Weight maintenance how many calories

But how many calories does the body actually need in order to be healthy? This largely depends on the amount of physical activity a person performs each day, and regardless of this, is different for all people — there are many different factors involved, not all of which are well-understood or known.

Some factors that influence the number of calories a person needs to remain healthy include age, weight, height, sex, levels of physical activity, and overall general health. For example, a physically active year-old male that is 6 feet in height requires considerably higher calorie intake than a 5-foot-tall, sedentary year-old woman. Though it differs depending on age and activity level, adult males generally require 2, calories per day to maintain weight while adult females need around 1,, according to the U.

S Department of Health. The body does not require many calories to simply survive. However, consuming too few calories results in the body functioning poorly, since it will only use calories for functions essential to survival, and ignore those necessary for general health and well-being. Harvard Health Publications suggests women get at least 1, calories and men get at least 1, calories a day unless supervised by doctors.

As such, it is highly recommended that a person attempting to lose weight monitors their body's caloric necessities and adjusts them as necessary to maintain its nutritional needs.

The main sources of calories in a typical person's diet are carbohydrates, proteins, and fat, with alcohol also being a significant portion of calorie intake for many people though ideally this should be limited since alcohol contains many empty calories. Some studies have shown that the calories displayed on nutrition labels and the calories actually consumed and retained can vary significantly.

This hints at the complex nature of calories and nutrition and is why many conflicting points of view on the "best" methodology for losing weight exist. For example, how a person chews their food has been shown to affect weight loss to some degree; generally speaking, chewing food more increases the number of calories that the body burns during digestion.

People that chew more also tend to eat less, since the longer period of time necessary to chew their food allows more time to reach a state of satiety, which results in eating less. However, the effects of how food is chewed and digestion of different foods are not completely understood and it is possible that other factors exist, and thus this information should be taken with a grain of salt in moderation if weight loss is the goal. Generally, foods that take more effort to chew — fruit, vegetables, lean meats, whole grains, etc.

It also results in the feeling of satiety for longer periods of time. Furthermore, certain foods like coffee, tea, chilies, cinnamon, and ginger have been found to increase the rate of calories burned, due to the ingredients they contain. The "quality" of calories consumed is also important.

There are different classifications of foods in terms of calories. This includes high-calorie foods, low-calorie foods, and empty calories. Consistent with their naming, high-calorie foods are foods that are calorically dense, meaning that there are a high number of calories relative to serving size, while low-calorie foods have fewer calories relative to serving size.

Foods such as fat, oils, fried foods, and sugary foods are examples of high-calorie foods. Being a high-calorie food does not inherently mean that the food is unhealthy however — avocados, quinoa, nuts, and whole grains are all high-calorie foods that are considered healthful in moderation.

Low-calorie foods include vegetables and certain fruits, among other things, while empty calories, such as those in added sugars and solid fats, are calories that contain few to no nutrients. Studies have shown that there is a measurable difference between consuming calories of carrots compared to calories of popcorn.

As previously mentioned, this in part can be attributed to differences in how the foods are consumed and processed. Carrots require far more chewing and can result in more calories burned during digestion.

Again, the mechanism for these differences is not fully defined, but simply note that for weight loss purposes, the general formula of calories in minus calories out determining weight gain or loss does hold, but that the number of calories on a nutrition label is not necessarily indicative of how many calories the body actually retains. While there is no clear-cut or ideal amount of macronutrient proportions a person should consume to maintain a healthy diet or lose weight, eating a "healthy" diet replete with a variety of unprocessed foods such as vegetables, fruits, and lean meats is correlated with being healthier, and is more likely to result in sustainable weight loss.

Many of these calories fall under the category of empty calories. While sodas are an obvious culprit, drinks such as juices and even milk have large amounts of sugar and should be consumed in moderation to avoid negating their nutritional benefits. Ideally, a person should drink water, tea, and coffee without adding sugar in order to reduce calories gained from drinks. Remember: All foods, including "healthful foods," should be consumed in moderation, and distinctions can often be misleading since even natural foods like fruits can have large amounts of sugar, and foods labeled as "health foods" such as low-calorie foods, reduced-fat foods, etc.

Many reduced-fat foods have large amounts of added sugar to compensate for taste lost through fat reduction. It is important to pay attention to, and consider the different components in a food product in order to determine whether said food should have a place within your diet.

US units metric units other units. Results unit:. According to research published in The Journal of the American Medical Association JAMA , you should be focusing on the quality of the foods that make up your daily calorie intake, not just the quantity. This is because the diets of those involved contained more nutrient-dense foods, the people involved ended up naturally eating less, without even thinking about it.

