Typical Calorie and Nutrition Label
If you are planning to lose weight then you should know how many calories per day you need to maintain a healthy weight. Studies have shown that calorie restrictive diets work extremely well, but only when they are followed! The problem with implementing a calorie restrictive diet is twofold;
- People often overestimate the amount of food that they require
- People underestimate the amount of restriction that is required, and healthy
In weight loss studies carried out by health scientists, women that ate 1000 calories less than their daily requirement lost around 2 pounds per week. This is considered a healthy and sustainable level of weight loss. The same rule applies to men. So, how many calories should you be eating?
The following two tables show the average calories requirements for men and women at various stages throughout adulthood for varying levels of activity, i.e. sedentary (no exercise, rarely active), low activity (walking, housework, some play) and high activity (regular exercise, generally more active in work and life).
Remember that these are just average figures so you may require more or less than the calories stated here. Also, you only need the higher figure on the days that you are most active. Doing 2 intensive workouts each week does not mean you need maximum calories on the other 5 days.
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Calorie Needs (Energy Requirements) of Boys and Men
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Calorie Needs (Energy Requirements) of Girls and Women
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Exercise does not require many more calories
What often strikes people who are new to dieting and exercise is that the high activity group do not require many more calories than the low activity group. Being very active adds 300 calories for men and 250 calories for women (compared to low activity), although during the teenage years the difference is higher.
This is the equivalent of a sandwich or a large white coffee in terms of food energy. This is why, when trying to lose weight, do not eat more food just because you are exercising! The exercise creates a calorie deficit but if you eat more to compensate you will fail to lose weight.
Calorie Requirements for Teenagers
We have highlighted the calories needs of teenagers as this is a very important time during a persons development, and also a time when many people start to become more aware of their bodies.
Few teenagers are aware that their calorie needs are higher than that of any other age group, and for very active teens, such as those that play sports or are practicing martial arts of learn dance, they need around 500-600 more calories a day than their sedentary peers.
Also during this time the quality of energy consumed must be high as there are many nutritional requirements for healthy growth and development. What is very worrying is the trend for many teens to skip meals to keep their weight down. They could be setting themselves up for long term health problems as well as stunted growth.
Calorie needs as we get older
For a woman in her 30′s that is not exercising, 2000 calories a day is enough to maintain weight. To lose 2 pounds per week she needs to reduce her daily calories by 1000, which means consuming 1000 calories a day. If she is exercising 3-4 times a week then she can eat 1250 calories per day.
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This may seem low, but it is how our bodies work. To lose weight you need to restrict calories, this is what is meant by a calorie deficit. Eating healthier foods help too. Lean proteins will be used to build new muscle tissue. Fresh fruits and vegetables will contain fiber that aids digestion and are full of essential vitamins and minerals. However, bread is full of energy (around 100 calories per slice) and has little of nutritional value.
Losing weight is certainly not just about counting calories, it is about eating a balanced diet and exercising too. Remember, that diet without exercise almost always leads to eventual weight loss failure.
How Many Calories in Carbohydrates, Protein and Fat?
If you are counting calories to aid weight loss, then knowing how many calories are in carbohydrates, proteins and fats can help you to calculate how much you need of each of the main food groups (macronutrients).
- Protein has 4 Calories per gram
- Carbohydrates has 4 Calories per gram
- Fat has 9 Calories per gram
- Alcohol has 7 Calories per gram
At first glance you may think that the best way to create an energy deficit is to eat more carbohydrates, but not all carbohydrates are equal. To lose weight while eating carbs you need to eat low GI carbohydrates (effectively they contain less sugar) which tend to have higher fiber content, which means that you do not absorb so much of the energy.
All food that you consume is either used immediately as energy by the body or it is stored as fat for the future. So, you put on weight when you eat more than you burn, you maintain your weight when you eat as much as you burn, and you lose weight when you eat less than you burn. Understanding this is the key to losing belly fat and losing weight.
If you look at the calories in fat, it quickly becomes obvious why there has been such an emphasis on eating low fat foods in recent decades. Fat has more that twice as many calories per gram than carbohydrate or protein. A healthy and well balanced diet will have adequate macro-nutrients and still allow weight loss to occur.
