Do you wonder, "how many calories should I eat a day?" Keep reading below for more info on general rules of caloric intake.
How Many Calories Should I Eat A Day
The amount of calories a person should eat daily varies by individual and also on individual health goals. For example, a person wanting to lose one pound per week would need to cut 500 calories from their diet every day. Calorie intake also depends on activity levels. A person engaged in a high level of activity typically needs to consume more calories to keep energy up.
Caloric Intake
To determine an individual caloric intake, a person should utilize a calorie calculator. By entering information such as height, weight, gender and age, a range of necessary calories is presented. For example, a 35 year old female at the height of 5’8 and with a weight of 170 pounds, would need to consume between 1200 and 1400 calories per day in order to lose weight. If she wanted to maintain her weight, she would need between 1700 and 1900 per day.
Caloric intake is also, in part, determined by activity. A person with a sedentary lifestyle, such as an office worker, is going to need less calories than someone with an active job such as a janitor or construction worker.
Empty Calories
Empty calories come from sugars or solid fats. They are called empty calories due to adding calories, but no nutrients to food. In general, a person should avoid empty calories and seek to eat foods that also provide substantial nutritional value. Some of the most commonly consumed empty calories include soda, energy drinks, fruit juice with added sugar, sweets such as cookies and pastries, and processed meat. Some foods with solid fats also contain nutrients, but usually any food that is largely sugar does not.
Best Calories
The best place to get calories is from nutritionally dense foods. This includes lean meats, nuts, eggs, whole grains and high calorie vegetables such as olives and avocados. Getting the most calories, especially in carbohydrate form, from vegetables is the ideal way to form a diet, as opposed to around meat. If you are seeking a low calorie, nutrient rich snack, a That’s It. fruit bar is only 100 calories and provides you with two whole servings of fruit.
A proper diet should always be formulated around both food and exercise. It is generally recommended to utilize both when seeking to lose or maintain weight.
