How many calories do we need a day?

The amount of calories a person needs depends primarily on body weight, height and above all the person’s Body Mass Index or BMI. Every individual does not need the exact amount of calorie. However in most cases men generally need more calories than women and heavier people need to control their calorie intake to lose weight. There are several online calorie calculator tools which will give you your exact BMI on the basis of your body weight and height and they will also suggest the calorie breakdown for you.

If you are on a diet then you need to limit your calorie consumption to around 1500 calories a day if you are looking to lose more than 10 pounds. If you start consuming less than 1200 calories a day which is what happens in most fad diets like lemonade diet or cabbage soup diet, then your body will go into starvation mode which is something you don’t want. So don’t go on days living on cabbage or spinach with nothing else to supplement your diet. That will just lead to a slow down of heart and ultimately death. Grown ups and people of a moderate height should most certainly consume 2000 calories a day if not more. People who play sports or have a very hectic schedule need to consume 2500 calories a day and above. You can have up to 2000 calories or more every day and still lose weight if you exercise daily.

You might need to consume 2000 calories a day but you need to make smart food choices. One big Mac meal will add around 800 calories and most of this is harmful since it’s a lot of unsaturated fat and oil. One soda will pop in around 60 harmful calories. If you opt for an apple instead you’re likely to gain 80 calories but it will all be useful since the apple has nourishment your body needs which a can of soda will most certainly not provide. Make it a point to have a meal where the calories come from the right kind of food which involves a healthy mixture of veggies, fruits, meat, fish, sweets and nuts. Nuts have a lot of calorie but if eaten in a very limited quantity it adds a lot of nourishment to your body.

Calories are actually measurements of energy which the body requires to function. The more calories you burn the better it is for your body so that you can work and use up all of that pent up energy to function properly. The key to having a healthy fitness regime is to burn as much as you take in. However this is only applicable for people who are overweight. If you are underweight however then you need to do exercises which will add body weight and consume a lot more calories. So there is no one specific rule for every individual, it varies depending on what is essential for you. Take in the right kind of calories and then work to spend it.