So swapping fatty food for carbohydrate or proteins means that you can eat the same weight in food and take in less calories. Unfortunately the health food industry has taken advantage of this basic fact and produced many foods that are low in fat but far higher in sugars than traditional home cooked meals ever were.
What to do if you are 100 Pounds Overweight
Most people that want to lose weight only have 20 or 30 pounds to lose. However, as obesity rates continue to rise, more and more people need to lose up to, and often over, 100 pounds of body fat to reach their ideal, healthy weight.
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100 pounds (or 45kg, just over 7 stone) is a huge amount of weight to shift. But it is certainly not impossible. In fact, Anthony Hopkins lost 80 pounds over a 2 year period just by walking and eating a low calorie but healthy diet. Sir Anthony only lost 2/3 of a pound a week, so following his 1800 calorie a day diet could take up to 3 years to lose 100 pounds.
To lose 100 pounds within a 2 year period requires you to average 1 pound a week. This is possible by consuming approximately 500 calories a day less than your daily requirement.
When you are so overweight, losing weight is actually easy, in theory. All you need to do is consume less calories than the average person of your age requires to sustain their current weight. However, as you carry so much excess weight, you should actually lose weight quicker than normal to start with. The secret to successful weight loss is to stick to the plan.
For example, an average 50 year old woman that is sedentary (never exercises, hardly walks) requires around 1800 calories a day. If you are 100 pounds overweight you are probably eating at least double this every day. So the first step is to reduce your diet down to 1800 calories a day, but make sure those 1800 calories are all healthy foods – fresh fruits, vegetables, salads, lean meats, fish and dairy.
As soon as you start doing some moderate exercise, say walking everyday plus some structured exercise 3 times a week, your daily needs increase to 2000 calories. Anthony Hopkins consumed 1800 calories a day, which is certainly not a very restrictive diet.
1500 Calories a Day With Exercise
So if your aim is to lose 1 pound a week until you reach your 100 pound weight loss, then you should eat around 1500 calories a day and exercise on a regular basis.
Your diet should be healthy and balanced. That means you should avoid sugar and saturated fats, and instead eat mostly low GI vegetables, fresh fruits, lean meat, fish and drink mostly water, tea and coffee.
For exercise you should aim to walk for a minimum of 15 minutes every single day. Plus also perform a 30 minute workout 3 times a week, or as you get fitter you can do a shorter but more intensive workout 5-6 times a week. This helps you to maintain a higher metabolism and so burn more fat.
It is important to see your doctor before you start a weight loss plan that will see you losing so much weight. If you have not done any exercise for many years then it is wise to get some professional medical advice. Generally a walking program is suitable for most people that are very overweight.
Structure Your Weight Loss Plan
To lose weight you need to start to structure your life. You need to plan what you are going to eat each day so that you do not end up snacking on junk food when your fridge gets empty. You need to plan each exercise session in advance so that you never put off exercising because you cannot think what to do.
Ideally you should have a list of 5 or so workouts that you enjoy following, whether they be bodyweight exercises, circuit training workouts, weight training workouts or just sessions on the elliptical trainer. This ensures that you can get variety in your new lifestyle and this helps you to stay interested.
If you plan your weight loss well, and understand the role of calorie restriction and exercise in losing weight, then there is no reason why you cannot lose 100 pounds in 2 years. It will not be an easy task, but it will be extremely rewarding, and possibly the best thing you ever do.
2 years may seem like a long time to wait, but this is really the only healthy way to lose 100 pounds, and it will fly by. You will also start to get fit and reduce your risk of many serious illnesses, such as diabetes, heart disease and stroke.
Create An Energy Deficit To Lose Weight
If there is one rule that applies to every single overweight person it is this:
- To lose weight you must create an energy deficit
It is really that simple! Although as we all know, implementing a theory is never as easy as writing it down.
The amount of energy you consume is entirely related to what you eat and drink. So the first step in losing weight is to determine how much you are eating and make a guesstimate at how much you need.
Simply Eating Less Does Not Work
OK, simply eating less will work, but not as effectively as eating less and exercising. When you consistently eat less food than you need you are in an energy deficit and you will lose weight, but your metabolism with slow down, i.e. your resting metabolism rate will reduce.
