How many calories does one need to eat to lose weight?

Question: I have a simple question for you—how many calories does one need to eat to lose weight?

Answer:  That does sound like a simple question, and I could give you a simple answer, but it might not be all that accurate. It would be easy to say that the average female should take in about 1200-1500 calories to lose weight, and maybe 1800-2100 for males, but that doesn’t mean that these numbers will necessarily work for you!

The ability to lose weight depends on a number of variables, including your resting metabolic rate, your activity level (both general daily activities and exercise), and even the calories you burn while digesting food. These all factor into the expenditure side of the energy balance equation, which then helps to determine the intake side as well.

If you want the best and most accurate calorie estimate, you need to take a personal inventory. Talk to a trainer about getting your resting metabolic rate tested, and then have him/ her determine how many calories you expend each day. This will go a long way to establishing a recommended calorie level for weight loss. Good luck! 

Cliff Gray is the club owner at Anytime Fitness in Richfield. To submit a question for future articles, please contact the author at email@anytimefitness.com. Please like us on Facebook at Anytime Fitness Richfield and follow us on Twitter @AnytimeFitRich.