If you want to lose weight, then you may need to establish a weight loss or nutrition plan. This plan can help you to reduce your caloric intake while maintaining the nutrition that you need. However, it is difficult for some individuals to understand how many calories they actually do need, so this number can be cut by a moderate amount. Keep reading to learn about some tips to help you understand your caloric intake needs.
Calculate Your Needs Based On Weight
In general, a typical human will need to consume about 2,000 calories a day to maintain weight. Women often need to consume fewer calories than men, and some men may require as many as 2,500 calories a day. Similarly, some women will need only about 1,600 calories a day.
Your caloric needs are determined by your gender, age, current weight, and activity level. For example, your caloric needs decrease as you age, due to a reduced metabolism, but they will rise if you are an active person who takes part in exercise and sports activities during the week.
To help you figure out your overall needs, use a calorie calculator. Keep in mind that the calculator does not take physiologic differences into consideration, like a naturally slower or faster metabolism.
Once the calculator has figured out your caloric needs, you want to reduce your daily intake by about 500 calories. This will allow for about one pound of weight loss every week.
Keep in mind that you do not want to reduce your calories substantially, or your body may be tricked into thinking it is starving. In this situation, the metabolism will slow down and your body will burn fewer calories than normal.
Identify Empty Calories
Figuring out your daily caloric needs is only a small part of your weight loss and nutrition programs. It is a starting point and you will need to count calories daily to ensure that you are not exceeding your goal. And while this is true, you also want to make sure that your identify and cut back on the empty calories you consume each day. These are the calories that offer you very little to no nutrition and can lead to a feeling of being unsatisfied.
Foods with empty calories are the ones that contain a great deal of sugar. Donuts, cakes, and candies are a few examples. Also, alcohol has empty calories and should be avoided and this is also true of sodas and other sugary drinks. Fast foods and highly processed ones are not a good option for you either.