This means that you will burn less energy throughout the day, which reduces your requirements even more, so you stop losing weight. Then you have to eat even less, and the cycle continues until a point where you are not receiving enough nutrients and vitamins to maintain a healthy body.
By exercising while dieting you keep your metabolism high and you build new muscle tissue which requires energy. By keeping your metabolism high you can more easily adjust your diet slightly to make changes to your daily energy deficit.
How Many Calories Do You Need to Reduce By?
This is a general guide to the amount of calories you need to be in deficit to lose a specific amount of weight:
- If you are in a deficit of 500 calories per day you will lose approximately 1 pound per week
- A calorie deficit of 750 calories will help you lose about 1.5 pounds per week
- A carlorie deficit of 1000 calories will help you lose about 2 pounds per week (about 1 kg weight loss per week)
- To lose 20 pounds in a year you will need to eat 200 calories less per day than you were eating when your weight was stable
- To lose 20 pounds in 1 month you would need to eat 2400 calories less per day. This is why very overweight people who have been eating around 4000 calories per day can lose weight quicker than lighter people, as they can reduce their intake by 2400 calories per day and still eat enough to sustain themselves.
Recommended Weight Loss
It is recommended that you make permanent lifestyle changes that will help you lose weight at a steady rate. Generally it is advisable to aim to lose 1-2 pounds per week (0.5-1kg per week).
Do not forget that there are a lot of calories in alcohol, especially beer. Just a few beers a week can put you over your daily energy requirements and stop you from losing weight. For example, drinking one glass of wine per day is enough to add 14 pounds of weight over a year. One bottle of wine has as many calories as a large meal. So if you are serious about losing weight you need to ensure that you are losing weight every day of the week. This is why diets such as the Dukan Diet are so successful, because they encourage you to give up alcohol completely.
Can You Count Calories? Most People Get It Wrong!
The order in which food is presented to you can determine how many calories that you think it contains. If you are shown a low calorie fruit salad and then a burger you are likely to think that the meal contains more calories than if you see a burger followed by a high calorie cheesecake.
Research published in the Journal of Consumer Research explains that simply changing the order in which 2 meals were shown to a person would significantly alter their perception of how many calories were in that meal.
This discovery could explain why so many people eat too much food and put on weight, especially those that love desserts.
For example, when people were shown a cheeseburger they estimated that it contained 570 calories, whereas when shown a salad first and then a cheeseburger thought that the cheeseburger contained 787 calories. Just by looking at another meal they thought that the cheeseburger contained more energy than it actually did.
“The sequence in which items are considered often influences our evaluations of these items” – Alexander Chernev, Northwestern University.
Just by changing the order in which the meals were viewed changed the perceived calories from 757 to 1,097 calories.
Self Regulation of Consumption
This research suggests that understanding this principal can help people to self regulate their food consumption which should reduce overeating. If you are trying to lose weight then eating main courses and then desserts will probably result in you underestimating how much food you are eating, and you will fail to lose weight.
Diet is the main cause of obesity and weight problems but many people do not realise that this is the case. Also, many people really think that they are not overeating even though their weight problem is clear evidence that they are.
So next time you are shopping or ordering a meal, look at the starters first and then the main meal and think about how many calories they contain. Maybe this will help you to determine how much you should be eating.
This could also explain why people that love desserts are more likely to be overweight. They simply underestimate the amount of food that they are eating.
How To Count Calories – Using Calorie Counters
Counting calories is now easier than ever. Not so long ago the only way to record how many calories you had consumed was to use calorie tables in books and then manually calculate how many calories you had taken in. Today there are many computerized calorie counters. While there are many tools on the Internet, there also seems to be a new smartphone application each week, with tools for iPhone, Android and tablets.
The wonderful thing about modern calorie counters is that all you need to do is input the amount of food you have eaten and the computer will take care of the rest. Some will provide an estimation of nutrient intake too.
iPhone Apps
- MyFitnessPal - claimed to be the easiest app to use on the iPhone to track your diet and fitness. It has a huge database of over a million foods and a user friendly food and exercise log to help you keep track of what you are eating and doing.
- Calorie Tracker – this is a free app which calculates fat, protein and carbohydrate intake as well as calories.
- 40·30·30 – this is a clever app as it will display the proportion of fats, proteins and carbohydrates that you are eating so that you can attempt to stay within the idea zone for each. It supports both scientific and standard values.
