How Many Calories Should I Eat A Day To Lose Weight?

To lose weight, you need to moderate the number of calories you consume in a day. But do you know how many calories you’re supposed to include in your diet?

Now, before moving forward, the very first thing you need to know about calories is that not everyone will have the same number of calories to lose weight or gain muscle. The number will vary from person-to-person since everyone is built differently.

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What Do You Need To Do To Lose Weight?

To lose weight, you need to be in a calorie deficit.

Being in a calorie deficit means that you’ll be consuming less calories than what you’re burning throughout the day. The only way to trigger weight loss is by allowing your body to go through a deficit, which, in-turn, prompts it to dip into the stored calories to generate the energy required.

Before you understand the number of calories you should consume for weight loss, you need to find out your maintenance calories. This number is something you should consume on a daily basis to maintain your current physique. Once you have the maintenance calories, take away 500 calories from it. This new number is what you need to consume for weight loss.

Ideally, you should aim to be on a 3,500 calorie deficit per week to lose weight. This is a healthy way to go about the weight loss process. Sometimes, individuals push it to a 700 per day deficit, but it’s better to begin with 500.

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How To Calculate Your Consumption Calories?

Usually, you’ll find several online calculators that will allow you to understand the approximate amount of calories you need to lose weight. However, for that, you’ll need to know certain measurements such as your weight, height, etc.

For this purpose, fitness industry influencer and business owner Christian Guzman uses a solution that enables you to calculate your calories and your macronutrients without having to know too many measurements. Only knowing your bodyweight is enough for this method to work.

Another thing to keep in mind about weight loss is that while a deficit will enable you to trigger the process, optimum weight loss can occur through consuming the right number of macronutrients as well.

Macronutrients are nutrients which the body uses in large amounts to maintain itself. The three macronutrients are protein, carbohydrates, and fat. To lose weight, you’ll need to distribute your calories among the three macronutrient groups.

It’s important to figure out these numbers if you want to reap the optimum benefits of your efforts.

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Bottom Line

To lose weight, a calorie deficit is a must. Now, if you don’t want to reduce what you’re consuming at maintenance, you need to increase your overall physical activity. Ideally, you should be able to achieve the deficit either by reducing your food consumption or increasing physical activity.

Choices will vary, but there will come a point when a prolonged calorie deficit will take your body to a plateau. In such cases, regardless of what you do, your body refuses to burn extra calories. To break out of a plateau, you need to increase your calorie consumption slightly and continue that for a month or two before dropping it again.

Keep in mind that even when you increase it, you should still be in deficit overall.