Are you confused about how many calories you need to consume every day? You do not have to be. The number of calories that a person requires daily depends on a number of factors including age, sex, height, size, lifestyle as well as overall health(1). Whether your goal is weight gain, weight loss or managing a healthy weight, having knowledge about the exact amount of calories you need to consume on a daily basis is the key to success.

On that note, this post talks about the required amount of calorie intake on a regular basis. Would you like to know more? Keep reading.

Facts About The Daily Intake Of Calories:

At first, counting calories can seem confusing and complicated but once you understand how it works, you will find that it is not that tough. According to research, factors like how you consume your food every day can play a role in how many calories are provided to your system. It has also been discovered that you can cut calories by chewing food for long (2).

The following are some important points about daily calorie intake that you should keep in mind:

1. As mentioned earlier, the recommended daily intake of calories depends on factors that include age, sex, weight, height, lifestyle and general health.
2. The longer the food is chewed, the more calories the body can retain.
3. Weight maintenance and reduction can be supported by a big breakfast.
4. The time you eat food may be as important as how many calories you consume and what you eat.
5. The average consumption of calories in most of the nations today is higher than what it was in the past.
6. Recommended daily intake of calories varies from country to country (3).
7. About 20 percent of the energy that is used in your body is for the metabolism of the brain.
8. Various factors such as age, muscle-fat ratio and bone density play a role in the ideal body weight.
9. The types of foods that you get calories from are highly significant in terms of nutrition.
10. A meal of 500 calories that consists of vegetables and fruits has a more positive effect on your health, and will keep hunger away for longer than a popcorn snack of 500 calories.
11. Now, here is a quick look at some of these points in detail.

Recommended Daily Intake Of Calories:

As you have read above, the recommended daily calorie intake differs all over the world. For instance, in the UK, the average male adult needs about 2,500 calories every day to maintain his weight and the average female adult needs 2,000 calories daily. Whereas in the US, the recommended daily calorie intake for men is 2,700 calories and for women is 2,200 calories.

According to the National Health Service in the UK, it is more important for people to concentrate more on eating a diet that is well-balanced and healthy, maintaining a rough balance between the numbers of calories that are consumed and the number of calories that are burnt. According to researchers in Sweden, if you eat five portions of vegetable and fruit every day, you will probably have a longer life.

According to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization, the minimum daily requirement of calories of the average person globally is about 1,800 kilocalories.

Importance Of Timing:

One of the points mentioned above is that your meal timings may be just as important as the type and quantity of calories that you consume every day. You can lower or keep your weight down by eating a big hearty breakfast each day. Researchers report that a big breakfast that contains approximately 700 calories is ideal when you want to lose weight and lower your risk of high cholesterol, heart disease and diabetes (4).

Sizes Of Portions:

In nations that are industrialized and an increasing number of economies that are emerging, the amount of calories that people consume has increased significantly compared to the past. The sizes of portions that are served in restaurants, both elegant as well as the more casual fast food ones, are much larger at present. For example, according to reports, 20 years ago, the average cheeseburger in the US had 333 calories whereas the cheeseburgers today have more than 600 calories (5).

Your Body And The Energy It Uses:

As you know, the human body requires energy in order to stay alive. Approximately 20 percent of the energy that it uses is for brain metabolism (6). A large percentage of the rest of the energy that the body needs is taken up for basic metabolic requirements such as the energy that is needed while you are in a state of rest, breathing and for functions like blood circulation. The body also needs mechanical energy for its skeletal muscles for moving around and maintaining posture.

Respiration, or cellular respiration, in particular, refers to the process of metabolism by which energy is obtained by an organism through the reaction of oxygen with glucose that produces water, carbon dioxide as well as ATP energy. How efficiently energy that is produced through respiration gets converted into mechanical power depends on a number of factors including the type of food that is consumed and the type of physical energy that is used – whether the muscles in the body are used anaerobically or aerobically.

How Many Calories Should Be Consumed Daily?

The Harris-Benedict equation, which is also known as the Harris-Benedict principle, is used to come up with an estimate of what an individual’s daily requirements and basal metabolic rate (BMR) are (7). The total of the individual’s BMR is multiplied by another number that symbolizes their physical activity level. The resulting number is the daily calorie intake that is recommended so that they can maintain their current body weight.

The Harris-Benedict equation comes with limitations. The differing muscle mass levels to fat mass ratio are not taken into account. It is important to do so to get an accurate recommended daily calorie intake. A person who is very muscular requires more calories, even when they are resting.