Android Apps
- Fast Food Calorie Counter – this specifically records calories from fast food meals.
- Calorie Counter by FatSecret - this app displays full nutritional facts for a huge range of foods and meals.
- Absolute Fitness – a simple user interface provides easy diet logging and management. You can export the data too.
Website Calorie Counters
Many websites have calorie counters on them, these are the ones that we trust the most:
- Everydayhealth.com – a free online calorie counter. You need to set up a journal to start counting.
- Myfoodapedia.gov - just enter the food you eat and it returns nutritional information.
Charts and Tables
If you prefer to look up the foods on a table or in a book, then these are for you;
- Fat and Calorie Counter – National Diabetes Education Program (.pdf) – over 1500 foods listed
- USDA National Nutrient Database (.pdf) – 26 pages of calorie information.
References
“Semantic Anchoring in Sequential Evaluations of Vices and Virtues.” by Alexander Chernev. Journal of Consumer Research: February 2011. A preprint of this article can be found at http://journals.uchicago.edu/jcr.
Thank you. and i really appriciate it. i will do what u said, but is it okay if i check in every week with a representative with email and get encouragement and to be true to what i am starting? thank u again!
Hi Maggie, we currently do not offer one-to-one support, although this is something we hope to do in the future if there is enough demand. For now it is best to update us on progress here. This page is designed to allow people to ask diet related questions, so you could check in here each week: Diet Questions and Answer Forum.
It doesnt show for teens
Hi there,
I eat between 900-1600 calories a day on average, and I’m gaining weight. I’m 23, I weigh 124lbs, and I’m female. I feel like eating 2,000 calories seems like a ridiculous proposition. Is that really what is recommended for an average young woman?!
Hi Cimarron, yes that is the recommended calorie intake for an average woman. If you are a smaller build than average then you may require less. Your weight seems good at the moment, although without knowing how tall you are it is impossible to say for sure. If you are only gaining a little weight then get more active and that should stop that. Counting calories is very hard to do accurately and many people under estimate how many calories they have each day, so it really is likely that you are getting a little more on average than you think – especially if you are gaining weight.
Is it true that metabolism slows down around age 30 for women? I am 31 years old, apple shaped and my height is 4’11. I’m overweight and having the hardest time losing weight. I have been walking and jogging and weight loss is slow.
Hi Denise. Metabolism does slow down as we all age, more so for women. Metabolism is largely governed by total muscle mass, so as people become less active muscle wastage occurs, lowering metabolism. Men have an advantage because they produce testosterone which aids muscle development.
Weight loss is often slow, just focus on getting yourself fitter and stronger. Consider some bodyweight exercises too as these will activate more muscles and increase total muscle mass.
Diet is also very important. Remember that a lower metabolism does not cause you to gain weight – it is continuing to eat the same number of calories after your metabolism has reduced that leads to weight gain. Reducing total calories will help too, and eating the right types of food will help you to manage your appetite.
According to this, since I’m 36, I only need 1800 calories to maintain my weight. So, to lose 2 lbs a week I only need 800 calories per day? I am sedentary due to a physical disability.
That is correct, although consuming such a small amount may leave you malnourished as it could be hard to have a balanced diet on only 800 calories a day. Generally the minimum recommended daily intake is 1200 Calories a day.
Great article. What most interests me is the calories intake for a woman in her 30s. I like the fact that you said diet without exercise won’t help to stave off the weight in the long-run. I tell people this too.
Also, diet without exercise will make you lose skin firmness. Women hate saggy flesh, but this is exactly what they’ll get if they diet and do no exercise whatsoever.
I just wanted a little more accurate count for the calories I need. I am 15, 5’2 and female. I am not very active due to lack of time in the day. How many calories do I need per day? The chart says I need 1750, but I eat less than that and I’m still gaining weight. Thank you!!
Hi Dani, the table is just a guide. Also, what do you mean by “gaining weight”? You are at an age where you are going to be growing and developing fast. Weight gain is natural and expected. However, you really should make the time to exercise. Nobody is too busy to exercise. If Barack Obama can find time, so can you!
