These are the estimated amounts of calories needed per day to maintain calorie balance for various age groups and gender at three different levels of physical activity – sedentary, moderately active, and active. read more »
A calorie is a calorie whether it comes from fat or carbohydrates. It doesn’t matter what types of foods the calories come from when you are trying to manage your weight.
If you eat anything in excess over your daily calories allowed, it can lead to weight gain if you don’t burn off the excess calories you consumed. To lose weight, you must eat less calories and increase your physical activity. Reducing the amount of fat and saturated fat that you eat is an easy way to limit your overall calorie intake.
A Calorie is the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of a liter of water 1 degree. One pound of body fat contains approximately 3,500 calories. It takes approximately 3,500 calories below your calorie needs to lose a pound of body fat, and it takes approximately 3,500 calories above your calorie needs to gain a pound.
Eating fat free or reduced fat foods doesn’t always result in weight loss if you eat more of the reduced fat food than you would of the regular version. An example is if you eat twice as many fat free cookies, you have actually increased your overall calorie intake for the day.
Be aware that some fat free or reduced fat varieties of foods have just about the same calories as the regular food versions, so the calories can add up quickly if you eat too much. Usually fat free or reduced fat varieties of foods will have extra sugar, flour, or starch thickeners to make them taste better. Below are a few examples:
Check Food Labels
Read and compare food labels on regular, reduced fat, and fat free products. Choose products that are lower in calories and saturated fat per serving.
Just because a product is fat free, it doesn’t mean that it is calorie free, and as we all know… every calorie counts!!
Because there are many factors that affect how everyone’s body uses calories, the chart below is “approximately” how many calories a person needs each day. These calorie estimates are guidelines only, especially for children and adolescents.
Sedentary Lifestyle
Examples of a sedentary lifestyle are:
Moderately Active Lifestyle
Examples of a moderately active lifestyle are:
Active Lifestyle
Examples of an active lifestyle are:
Physical activity is an important part of your weight management program. Exercise has a benefit of reducing risks of cardiovascular disease and diabetes, beyond that produced by weight reduction alone.
Most weight loss occurs because of decreased calorie intake. Sustained physical activity is most helpful in the prevention of weight regain.
Start exercising slowly, and gradually increase the intensity. Trying too hard at first can lead to injury.
Note:
Calories burned per hour are approximate because a heavier person burns more calories, and a person who weighs less burns fewer calories.
Eat More… Weigh Less!! 
One way to lose weight is to replace some higher calorie foods with foods that are lower in calories and fat, and will also fill you up. A safe and healthy way to do this is to use more fruits and vegetables, along with whole grains, fiber foods, lean meats, nuts, and beans in your diet.
Example photos above:
607 calorie photo:
293 calorie photo:
1. Eat Fiber Foods
Eat breakfast fiber foods in the morning to help control afternoon cravings.
Examples:
2. Eat Anti-inflammatory Foods
Eat and drink anti-inflammatory foods to help counteract the effects of obesity. Examples:
3. Eat Whole Grains
Examples:
4. Eat Protein
Examples:
5. Eat Fruits and Vegetables
Fruits and vegetables are part of a well-balanced and healthy eating plan.
Examples:
6. Eat Healthy Fats
Monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats – Eat a little healthy fat before your meal, like one handful of nuts, to allow the satiety signal to go from your brain to your stomach, so you don’t overeat during your meal.
7. Drink Water
Staying hydrated is important, and remember to drink a glass or two of water before you eat. Your perception of hunger signals may actually be thirst signals.
A healthy eating plan is one that:
Are you “drinking” a lot of unnecessary calories every day? Calories from drinks can really add up!! Here is an example for 1 day:
Sally Doesn’t Think About What She Drinks:
Morning - 16 oz. medium cafe latte made with whole milk – 265 calories
Lunchtime - 20 oz. bottle of nondiet cola – 227 calories
Afternoon Break - 16 oz. sweetened lemon iced tea from the vending machine – 180 calories
Dinnertime - 12 oz. nondiet ginger ale – 124 calories
Total: 796 Calories!!
Sally Rethinks About What She Drinks:
Morning - 12 oz. small cafe latte made with fat-free milk – 125 calories
Lunchtime - Bottle of water or diet soda – 0 calories
Afternoon Break - Sparkling water with natural lemon flavor (not sweetened) – 0 calories
Dinnertime - Water with a slice of lemon or lime – 0 calories or seltzer water with 2 ounces of 100% orange juice – about 30 calories
Total: About 125 to 155 calories!!
Thats about 641 to 671 calories cut from Sally’s daily calorie intake for 1 day. Way to go, Sally!!
Some High Calorie Alcoholic Beverage Drinks:
Beer
Distilled 80 proof
Wine
Cocktails
Some High Calorie Non Alcoholic Beverage Drinks:
Myth: Eating after 8 p.m. causes weight gain.
If you eat late at night, will the calories automatically turn into body fat?
The fact is… the time of day isn’t what affects how your body uses calories. It’s the overall number of calories you eat, how much physical activity you do, and the calories you burn over the course of 24 hours that determines whether you gain, lose, or maintain your weight. No matter when you eat, your body will store extra calories as fat if you’ve eaten too much.
If you want or need to have a snack before bedtime, think first about how many calories you have already eaten for the day. Avoid snacking in front of the TV at night, it may be easier to overeat when you are distracted by the television.
One pound of body fat contains approximately 3,500 calories.
For you to lose one pound a week, you need to consume approximately 3,500 fewer calories for that week. You can do this by reducing your daily intake by 500 calories per day – 500 x 7 days = a deficit of 3,500 calories per week.
This may seem impossible to you, but remember that physical activity also contributes to weight loss. The deficit of 500 calories per day can come from a combination of increased physical activity and a reduced intake of food on a daily basis.
Eating fruits and vegetables provides many benefits. One benefit is calorie control.
Many fruits, vegetables, and legumes (beans, peas, or lentils) are low in calories, high in volume, and are packed with fiber, vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients that can help you feel full without eating too many calories.
Different vegetables are rich in different nutrients, so aim for a variety of vegetables throughout the week, including those that are dark green and leafy, orange, and starchy. And don’t forget to include dry beans and peas.
Adding fruits, vegetables, and legumes to your diet can help you get the most nutrition out of the daily number of calories you’re supposed to eat.
The foods below can pack more calories into each bite. Choose them less often… or not at all.