How many calories to lose weight
Healthy Eating for a Healthy Weight
A healthy lifestyle involves many choices. Among them, choosing a balanced diet or eating plan. So how do you choose a healthy eating plan? Let’s begin by defining what a healthy eating plan is.
According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, a healthy eating plan:
- Emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products
- Includes lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts
- Is low in saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, salt (sodium), and added sugars
- Stays within your daily calorie needs
Eat Healthfully and Enjoy It!
A healthy eating plan that helps you manage your weight includes a variety of foods you may not have considered. If “healthy eating” makes you think about the foods you can’t have, try refocusing on all the new foods you can eat:
- Fresh fruits ― don’t think just apples or bananas. These are great choices, but try some “exotic” fruits, too. How about a mango? Or a juicy pineapple or kiwi fruit! When your favorite fresh fruits aren’t in season, try a frozen, canned, or dried variety of a fresh fruit you enjoy. One caution about canned fruits is that they may contain added sugars or syrups. Be sure and choose canned varieties of fruit packed in water or in their own juice.
- Fresh vegetables ― try something new. You may find that you love grilled vegetables or steamed vegetables with an herb you haven’t tried like rosemary. You can sauté vegetables in a non-stick pan with a small amount of cooking spray. Or try frozen or canned vegetables for a quick side dish — just microwave and serve. When trying canned vegetables, look for vegetables without added salt, butter, or cream sauces. Commit to going to the produce department and trying a new vegetable each week.
- Calcium-rich foods ― you may automatically think of a glass of low-fat or fat-free milk when someone says “eat more dairy products.” But what about low-fat and fat-free yogurts without added sugars? These come in a wide variety of flavors and can be a great dessert substitute for those with a sweet tooth.
- A new twist on an old favorite ― if your favorite recipe calls for frying fish or breaded chicken, try healthier variations using baking or grilling. Maybe even try a recipe that uses dry beans in place of higher-fat meats. Ask around or search the internet and magazines for recipes with fewer calories ― you might be surprised to find you have a new favorite dish!
Calories calculators allows you to calculate how many calories you should eat a day in order to lose a certain amount of weight by a certain date.
How many calories does it take to lose one pound?
Theoretically, about 3500 calories equals one pound of body weight. This means that you’d have to take in 3500fewer calories than you usually do, over a period of time, to lose one pound. Keep in mind, this is in theory; what happens in the real world can be very different.
Often, as we eat less, our bodies expend calories at a slower rate (that is, our metabolism decreases). Perhaps this occurs to ensure our survival, or just to defend a comfortable body weight. In any event, this slowdown is a real phenomenon, and has been shown in many laboratory studies — it’s called diet induced adaptive thermogenesis. If your calorie expenditure falls, it can be increasingly difficult to take in few enough calories to lose weight. This can be quite a frustration and challenge to the person trying to shed some pounds.
So, while it’s nice to have an equation that works in the lab, the 3500-calorie figure may not play out so tidily in reality. However, it can serve as a goal if you are trying to lose weight. By cutting 500 calories a day (a total of 3500 per week), and otherwise eating a balanced diet, you may find you lose approximately a pound a week. This rate of weight loss is considered reasonable and healthy.
While simple math might suggest that one could cut thousands of calories per day and shed pounds in the blink of any eye, more realistic and lasting weight change happens gradually. Skipping meals can actually have a negative impact on weight management. To keep your metabolism speeding along, consider having 4 or 5 smaller meals and snacks throughout the day. In addition to providing consistent energy and maintaining your metabolism, you may be more likely to resist those “snack attacks” that happen with extreme hunger. Finally, an important factor in keeping your metabolism moving is participating in regular exercise, which is good for you regardless of whether you’re trying to lose weight or just curious about calories.
Reduced fat and calorie diets: How low is too low?
Although you didn’t mention your weight, 900 calories a day is considered a very low calorie diet (VLCD). VLCDs are usually diets designed for rapid weight loss that is medically supervised, and are reserved for adults with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher. It is strongly recommended that people following such a diet be part of a doctor-supervised weight-loss program that includes behavioral therapy, nutrition counseling, physical activity, and formulas to ensure that they get enough essential vitamins and micronutrients. If not carried out properly, a VLCD can cause long-term nutritional deficiencies such as
- anemia
- bone loss
- decreased immune function
- amenorrhea (loss of menstrual periods)
- infertility
- decreased thyroid function
- increased susceptibility to colds and infections
- low energy levels
- poor concentration and cognitive development, and
- and gum infections and poor dental health.
This isn’t meant to frighten you, only to inform. All of these symptoms can be quickly remedied by eating a balanced diet sufficient in calories and essential nutrients.
In terms of your questions, your body won’t store the calories you do consume as fat because you aren’t taking in enough calories to for any of them to be stored. Our bodies use food and energy in a way that has evolved over thousands of years with the aim of our survival in mind. During times of very low calorie consumption, such as 900 calories per day, the body naturally slows its metabolism in order to conserve energy and attempt to keep your body functioning. A slowed metabolism can be reversed through balanced nutrition — your body will actually burn more energy if you take in more calories.