OK, I am 34 but cannot decide when I am doing low activity and when high. I have started an fitness class in town, it is 45 minutes of lightish cardio. So do I need 2000 or 2250 calories? I was thinking of just trying to limit to 1500 calories a day but is that too little? Also, what about the other days? I guess I am sedentary on those other days?
That is a fair point Olga, and it is hard to know the difference. I classify light activity as anything that does not lead to sweating and heavy breathing, so walking, gardening, light aerobics, yoga etc. Anything that results in heavy sweating and being out of breath is high activity level.
Mind you, a workout can involve both, so another question is, how long do you need to sweat for before a workout moves from low activity to high? Unfortunately I do not have an answer for that.
Hi I’m a 30 year old female and weigh 10 stone 9 at the moment I am 5ft 8 but am out of shape and have a lot of fat around my belly I need to loose a stone or near to that I have ten weeks to do this please can you advise me how many calories can I eat per day to do this x
Hi Robs, to lose 14 pounds (1 stone) you need to create a calorie deficit of 49,000 Calories (3500 * 14). So over 70 days (10 weeks) that is a daily calorie deficit of 700 Calories.
If you exercise well everyday (high activity) then you will need to consume 2300 Calories a day (3000 Calories – 700 Calories). On low activity days this will drop to 2000 Calories, and on days when you do nothing, 1800 Calories.
Remember, these figures are all averages based on your age only (not your height or current fitness levels) and the assumption that there are 3500 Calories in 1 pound of body fat.
I am 19yrs old girl and of 66kilo weight…
i want to know dat how much calories should have to burn in one day for reducing my weight in one week?? And what all food have to avoid..???
A good target is 500 Calories per day deficit, which is generally split between exercise (a few hundred calories in an hour) and diet. Foods to avoid is all junk food, processed food, candy, soda and ideally all high GI foods.
im using orbitrack and trying to reduce 1000 calories per day…this was started recently…and i want to reduce 5kg per week…is dat possible???
No, it is not possible.
I weigh at around 8 stone 5 and am really trying to lose weight as though it doesn’t sound much my stomach is really showing and I need to lose stomach fat QUICKLY… how is the best way to do this, because when I’m at college I often can’t pick what food is on and sometimes things like fish are all gone when I’m in for lunch!
HELP?
Hi Demi, just start doing more exercise. Join a sports and fitness club at college and exercise a few times a week. Try to make some healthier diet choices whenever you can and cut out as much junk food and soda as possible.
I am a 29 year old male, im 5 foot 4 and I weigh 202 pounds. Ive been working out for two weeks now with weights and cardio. I now eat about 1700 calories a day ( I eat a lot of protein, egg whites, fish, protein bar, chicken etc etc). I work out six days a week. Every other day I do weights (40 minutes) and finish off with 15 minutes on the treadmill. The days in between I do just cardio on the treadmill. I do 30 minutes and burn approx 325 calories jogging at approx 4.0 mph. I feel like im getting enough food..so is this a safe and sufficient amount of calories that Im taking in?
Hi Shawn, it is probably safe yes. It is over a 1000 Calories fewer than what you officially need. If you cannot sustain this for a long time you know that you can increase calories and still be running a deficit. You should be losing weight quickly on this regime.
Hi,
I used to be in great shape and the last four years have been up and down for me, i am at my heaviest again. I enjoy working out, i have a treadmill and weights at my house, plus a member at the ymca. It seems like the minute i take one week off from working out, i am quick to gain 7- 8 pounds in that week alone and i am only 32 years old a female 5’7..I am 30 lbs over weight. I dont understand why i can gain weight so fast, how can i get my metabolism moving again? There has to be some natural way, i am able to run (2- 3) ten minute miles a day, plus lift three days a week. I just don’t understand why i can gain weight so fast and its noticeable and embarrassing for me
Hi Renae, the only real reason why you will gain weight quickly when you stop exercising is because you are eating too much. Maintain the exercise, work on getting fitter, but also reduce your portion sizes and cut back on snacking.
Hi, I’m wondering how to shed my body fat down in the next two weeks so then the two weeks after tht I can build muscle and get lean, I’m not sure how much weight I have to loose, I’m 5’6 128 pounds and a few more weeks until I’m 17. Please help!
