Calculate your daily calorie goal for losing weight.
Let's start by figuring out how many calories you actually need just to keep your weight the way it is now (that is, in energy balance).
This amount depends on your size, how active you are and your metabolic rate — the amount of calories your body needs for basic functions like breathing. Many formulas take all these factors into account, but can get quite complicated.
We prefer a method that is utterly simple: Multiply your weight in pounds times 12 to get your weight maintenance number. Assuming your weight has been stable, this gives you a good estimate of the amount of calories you have been eating to maintain your weight.
Sarah, who weighs 150 pounds, needs 1,800 daily calories per day to maintain her weight. (150 x 12 = 1,800-calorie weight-maintenance number)
Jeff, who weighs 211 pounds, needs 2,532 daily calories to keep his weight steady. (211 x 12 = 2,532-calorie weight-maintenance number)
Your Calorie Calculation for Losing Weight
Now that you know the number of calories that will keep your weight steady, you can subtract calories from that daily total to produce a weight loss at the safe rate of 1 to 2 pounds per week:
Either 500 calories, for an approximate 1-pound weekly weight loss or 1,000 calories for an approximate 2-pound weekly weight loss
Note: The lowest calorie goal for this program is 1,200 calories. Below that amount of calories, it's hard to meet your daily nutrition requirements. So, if your calorie goal falls below 1,200 calories, set it at 1,200. You'll still lose weight!
Sarah wants to lose 2 pounds per week:
Weight maintenance number: 1,800
1,800 - 1,000 = 800 calories/day — This is too low to support good nutrition, so Sarah's daily calorie goal is 1,200 calories/day.
Jeff wants to lose 2 pounds per week too:
Weight maintenance number: 2,532
2,532 - 1,000 = 1,532 calories/day — Jeff's Daily Calorie Goal
June, who weighs 182 pounds, votes for a 500 daily calorie-cutting goal ("More sounds too hard!"):
Weight maintenance number: 2,184
2,184 - 500 = 1,684 calories/day — June's Daily Calorie Goal
Now, calculate your daily calorie goal.
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The EatingWell Diet. Copyright 2007 by Eating Well, Inc. Published by The Countryman Press, P.O. Box 748, Woodstock, VT 05091. It is prohibited to copy, redistribute or transmit this work for any purpose, commercial or otherwise, without the express written permission of the publisher.