How many calories to lose weight
To put it simply, women need less than 2000 calories a day coming with food and drinks in order to lose weight.
It is down to simple math: in order to lose weight your calories intake should be less than your daily calories burn out. If you eat less calories than your body needs to maintain current weight, you will start losing kilos. Adding frequent exercise will speed up this process, as you will be burning more calories and your calories deficit and weight loss would be bigger and faster.
Weight Loss Formula: Daily Calories Needs > Daily Calories Intake + Calories Burnt Additionally through Exercises
However, daily calories vary depending on gender, age and physical activity. Other factors contributing to it are metabolic rate, weight and height of a person.
Understanding Daily Calories and Weight
How do we gain weight? Lack of physical activity, sitting jobs, using a car instead of walking and of course, bad diet habits.
When we consume more calories than we use, our bodies store extra calories in a form of body fat. Calories consumption includes not only the food we eat but also the drinks. If extra calories consumption continues, with time we end up putting on those unwanted extra kilos.
If you aim to lose weight, it is very important to monitor the amount of calories you eat and drink daily. You need to create a calorie deficit in order to lose weight. It does take time though. You should monitor your weight once a week in the morning before you take breakfast and keep a record of readings.
Many people eat healthy but exceed calories with drinks. It can be high-sugar soft drinks, coffees and teas with extra sugary top ups, alcohol – to name a few. High-saturated fat foods and processed carbs have low nutritional value and are a fast way to put on weight.
Maintaining healthy weight and physically active lifestyle are long term investments in a long healthy life. People with healthy weight are less prone to multiple diseases, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, – to name just a few of them.
Healthy weight also has a psychological positive effect. Slim people feel more confident and energetic.
Women Daily Calories Depending on Age and Activity
| Moderately Active, Age 25-50 | 1500 daily calories to lose 1 kg in 2 weeks |
| Active (exercises 3-5 times a week, or daily long walks), Age 25-50 | 1700 daily calories to lose 1 kg in 2 weeks |
| Active, Age 50+ | 1600 daily calories to lose 1kg in 2 weeks |
| Active, Age 20-24 | 1900 daily calories to lose 1 kg in 2 weeks |
Remember that you can increase your calorie deficit by doing regular physical exercises.
Ranges above do not apply to pregnant and breastfeeding women as they require more daily calories.
Also important to note, that once you start a diet, you can see fast weight loss in the first week or during the first few days then it usually slows down. It happens because first we lose excess amounts of water. You can see your face slimmer and sometimes your belly smaller. But don’t get discouraged if in the second week you lose less kilos, its normal.
Also you can come across some weeks when the weight remains stable. Its also normal. You can add some extra exercises and be patient, often the body just needs some time to adjust to the changes and after the weight loss process continues.
Tips Helping to Lose Weight
- Create a support group with friends and family members. You can pair up with a friend on a weight loss journey. Doing exercises together and sharing diet recipes ideas is not only fun but also motivating.
- Sleep routine. Try to sleep 7-8 hours and go to bed at the same time preferably before 22.00-23.00. Studies show that we get better rest and recharge our energy if we sleep well before midnight.
- Reward yourself for each milestone. If you lose 5 kilos, buy something nice to celebrate this achievement.