How To Work Out Your Daily Calorie Need:

Working out your daily calorie requirement is not difficult. To do so, levels of physical activity need to be applied to the equation as per the guide that is given below:

Lifestyle With No Activity: If you do not exercise at all, or do very little, your daily requirement of calories is BMR x 1.2.

Lifestyle With Slight Activity: If you only exercise 1 to 3 times on a weekly basis, your daily requirement of calories is BMR x 1.375.

Lifestyle With Moderate Activity: If you exercise moderately, that is 3 to 5 days on a weekly basis, your daily requirement of calories is BMR x 1.55.

Lifestyle That Is Active: If you exercise heavily or intensively 6 to 7 times a week, your daily requirement of calories is BMR x 1.725.

Lifestyle That Is Very Active: If you exercise intensively 2 times every day, your daily requirement of calories is BMR x 1.9.

How Much Should You Weigh?

As with the amount of calories you need to eat every day, there are several factors that your ideal body weight depends on, including your age, sex, height, muscle-fat ratio and bone density.

Body Mass Index, Or BMI: There are some who say that BMI is a good way to determine what your weight should be. However, it may not be true as BMI does not take muscle mass into account.

Waist-Hip Ratio: When you need to determine what your ideal weight should be, this measurement is said to be more accurate. However, the waist-hip ratio is also limited as it does not properly measure muscle-to-fat ratio, or your total body fat percentage.

Waist-To-Height Ratio: This is a new way to determine ideal body weight and it is most likely the most accurate one that is available today. It is a simple calculation that anyone can work out. According to researchers, keeping the circumference of your waist to less than half your height can help significantly in increasing life expectancy for each person across the globe.

Daily Calories For Women – How Much Is Required?

Do you want to know how many calories women need on a daily basis? It is important to do so. You need to know about your daily calorie requirements based on your fitness, health and weight goals. It is equally important to understand about the calories that go in versus calories that come out and how to make sure that your body is nourished instead of just getting filled.

Importance Of Getting The Right Calories:

A key element in achieving your goals is to make sure that you always choose healthy foods so that your calorie count each day goes a long way. You should always feel energized and satisfied rather than miserably hungry. Every meal that you eat should contain fruit and vegetables, healthy fats, whole grains and lean protein. These foods are all rich in nutrients and will make you feel full for a longer duration than the empty calories of processed foods.

When you need a snack, think of fruit. A bunch of strawberries and a medium-sized banana give you 150 calories. Plus they are super-healthy, so good for you!

Other options that you have for healthy snacks include a slice of wholegrain bread that has 2 teaspoons of peanut butter spread on it which gives you 135 calories, 4 wholegrain crackers with 2 low—fat cheese slices which gives you 135 calories and 3 dates which give you 165 calories.

Calorie Requirements For Women:

You need to keep in mind that the calorie requirements for women differ from that of men (8). Men tend to have less fat and more muscle in their bodies, which means that the amount of calories they burn throughout the day is higher, and therefore, they can eat more. It is important that you take these differing requirements of calories into account.

To find out which foods and how many calories you should be consuming, you need to know what your weight goal is. Is it to lose, gain or maintain?

Calories For Weight Loss:

In general, 1,200 calories daily is what women should consume when they want to lose weight (9). This includes 3 meals of approximately 300 calories each as well as a total of 300 calories consumed from snacks.

When you are on a weight loss plan, you need to remember that every calorie counts. This is why you need to add up liquid calories that you get from various beverages when you calculate your daily calorie intake. Even the small extra calories that you get from cookies, biscuits, sweets, etc. count because they can quickly add up.

To make sure that any calorie surprises are avoided, plan your meals as well as snacks diligently, and stick to those plans.

Calories For Weight Gain:

If you are struggling to gain weight or have lost a lot of weight because of illness, breastfeeding or exercise, your daily calorie intake will need to be increased so that kilos are added to your frame and your BMI is brought to the healthy range. Before doing this, you should consult your doctor first, especially if you are suffering from an illness or have in the past.

You need to consume 1,600 calories every day if you are trying to gain weight. Every meal should be roughly 400 calories, and the total from snacks should be 400 calories. Depending on your preference, you can make each meal have about 435 calories and keep the total from snacks to 300 calories. You can make a choice depending on what will work best for you. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, you should consume 1,700 calories every day.

When you take in extra calories, make sure that they only come from foods that are healthy. As mentioned earlier, avoid junk or processed foods. Many people who want to gain weight make a grave mistake by eating whatever they want, thinking that calories from any source are worth eating. But as you know, unhealthy food will not benefit your body, even if you weigh very little. Consuming calories that are only in the form of healthy fats like nuts, olive oil, avocado, etc. and wholegrain cereals and breads will be a whole lot better for you.

