How many calories should I eat in a day?
Calories are a measurement of how much energy certain foods contain. The calories that a person requires depend on his height, weight, age, gender, and lifestyle. According to age, how much calories a person consumes entirely depends on how much energy he is required to dissipate.
It also depends on how you are active – either his physical activity is high or moderate or low. In general, the ideal recommended calorie intake for men is 2,500 a day, and for women, 2,000 calories a day.
Utilize a BMI calculator to find out the required healthy weight. To maintain a healthy weight, one needs to balance the number of calories they eat and the level of physical activity.
For losing weight:
To lose weight, consume fewer calories than required and increase the amount of physical activity. In that way, the person will burn more calories than they consume, and they will lose a larger amount of weight in a short time.
However, it is advised to take recommendations from a dietician or nutritionist before going on a calorie deficit to recommend if it is okay to lose weight according to BMI (Body Mass Index).
For gaining weight:
Suppose a person is underweight, which means the Body Mass Index is less than 18.5, to reach their healthy weight. In that case, they need to gain weight by consuming more calories than the body needs along with a low level of physical activity so that not more than enough calories are burned.
People can count the number of calories they have consumed per day using a calorie counter. There are various apps and websites, providing a calorie counter.
Calorie intake uses and fact:
1. Breakfast main meal of the day. One should never skip it. Having a healthy right breakfast can help with weight and even maintaining a healthy weight.
2. A healthy meal with 500 calories is much better than an unhealthy snack of 500 calories. It is suitable for health and keeps the person full for a long time.
3. Other things that affect calorie intake is a muscle-fat ratio and bone density.
Below is a table for daily calories needed based on age, gender, and activity level:
| Age ( Years) | Gender | Sedentary | Moderately active | Active |
| 2-3 | Male and Female | 1000 | 1000 | 1000 |
| 4-8 | Male Female | 1,200 – 1,400 1,200 – 1,400 | 1,400 – 1,600 1,400 – 1,600 | 1,600 – 2,000 1,400 – 1,800 |
| 9-13 | Male Female | 1,600 – 2,000 1,400 – 1,600 | 1,800 – 2, 200 1,600 – 2,000 | 2,000 – 2,600 1,800 – 2,200 |
| 14-18 | Male Female | 2,000 – 2,400 1,800 | 2,400 – 2,800 2,000 | 2,800 – 3,200 2,400 |
| 19-30 | Male Female | 2,400 – 2,600 1,800 – 2,000 | 2,600 – 2,800 2,000 – 2,200 | 3,000 2,400 |
| 31-50 | Male Female | 2,200 – 2,400 1,800 | 2,400 – 2,600 2,000 | 2,800 – 3,000 2,200 |
| 51 and older | Male Female | 2,000 – 2,200 1,600 | 2,200 – 2,400 1,800 | 2,400 – 2,800 2,000 – 2,200 |