Daily cardio and a lean diet. If you exercise for 2 hours a day and eat really lean, no bread etc. all vegetables, fruits, fish, poultry, nuts, eggs etc. then you should lose as much as is possible.
I’ve always been around 20-30 pounds from my ideal weight. I definitely want to reach my goal weight this year. My problem has always been belly fat. I’m really scared that if I just cut back on calories, I’m going to be left with extra flabby skin in the end. Are there any ways I can prevent this from happening? Thank you so much for your help!!
Hi Mae, there is no way to be sure that will not happen. A very healthy diet and regular, daily exercise will help. Exercise will help develop the muscles that tighten the skin. Lots of vegetables, fruits and lean proteins will also be essential.
Just one of my meals alone each day is 3100 calories. I eat all day long. People watch like I’m a side show. So on average I consume way more than the average person in calories. I’m 5’2″ and weigh 121 pounds. Oh by the way if anyone thinks this is great, no it’s not. Very sedintary life style. Any thoughts? Been this way whole life. No thyroid problems ever detected.
how many calories need for any person on a day?
I need and want form you to send me list of all kind vegetables and all kind of food and all kind of dry fruit and dry milk.
Hi P. Flory, strange, but not completely unusual. I trust you have consulted a doctor recently?
Hi Dr. Khan, the average calories requirements are listed on this page. Age, gender and mass affect actual requirements. All kinds of vegetables, fruits and food? That would be a big list!
im 17 stone (238 lbs) and 19 years of age. about 5’6” tall and i’ve recently started dieting and exercise. im eating all low fat healthy things and my average calorie intake is between 500-1000 a day. i was just wondering if this was safe as some friends have warned me that my body will go into ‘starvation mode’ and i’ll actually put weight back on.
Hi Holly, 500-1000 is a very low calorie diet. It cannot give you enough nutrients. Really the you should not drop below 1200 Calories a day. Exercise is vital though – you must exercise every single day.
Hi there..6I am 48 years of age, but am not defined by a number. I am 5’7″ in height, and weigh in at a lovely 164 lbs…Yuck…I use to workout 5 years ago, and weighed 135, I went back to college for four of those years and found I gained a little more each year. As of two weeks I began a modest diet, I tend to not count calories, as I don’t like junk food, and I do not drink alcohol, but love red meat, which I gave up, LOVE my coffee with it’s cream and sugar, but had a few bad days over that when I tossed it out. I have not experienced any hypotension, so I pretty much know my calories are okay….I stationary bike for usually 20 to 25 k a day, for 6 days a week, and alternate with lower and upper body workout every two days. I drink anywhere from 60 to 80 oz of H20 per day…Now for my questions….Is it possible to get my little 135 lb body back and toned with ample amount of time, or am I just kidding myself? Also, my genetics are great, and so is my frame of mind, so when do these radical changes occur? Don’t get me wrong, I’m loving the workout and the bike, and am in it for the long haul, but will I see a difference in a few months on this road I’m on…..This nurse needs her break in the South, on a beach, with a bikini on her person and not in her hands….
Thanking you in advance for your reply
Diane
Hi Diane, sounds to me that you are on the right track. Healthy diet, 20 km a day cycling, resistance exercises – it is just a matter of time. You will get your body back, so long as you stick to the plan. You should be able to lose a pound a week, you may lose more – impossible to say. Just keep working on it!
I am 58 years old, very active,weigh 165 lbs. For 6 weeks I have been taking in 1500-1700 calories daily,have been 45 minute workout with kettlebell (started with 5lbs., now doing 8lbs. The problem is I have not lost any weight,I do feel that I am more firm but am getting tired of getting on the scales and seeing no weight loss. Could it be my age? Is there any hope. I don’t want to give up, do you know anything I might do differently?
Hello, I’m headed to Jamaica in 2 months and recently had a baby id really love to loose 25lbs by then but I’m a little lost with how many calories i should be eating to get to my goal weight of 135. I’m 25 currently weight is approx 160 not really active since I work in an office setting sitting all day is there a certain # of calories I should be eating daily to reach my goal weight in 8 weeks?
Hi Sharon, give it time. It is frustrating when change does not happen immediately, or even after 6 weeks. But you have got fitter and stronger and this is the first step towards losing a few pounds an getting slimmer too. What sort of foods are making up your 1700 Calories? If too much easily digested carbohydrate then you may still be flooding your body with glucose which will keep the fat reserves topped up.