Calories For Weight Maintenance:

So you have achieved your ideal weight, and now it is time to maintain it. You need not worry as you can do just that by eating right. Once you have maintained your ideal weight for 2 weeks, all you need to do is make a few changes to your intake of calories to make sure that you do not shed any more kilos. This means that you can up the number of calories that you take in every day.

To make sure that you maintain your weight, your food intake will have to be increased to 1,500 calories a day. Each of your meals should be boosted to 400 calories each. Your snack total every day should be 300 calories. These are the numbers you need to maintain your ideal weight and stay healthy.

Daily Calories For Men:

Calorie counting is not just for women. As a matter of fact, men have the same concerns over the number of calories that they need to consume every day. To reach their fitness and health goals, they need to have a clear understanding of calories and how they work.

In addition to knowing the number of calories that they need to eat daily, men must also know exactly how many calories should go into their meals and snacks. When you plan your meals and your daily calorie intake properly, you are more likely to achieve your goals.

Because men have less fat and more muscles than women, their BMI or basal metabolic rate, or the number of calories that are burnt while they rest, is much higher. What this means is that you require a lot more calories to function every day.

Calories From The Healthiest Foods:

As a man, you have the luxury of being able to eat more calories. However, it is important for you to make sure that the extra calories that you take in only come from whole foods that are healthy. Like women, your daily meals should include fruits and vegetables, lean protein, whole grains and healthy fats. You need to keep foods that are sugary, fatty and processed to a minimum. This is because they come with loads of calories but very few nutrients. The calories that you consume should always be accompanied by lots of nutrients.

When it comes to snacks, you need foods that are nutrient-dense so that they fill you up. Empty calories will only leave you hungry and cause a craving 30 minutes later. Snacks that are good for you include a slice of wholegrain bread with 2 teaspoons of butter, a handful of nuts or a medium-sized piece of fruit.

Calorie Requirements For Men:

For men, 18.5 to 24.9 is the range a healthy BMI should be in (10). If your BMI exceeds this, it means that you need to shed some kilos. If it is lower, you obviously need to gain some kilos. You will need to maintain your weight if your BMI is in the middle.

Calories For Weight Loss:

If you are trying to lose weight, your daily consumption should be 1,800 calories. Each meal and the total of snacks consumed should both be 450 calories daily. It is important that you keep a track of all the foods you eat throughout the day and the number of calories that you consume.

You need to remember that even your morning coffee is loaded with calories. Did you know that a large latte has 225 calories? Calories can accumulate quickly, and this is exactly why you need to be careful about what you eat and maintaining a record of your daily food intake can help you keep track.

Apart from taking in calories, you need to think about exercise to make sure that you successfully lose the weight you want. Your aim should be to burn at least 400 to 800 calories 5 times on a weekly basis. You should also include a 1000-calorie workout during the weekend.

Calories For Weight Gain:

Being underweight can come with many health problems regardless of whether it is caused by genetics, illness or excessive exercise. You need to make sure that there is no undiagnosed illness that might be the cause of your inability to gain weight. If you are recovering from any illness, you need to make sure that you are healthy enough to start working on gaining weight again.

Once you are given the green light by your doctor, you should consume 2,200 calories every day if you want to gain weight. Each one of your meals should have 550 calories while the total of the snacks you eat every day should also be 550 calories.

Calories For Weight Maintenance:

When you have achieved your goal weight, you can treat yourself once a week. However, you need to be extremely careful that you do not go crazy with calories. This will undo all the hard work you put in to get to your ideal weight.

If you have maintained your ideal eight for 2 weeks, you will need to increase your consumption of food to 2,000 calories so that you do not lose any more weight. Each meal of the day should have 500 calories while your snack total for the entire day should be 500 calories as well.

When you are in the weight maintenance phase, it is important that you make sure to monitor your calorie intake and weight very closely. Not everyone is the same, so it is possible that a daily 2,000-calorie intake is not the optimal number for you to be able to stay at your ideal weight. If this is the case, your calorie intake will need to be tweaked.

When you are trying to figure out how many calories you need every day, make sure to keep in mind that the source of your calories is highly important. As mentioned earlier, there is nothing better than gaining calories that come from nutritious foods. When you get the calories you need every day and essential nutrients together, your body as well as your overall health will benefit immensely, and that is exactly what everyone wishes for!

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by Renold Rajan via STYLECRAZE