Female: [(10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) - (5 × age in years) - 161]
Just put your body statistics in the above equation and you’ll know the ideal amount of calories you should consume to live a healthy life.
And also, don’t forget to have the following fitness essentials in your home so that you keep chiseling your physique even in tough times like the pandemics when gyms get closed.
I wish you the very best of luck in your fitness journey.