Hi Lauren, to lose 25 pounds in 8 weeks you need to lose over 3 pounds a week which is going to be extremely difficult. The general rule for fat loss is a 500 Calorie deficit leads to 1 pound fat loss per week. So you need to run a daily calorie deficit of 1500 Calories, which is a big task. If you can exercise intensively for 2 hours a day (2 one hour sessions) and burn 1000 Calories with exercise, every single day, and then only consume around 1400 Calories you may be able to do it (i.e. 1900 Calorie requirement, net Calories per day will be 400, so 1400 food – 1000 exercise).
This is only an average and not a guarantee. It also means doing this every day, not just 4 or 5 days a week, but 7 days a week. One day of eating too much will stop weight loss. It is possible, but you have to be totally dedicated and determined.
Hi there. I’m a 23 year old female, approx 170 lbs. I’m eating between 1,300 – 1,600 calories per day (rarely any junk food at all). I work out at the gym for 45 mins, 5 days per week, and do light walking/ gardening at the weekend.
Can I lose approx 40 lbs within 6 months?
Thank you! :-)
Hi Debz, possibly. You may be doing enough to lose 1.5 pounds a week which will allow you to achieve your target. Just monitor your progress. Also ensure that you are getting fitter – each week you should be able to work harder in those 45 minute sessions.
Thanks for your speedy response and great advice. What can I do to lose 2 lbs per week? Less calorie intake or more time working out (or both)?
Thanks again. Your advice really helps. :-)
I have been counting calories on a website here, for the last two weeks, the first week I lost 1.8, now this week I am up about a 1lb. This is so discouraging. I am 51 years old female, struggling with weight all my life. since I turned 40 the weight does just not want to move. I am enrolled in a booty camp for two days a week, and an hour long Zumba class once a week. I walk my dog everyday for up to an hour. I consider myself to be close to highly active. This calorie count recommends around 1300 calories a day, with a weekly reduction of calories by about 10 cal a day, per week. Reading this article, I can eat a great deal more calories, am I not eating enough calories for the amount of exercise? Do you believe that fat turns into muscle therefore you weigh more? I find this hard to believe when a person has 30lbs or more to lose. They must lose lbs also don’t you think. So I am confused as to how many calories I need can you help
Hi Debz, both is best. Exercise for 60 minutes each day and eat fewer calories and you will lose weight.
Hi Linda. Highly active is a little ambiguous, but your daily regime is really not going to be classes as highly active. The best advice is really that you keep a good journal of everything you eat and drink and all the exercise / activities you do. Then monitor progress and if you are not losing weight make changes in your diet and increase exercise.
Hello, im a 16 year old girl and ive pretty much been eating lots and lots of candy, chips, cookies etc since when i was like 8 or 9 and i have never really had a exercise routine. the problem is, i am not overweight and have never been at all, which im happy for. i have never had any health problems either. i am 161 cm and i weigh 56 kg. i do have a little bit of stomach fat, but i guess im not the only teenager with that problem. id like to loose it now to look a bit more fit and feel a little more good looking. i still dont really have a exercise routine but i do run sometimes when i feel like it, i sometimes do pushups, situps or leg exercises as well. simply when i feel like it. now my question is, about how long would it take for me to get in really good shape? with a decent muscle tone and less body fat.. ? i still dont eat perfect but i try to avoid sugary stuff, chips and all that. sometimes i find it really hard to not eat candy, i guess its somethin to do with comfort eating i dont know.. anyway.. do u have any tips to get in a good routine , both for diet and exercise? i think my problem is motivation , thx advance.. / Madde.. btw sorry my english isnt the best, i am from Sweden :)
Hi Madde, it sounds like regular exercise (every day) and a healthier diet will get you in shape pretty quick. With such a bad diet in the past you have done well not to gain too much weight. Exercise will tone you up. Running and some bodyweight exercises is a good combination. I would suggest that you start by alternating these exercises each day and see how that goes. How long? Depends on how much effort you put in. You do not need to lose much weight, just get fitter and healthier. At 16 you really need to improve your diet too, as your body needs good nutrition to develop properly – that means less junk and more vegetables, fruits and lean proteins.
