The general rule states that if you want to lose weight, you should consume 500 calories less per day to lose about half a kilogram per week. However, this number may vary depending on personal characteristics.
Calories are units of energy obtained from the food and drinks we consume, enabling us to perform daily tasks such as physical activity, digestion, thinking, breathing, and maintaining organ functions.
All types of macronutrients (proteins, carbohydrates, and fats) are sources of calories. The only difference between them is the number of calories they contain. Proteins and carbohydrates provide four calories per gram, while fats provide nine calories per gram.
Understanding your estimated calorie needs plays a crucial role in helping you lose and maintain weight. The number of calories you should consume daily depends on several factors, including your height, current weight, activity levels, age, and health condition.
The general rule, if you want to lose weight, is to eat 500 calories less per day to lose about half a kilogram per week. Weight loss is a gradual, sustainable approach that helps you lose fat while preserving muscle mass.
The number of calories you should intake for healthy weight loss depends on your individual characteristics.
Men
For moderately active men between 26 and 45 years old, the typical daily calorie requirement is about 2,600 calories to maintain their weight. Consuming approximately 2,100 calories per day can help you lose half a kilogram per week.
An active man who walks more than four kilometers per day may need between 2,800 and 3,000 calories daily to maintain weight. Consuming between 2,300 and 2,500 calories per day can aid in losing half a kilogram per week.
Younger men may benefit from consuming between 2,300 and 2,500 calories daily to lose weight, while those over 45 years old are recommended to intake 1,700 to 1,900 calories per day for weight loss.
Women
For moderately active women aged 26 to 50, the daily calorie intake should be around 2,000 calories to maintain their weight. To lose half a kilogram of weight per week, you should consume about 1,500 calories per day.
Active women may need to consume at least 2,200 calories to maintain their weight and should aim for around 1,700 calories per day for weight loss.
Women in their early twenties should reduce their calorie intake to about 1,700 calories per day, and women over 50 may need to decrease calorie intake to approximately 1,300 calories per day. However, these estimates exclude breastfeeding and pregnant women, who have significantly higher calorie needs.
How to reduce calorie intake
While it may sound simple to expend more energy than you consume, applying it to your everyday lifestyle can be challenging. Simply cutting calories without considering the nutritional content of the food you consume is not a sustainable or healthy approach to weight loss and may lead to feelings of hunger and overeating as they are less filling and nutritious.
Increasing vegetable consumption, reducing the use of added spices, staying hydrated, exercising, increasing protein intake, and cooking at home are some of the ways that can help you reduce calorie intake and lose weight.
