How Many Calories Should I Eat to Lose Weight Quickly?

There are no shortcuts to losing weight. The simple, and most effective, way to do that is by balancing the amount of energy you consume with the amount you expend.

You should base your calorie intake on your basal metabolic rate (BMR), which is the amount of energy you need to stay alive and breathe. Your BMR varies depending on factors such as age, gender, weight, height, and activity level. So what's the right number for each? We'll explain below.

How Much Should You Eat to Lose Weight Quickly?

It's not just about calories

Weight loss is not just about calories. Calories are not the only thing that matters. Your protein, carbohydrate, and fat intake matters too. Other factors like exercise, stress, and sleep also come into play when it comes to weight loss.

Calorie counting is not the only way to lose weight. This is a common misconception of many people who want to lose weight quickly. Calories are important for maintaining a healthy lifestyle. but it’s important that you understand which foods contain more than others.

That can help you can make good choices when it comes time to eat at home or out with friends. A balanced diet with a few extra calories consisting of essential macronutrients is bound to get you further than a restrictive and miserly diet.

Basics of Energy Balance

The first step is to get a good idea of how many calories you should be eating. To do that, you need to understand the basics of energy balance. There are three main components that determine whether you will gain or lose weight:

• Energy intake (i.e., the number of calories consumed)

• Energy expenditure (i.e., the number of calories burned)

• Physical activity level (PAL)

Energy Balance and Weight

Whether you're looking to lose weight or maintain your current weight, it's important to understand how energy balance works. The relationship between the calories you eat and the ones you burn determines whether your weight will increase or decrease.

If you eat more than you burn, your body will store those excess calories as fat. You may also gain muscle through resistance training if your calorie intake is high enough, provided you're consuming adequate amounts of protein (1 gram per pound of bodyweight is great for building muscle.)
If you consume fewer than 2,000 calories per day (the amount recommended by most health organizations), that could lead to a drop in metabolic rate — the rate at which your body burns fuel — and loss of lean muscle mass over time.
That can have negative consequences for your health and longevity, as lean muscle burns more calories than fat tissue does at rest. In addition, eating too little can impact how well nutrients from food are absorbed into the bloodstream.

You can optimize both factors by maintaining an ideal weight for optimal health and longevity while still enjoying delicious foods in moderation.

How Many Calories Do You Need?

It begs the aching question — how many calories do you need?

Your basal metabolic rate (BMR) is the number of calories the body needs to perform basic, maintenance functions. The best way to calculate BMR is by using the Harris-Benedict equation:

Men: 66.5 + 13.75 x weight in pounds + 5 x height in inches – 6.76 x age

Women: 655 + 9.5 x weight in pounds + 1.85 x height in inches – 4.68 x age

How Much Can You Reduce Your Calorie Intake?

The best way to lose weight is to eat fewer calories. A simple formula for losing weight is reducing your calorie intake by 500 calories per day. That might not sound like much, but it's equivalent to jogging about one mile every day or doing an hour of yoga.

You can calculate how many calories you should eat based on your age and activity level using an online calculator If you're consuming 2,000 calories a day now, reducing your intake by 500 will cause you to lose one pound every week (assuming that no other changes are made).

Losing Weight the Right Way

Weight loss is more than just starving yourself. Try and diversify your diet as much as possible, as that will keep you interested longer, helping you stick to your diet.

Eat a variety of foods. It's essential to eat a well-balanced diet when trying to lose weight. That means you eat more than one type of food, including fruits and vegetables.
Eat healthy fats. Eating fat doesn't always make you fat, but eating too much processed sugar can lead to health problems, like diabetes and heart disease. Good sources of healthy fats include avocados, nuts, olive oil, and fatty fish, such as salmon or mackerel.
Eat whole grains instead of refined grains (such as white bread). Whole grains are higher in fiber than refined grains so that they keep you fuller longer which will help with weight loss efforts, as you won't be tempted by sugary snacks between meals as much if they fill your stomach better.
Avoid processed foods at all costs - these are generally loaded with chemicals that the body doesn't need. If possible, try making most things from scratch using fresh ingredients instead - less chance for mistakes here.

Takeaway

We hope this article has helped you understand the basics of energy balance and weight loss. It's important to note that there are many other factors that can affect how much weight you lose when eating fewer calories than usual (e.g., genetics, and activity level).

Nevertheless, if you're looking to lose weight quickly and safely, it's a good idea to track your caloric intake so that you know how many calories the body requires each day (and any days where you want to reduce calorie intake).

Edited by Bhargav