Eat less, exercise more. If only it were that simple! While calorie counting has fallen out of favor, some people still find it to be a useful tool to manage their weight.
Start by determining how many calories you should consume each day. To do so, you need to know how many calories you need to maintain your current weight. Doing this requires a few simple calculations.
First, multiply your current weight by 15 — that's roughly the number of calories per pound of body weight needed to maintain your current weight if you are moderately active. Moderately active means getting at least 30 minutes of physical activity a day in the form of exercise (walking at a brisk pace, climbing stairs, or active gardening). Let's say you're a woman who is 5 feet, 4 inches tall and weighs 155 pounds, and you need to lose about 15 pounds to put you in a healthy weight range. If you multiply 155 by 15, you will get 2,325, which is the number of calories per day that you need in order to maintain your current weight (weight-maintenance calories). To lose weight, you will need to get below that total.
For example, to lose 1 to 2 pounds a week — a rate that experts consider safe — your food consumption should provide 500 to 1,000 calories less than your total weight-maintenance calories. If you need 2,325 calories a day to maintain your current weight, reduce your daily calories to between 1,325 and 1,825. If you are sedentary, you will also need to build more activity into your day. In order to lose at least a pound a week, try to do at least 30 minutes of physical activity on most days, and reduce your daily calorie intake by at least 500 calories. However, calorie intake should not fall below 1,200 a day in women or 1,500 a day in men, except under the supervision of a health professional. Eating too few calories can endanger your health by depriving you of needed nutrients.
Meeting your calorie target
How can you meet your daily calorie target? One approach is to add up the number of calories per serving of all the foods that you eat, and then plan your menus accordingly. The nutrition labels on all packaged foods and beverages provide calories per serving information. Make a point of reading the labels of the foods and drinks you use, noting the number of calories and the serving sizes. Many recipes published online, in cookbooks, newspapers, and magazines provide similar information.
If you hate counting calories, a different approach is to restrict how much and how often you eat, and to eat meals that are low in calories. Dietary guidelines issued by the American Heart Association stress common sense in choosing your foods rather than focusing strictly on numbers, such as total calories or calories from fat. Whichever method you choose, research shows that a regular eating schedule — with meals and snacks planned for certain times each day — makes for the most successful approach. The same applies after you have lost weight and want to keep it off. Sticking with an eating schedule increases your chance of maintaining your new weight.
Some people focus on reducing the fat in their eating plan because, at 9 calories per gram, fat by weight contains more than twice as many calories as carbohydrates or proteins (4 calories per gram). However, many people mistakenly think that cutting fat always means cutting calories. Some fat-free foods actually contain more calories than the regular versions because manufacturers use extra sugar to make up for the flavor lost in removing the fat. Moreover, low-fat or nonfat foods are not low-calorie if you consume them in large quantities.
FAQs
The greatest dangers associated with a 500-calorie diet relate to vitamin and mineral deficiencies. Vitamin and mineral deficiencies can lead to many health problems. In fact, most people cannot meet their vitamin and mineral requirements if they eat less than 1200 calories per day.
Is burning 500 calories a day enough to lose weight? ›
So researchers thought burning or cutting 500 calories a day led to losing 1 pound a week. But this isn't true for everyone. In general, if you cut about 500 calories a day from your usual diet, you may lose about ½ to 1 pound a week.
How many calories should I eat a day if I want to lose weight? ›
In order to lose at least a pound a week, try to do at least 30 minutes of physical activity on most days, and reduce your daily calorie intake by at least 500 calories. However, calorie intake should not fall below 1,200 a day in women or 1,500 a day in men, except under the supervision of a health professional.
How many calories do I need a day in Harvard? ›
How many calories do you need? Every individual is different, and caloric needs differ depending on many factors, including age, body size, activity level, and metabolism. Most women need 1,600 to 2,000 calories per day to maintain their weight, while most men require 2,000 to 2,400 calories per day.
How much weight can I lose in 2 weeks if I only eat 500 calories a day? ›
Safe and Healthy Weight Loss Goals for Two Weeks
| Starting Weight | Calorie Reduction per Day | How much weight can you lose in two weeks? |
|---|
| 200 pounds | 500-1000 calories | 4-8 pounds |
| 150 pounds | 500-1000 calories | 2-4 pounds |
Sep 23, 2023
Decreased Muscle Mass. Your body composition may be another reason why you are still gaining weight while in a calorie deficit. If you have a higher body fat percentage and lower muscle mass, then you are probably burning fewer calories than if you had more muscle mass.
How many calories should a 60 year old woman burn per day? ›
Calories Burned Daily
| Age | BMR Man | BMR Woman |
|---|
| 40 | 2,300 | 1,800 |
| 50 | 2,250 | 1,750 |
| 60 | 2,150 | 1,700 |
| 70 | 2,050 | 1,650 |
2 more rowsMar 12, 2024
The worst diets for your health include raw food, low-carb plans, and weight-loss shakes, according to experts
- The raw food diet was ranked the worst way to eat overall for the second year in a row.
- Other diets deemed unhealthy include the low-carb Dukan diet, and plans like Slimfast and Herbalife.
So, for example, if you're currently eating about 2,500 calories a day, you may want to aim for about 1,500 calories a day to lose 2 pounds per week. This doesn't take into account your physical activity, though.
What exercise burns most calories in 30 minutes? ›
Running/jogging
Running at even a slow pace burns a lot of calories for 30 minutes. On average, running burns between 10.8 to 16 calories per minute and putting it at the top of the list of workouts that burn the most calories.
Women over 50 tend to need fewer calories than younger women. Moderately active women over 50 may require approximately 1,800 calories per day to maintain weight. To lose one pound per week, you may need to reduce your calorie intake to approximately 1,300 calories per day.
What foods are filling but low calorie? ›
Protein and dairy
- Beans, peas and lentils, which are also good sources of fiber.
- Fish.
- Lean meat and poultry.
- Low-fat or fat-free dairy products, such as milk, yogurt and cheese.
- Egg whites.
The Harvard diet encourages you to alternate between water, tea and coffee to pair with your meals, especially with little to no sugar. Additionally, they suggest reducing milk and dairy consumption to one to two servings a day and juice to one small glass per day. You should avoid sugary drinks altogether if possible.
Should I count calories or just eat healthy? ›
What a focus on calories alone doesn't do is take into account the overall quality of the diet, what nutrients you are getting, and how full different foods make us feel. The overall balance and variety of your diet is just as important as the number of calories you are eating when it comes to health.
What are the four diets of Harvard? ›
Good news, a group of researchers sought to answer this question by studying people who followed one of four different dietary patterns, including the Alternate Mediterranean Diet, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (MyPlate), the Healthful Plant-Based Diet Index, and the Alternate Healthy Eating Index (also known as ...
How long can a person survive on 500 calories a day? ›
You cannot survive on 500 calories per day for long unless a medical professional has examined you, measured you, weighed you, and told you you are obese.
Can I lose weight eating 500 calories a day without exercise? ›
Yes, you'll likely lose weight if you eat 500 calories a day without exercise. However, it's important to note that this isn't the healthiest way to go about losing weight and could lead to nutrient deficiencies.
Is 500 calories a day starvation? ›
Starvation calories are an intake of fewer than 600 calories per day, however; any caloric intake below the recommended minimum doesn't provide the body with the fuel it needs to function properly. A starvation diet doesn't promote weight loss because your metabolism slows down in response to low caloric intake.