Non- quality calories — i. So, instead of your weight-loss journey being a blur of hunger pangs and "hanger" and it could feel much easier. Ready to give it a go?

Here are the top nutrient-dense foods that you should be eating, according to Ludlam-Raine:. Want a quick checklist on what those healthy foods should consist of? We're certain you know the ones that aren't as nutrient-dense — cough Cadbury's cough.

Studies suggest that you don't need to cut out food groups e. As long as your plate is always piled with veggies, whole grains and is, predominantly, homemade, you could expect to lose up to 13 pounds in a year that's just under a stone , as well as decrease your waist size , lose body fat and improve blood sugar and blood pressure levels.

We mentioned it briefly earlier, but let's get to grips with how counting your macros can help with hitting your calorie goals, too.

Put simply, counting your macros is a nutrition technique used to help you lose fat, build muscle or gain weight more efficiently. By tweaking the ratios of what you eat protein, fat and carbohydrates , you can help expedite these processes. It doesn't have to be a daunting task in fact, we broke down exactly how to calculate your macros and what the best macros for fat loss are , but if you're just getting going we'd recommend sticking with using the calorie counter for now.

If you're already a dab hand at tracking but want to start fine-tuning your goals, get around the macro calculator below. It'll take you step-by-step through the process of how to work out your macros like calorie counting, it's highly personal and then how to make them work for you.

The plus side of a nutrition technique like this is that there's always room for a treat. We love. Weight loss plateaus happen, even if you feel like you're doing everything right. The key is not to panic. If you're still on your way to a healthy weight and this might be a slightly higher number than you "want" , there are areas to look at before you doing anything drastic like cutting calories beyond what your body and lifestyle need.

A quick caveat: if you are already at a healthy weight for your age and height, consider reaching out to a professional to discuss why you still feel the need to lose more weight.

Or, if you, or anyone you know, is struggling with an eating disorder, contact Beat , the UK-based charity that hopes to end the pain and suffering caused by eating disorders. T: E: help beateatingdisorders. Did you know that NEAT exercise non-exercise activity thermogenesis makes up a much larger proportion of your total energy output than the 30 or minute gym or home workout you do each day?

Surprising, right. For those of you new to the idea of NEAT, it refers to everything you do that isn't demarcated exercise. So, household chores, playing with your kids, walking the dog or climbing stairs all fall into this category. Keeping our NEAT exercise at a constant level by going on a lunchtime walk or choosing to take the stairs over the elevator is a low-effort way to make sure we're burning calories constantly throughout the day.

Secondly, if your body feels under stress and this can be caused by a lack of sleep , it can massively affect whether your body loses weight or stores weight. If you've been under the cosh or regularly skimping on shut-eye, work on stress management techniques to bring more calm into your life as well as incorporating tools to make sleep a priority. Both can be keys to shifting past a weight loss plateau. Male Female. Feet Meters. Pounds Kilograms. Maintain Current Weight.

Lose Weight. Gain Weight. Sedentary Little or no exercise. Here are your next steps to lose weight: 1. Pick a weight-loss workout plan. Shortcut to Shred. Alpha M's Tailored. Lean at Home.

Here are your next steps to gain muscle: 1. Pick a muscle-building workout plan. Shortcut to Size. Kris Gethin Muscle Building. Modern Physique. Garage Gains. Here are the next steps on your journey to customize your nutrition: 1.

Pick a workout plan. Home Body. Maintain current weight First time counting calories? Lose weight If you know that you're ready to lose a few pounds and you've counted calories before, select "lose weight. Gain weight Gaining weight—especially as muscle—sounds easy enough. Here's how to figure out what's right for you: Sedentary: You work at a desk job and you don't do much housework, walking, or exercising. Lightly active: You don't exercise much, but you go for walks times per week and are on your feet doing housework during some of the day.

Moderately active: You exercise times a week and stay moving throughout the day with non-exercise activities. Very active: You exercise intensely or play vigorous sports on most days.

Extra active: You exercise intensely or play vigorous sports nearly every day, including occasional "two a days. Here's how it works: Calculate basal metabolic rate BMR , or the calories your body burns simply by being alive. What Does 2, Calories Look Like? Ever wondered what 2, calories looks like? Use this handy visual guide to see a day's worth of meals across 3 different macronutrient ratios! Want to build muscle and lose fat? Then you need protein!

Here's how much you need and how to measure it for each meal. Carbs are your body's favorite energy source. Learn which carb sources are best and how you can easily measure them without using a scale! Contrary to popular belief, fat is not the enemy!

Learn how to easily add a serving of healthy fats to your diet.