How Many Calories Should a Woman Eat a Day to Lose Weight?

Today, I’ll be talking about how many calories should a woman eat a day to lose weight and give you the exact numbers so you can follow them.

Should you eat a lot to lose weight, or should you eat less? It all depends on what you’re doing, how many calories you’re currently eating, and how much exercise you’re doing. Let’s go over what to eat to lose weight and things to avoid.

How Many Calories Should a Woman Eat a Day to Lose Weight

This is the question most people ask when they start their weight loss journey. There is no simple answer to this question because it depends on your sex, age, height, muscle mass, and metabolism.

Calories are the amount of energy that we get from food.

1. Men should take between 2000-2500 calories per day to maintain their weight and between 1500-2000 calories per day to lose weight.
2. If you are a woman, you should take between 1800-2200 calories to maintain your weight and between 1200-1800 calories per day if you want to lose weight.

What’s more important than the number of calories you consume is the type of food you eat. You should eat healthy food instead of junk or processed food, like chips, cakes or cookies, etc…

If you’re looking to lose weight, it’s recommended that you consume fewer calories than this daily calorie intake recommendation. You can choose low-calorie foods or cut down on portion sizes. And exercise can help increase your energy expenditure and make it easier to achieve your daily calorie goals.*

Here’s an easy way to find out how many calories in a pound of body fat are: By simply multiplying your current weight by 10, you can discover how many calories in a pound of body fat are.

If you are 120 lbs and have 40 lbs of fat, you would like to reduce to 20 lbs of fat, then 50 times your current weight is 50000 (don’t worry too much about the exact number). So it will take you ten times as many gross calories to lose this amount of calories. If you have a smaller amount of body fat vs more, the same goes.

How much is One Pound?

The weight of an object depends on its density. If you have a kilogram (kg) of feathers and a kilogram of lead, they are not equal. To find out how much something weighs in pounds, you need to know how many kilograms it is and then look up the weight of a kilogram in pounds.

• One Pound equals 454 grams.
• Or about 0.45 kilograms.

You Can’t Keep Track of Every Single Thing You Eat.

You can’t keep track of everything you eat, so it’s a good idea to keep track of the main food groups. This way, you won’t get any nasty surprises on your scales.

The main food groups are:

1. Carbohydrates
2. Protein
3. Fats

Carbohydrates include bread, rice, pasta, and cereals. They provide your body with energy and are a significant source of vitamins and minerals. Protein is found in fish, meat, poultry, and dairy products. It gives your body all the essential amino acids to build new cells and tissues. 

Fats can be found in margarine, butter, and foods containing oil. They provide your body with energy and help protect vital organs like your heart.

There are two main types of fats: 

• saturated fat 
• unsaturated fat

Saturated fat is found in pork, beef, and some dairy products like cream and cheese. It has been linked to an increased risk of developing heart disease so try to limit the amount of saturated fat you eat to around 5% of your total daily calorie intake. 

Unsaturated fat is found in fish, nuts and seeds, and some vegetable oils. It helps lower cholesterol levels, so it’s good for your heart!

Proteins are the building blocks of your body — they form muscles, organs, and bones. They also provide your body with energy in adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Protein sources include meat, fish, eggs, dairy products, and legumes such as beans or lentils.

One Thing That’s For Sure—Don’t Skip Meals.

One thing that’s for sure—doesn’t skip meals. If you do, your body will go into starvation mode and break down muscle protein to convert it into glucose. That’s fine if you’re a 120-lb. marathon runner, but if you’re more like 200 lbs., muscle loss is not what you’re looking for in your quest to lose weight!

Other things can happen when you don’t eat:

• You will be tired and lethargic because your brain uses glucose for energy. You might feel sleepy;
• Blood pressure and heart rate will increase because the body is working overtime to get the job done;
• You will have a hard time concentrating and focusing on the task at hand;
• The immune system won’t be as strong, making you more susceptible to illness.

For all of these reasons, keep healthy snacks with you throughout the day to never find yourself in a situation where hunger strikes and there’s no way of getting food.

How Many Calories Should I Eat a Day by Age

How many calories I should eat a day varies by age and gender. It depends on energy expenditure, weight loss goals, and whether you are pregnant or breastfeeding. Here is the general guideline for calculating calorie needs for men and women.

How Many Calories Should I Eat?

Here is a general guideline for how many calories a person should eat each day based on gender and age:

Age (years) Recommended Calories per Day

• 1 – 3 / 1,000 – 1,400
• 4 – 8 / 1,400 – 2,000
• 9 – 13 / 2,000 – 2,800
• 14 – 18 / 2,800 – 3,200
• 19 – 30 / 3,200 – 4,000
• 31-50+ / 4,000

Based on these guidelines, you can see that even if you are very active in your older years (jogging for an hour every day), you need fewer calories than when you were younger. And remember that these numbers are only estimates based on averages for each gender. If you want to lose weight, it’s best to talk with your doctor about your specific calorie needs.

How Many Calories Should I Burn a Day Exercising?

The number of calories you burn doing an activity depends on how much energy your body uses to perform that activity. The harder your body works, the more power it uses. However, there’s no easy way to know how many calories you burned doing an activity unless you wear a unique piece of exercise equipment that measures the number of calories you burn while you’re doing the activity.

Are you trying to lose weight? It would help if you used up more calories than you take in each day. If you’re trying to maintain your weight, the equation is simple: You need to consume the same number of calories you burn each day. You’re trying to gain weight, you need to consume more calories than you burn each day.

If your goal is to burn 2,000 calories a day, here are a few ways to do it:

• 1 hour of jogging burns 544 calories.
• 2 hours of household cleaning burns 200 calories.
• 1 hour of yard work burns 498 calories.
• 2 hours of dancing burns 496 calories.
• 1 hour of bowling burns 664 calories.
• 3 hours of walking burns 497 calories.
• 30 minutes of swimming laps (slow) burns 519 calories

What’s The Best Exercise to Lose Weight?

Keeping track of your weight loss is one of the best ways to stay motivated. Use this guide to find a workout routine that fits your needs, schedule, and fitness level.

The best exercise to lose weight depends on what you want to achieve. Workouts are divided into aerobic, strength training, and stretching/core work.

Aerobic Exercise

Aerobic exercises are great for burning calories, but they can get boring fast if you don’t mix things up. Strength training builds muscle and increases your resting metabolic rate — the number of calories you burn at rest. This means you burn more calories even when you’re not exercising. Stretching and core exercises help improve flexibility and strengthen your muscles for safe lifting during strength workouts.

Walking, jogging, or running

Newbies should start with walking or jogging as a way to burn calories without bulking up too much. Experienced exercisers can try interval training in which you alternate between high-intensity bursts of activity (sprints, for example) with lower-intensity exercise (walking).

If you have joint problems or other health concerns, check with your doctor before starting any new exercise routine. If you’re still unsure what kind of workout will be best for your needs, consult a personal trainer or fitness coach.

Final Words – How Many Calories Should a Woman Eat a Day to Lose Weight

The recommended daily calorie intake for women is 2,000 calories. The Department of Health and Human Services advises that women consume at least 1,000 calories per day. Men, on the other hand, should eat around 1,500 calories a day. The amount of calories you eat should be adjusted according to your body’s needs, but you shouldn’t eat more than you need.