Hello! I had a baby 14 months ago and lost 70 pounds since then. I’m proud of myself, but I still have 20 more that I would like to lose. I’m still seen as obese on the BMI chart, which is also frustrating since I’ve been working so hard. I’ve been eating right and exercising; I’m actually training for a 5k in March right now. I’m frustrated because I can’t seem to lose these last twenty pounds. I’m 5’7, weigh 200 pounds, and I’m large boned. I workout 4-5 times a week (usually 5). How can I lose these last few pounds? Am I eating enough? Two boiled eggs and an apple for breakfast, apple for snack #1, tuna, a salad and carrots for lunch, carrots for snack #2, yogurt snack #3, grilled chucked and veggies for dinner, and yogurt for snack #4. Please help…
Hi Cherie, well done for losing 70 pounds, great effort indeed! So, have you lost any weight in recent weeks and how long have you been on your current diet? How far are you running each day at the moment? Ideally you should be exercising daily for around 45 minutes and also maintain your diet 7 days a week. Are you doing this?
Cherie, I would say that you should stick to one fruit per day and change the carrots to another veggie. Fruit and carrots have sugar, although natural, and can inhibit fat burning. Good luck!
It is not just the type of fruit / vegetable but how it is prepared. Carrots when raw are low GI (low sugar), but when boiled they are high GI. The cooking of many vegetables helps to breakdown the carbs, it is a type of pre-digestion. This means that when you eat them you can digest them quicker, and this leads to a more rapid increase in insulin. This is why raw vegetables can be good at controlling weight. Same goes for pasta – al dente is actually not bad, boil it until soggy (as most people do) and it becomes high GI.
Ok so I am trying to loose weight, but nothing seems to be working for me! Or maybe I am being too impatient? I started eating healthier and exercising Jan 6th this year I weighed 219 at that time, I am 5’10″, female and 33 y/o. I use my fitness pal on my ipod. It says that I should eat 1500 calories a day at times I eat less then that. The first two weeks I lost 13lbs……….but have lost nothing since, so please tell me what I am doing wrong?
Frustrated!
Hi Jami, you have lost 13 pounds in 23 days – sounds like you are doing well. Maintain the diet and keep exercising – increase your workouts too. You will not have the same results each week, but so long as you are getting fitter and eat healthy you will eventually get in shape.
Hi there, I’m just wondering if you have an opinion on the Hot Yoga craze and my diet plan. I enjoy taking the class (an hour/day) because I am aiming to get back my flexibility and range of motion…plus a little focused me time. I’m just unsure of the calorie burning potential as my chosen exercise for the day. I have only been back at this and “on my diet” for a few days. I highly doubt it’s upwards of 900 calories as the Hot Yoga enthusiasts boast, but I do find that my breath becomes heavy and my muscles quiver from lack of strength so I must be burning something. I am 32, 5’8 and currently 143lbs. My goal weight is 130-132 lbs and I am consuming a very calculated 1293 calories/day on the Zone Diet. I would like to achieve my goal weight by mid March. What do you think of this plan? and what about the Hot Yoga?
Thanks for any input!!
I have not actually done hot yoga, or even seen it in action. If the exercises are working your muscles well and you work up a sweat in normal conditions, then it should be sufficient. My wife did Ashtanga for a while and the many sun salutations really helped to burn the fat.
Hi, i am 16 year old male, but a late bloomer . i have never been fat, but in the last few years i have got a little chubby. I am 6 foot one, and weigh 76 kg. recently i have started to only eat between 4:39 pm and 10:00 pm, and in that time eat around 1500 calories. i lost half a stone in the first week, as i used to eat around 5000 calories a day. I have also started to do a 5km run 5 times a week, and do weight training. bench press, situps, bicep curls. i was just wondering how long it will take for me to get to a low enough body fat to see my abs? And start going from a pear shape to a v shape? Please don’t tell me this is unhealthy as i need to have a good body before my summer holiday with my friends. thanks Hugo.
Hi Hugo, hard to say how long it will take, rather than worry about this just focus on getting fitter, getting stronger and eating healthy. Monitor your weight, your muscle growth and your diet so that you can make an informed decision when it is time to change something. 5000 Calories is a lot, so no surprise you put on some weight.