How Many Calories You Should Be Eating For Weight Loss

Calories, those little units of energy you consume, are arguably the most talked-about part

of healthy eating and weight loss. The general rule is that if you take in more calories than you use, you’ll gain weight, if you take in fewer calories than you use, you’ll lose weight, and if those numbers are pretty much the same, you’ll maintain your current weight. In reality, it’s a little more complicated than that. Here, experts explain how to figure out how many calories you should be eating for weight loss, and why that number isn’t necessarily the most important thing to focus on. 

While there are some useful calorie guidelines, they’re not super specific. 

It can seem like determining how many calories you should eat to lose weight is a total guessing game, but there’s hope! Start by getting an idea of your basal metabolic rate (BMR). “The basal metabolic rate is the minimum number of calories your body burns at rest,” Anna Z. Feldman, M.D., an endocrinologist at Joslin Diabetes Center, tells SELF. “This number of calories is required for involuntary functions such as breathing, regulating body temperature, digesting food, and [keeping] your circulation going. Think of this as the bare minimum number of calories you would need to keep your body alive if you were to stay in bed all day.” 

Different experts use slightly different equations to figure out BMR. Feldman’s go-to for women is as follows: 655 + (4.35 x your weight in pounds) + (4.7 x your height in inches) – (4.7 x your age in years). So if you were a 135-pound, 25-year-old, 5-foot-6 woman, your BMR calculation would look like this: 655 + (4.35 x 135) + (4.7 x 66) – (4.7 x 25) = 1,435. 

But other experts use a formula called the Mifflin St. Jeor equation. Here it is, courtesy of Brigitte Zeitlin, R.D., M.P.H., C.D.N., founder of the New York-based BZ Nutrition: (10 x your weight in kilograms) + (6.25 x your height in centimeters) – (5 x your age in years) – 161. Using the same stats as above, your BMR calculation would look like this: (10 x 61) + (6.25 x 168) – (5 x 25) – 161 = 1,374.

As you can see, the results are slightly different, but not by too much. That’s fine, because any BMR calculation you do on your own is just a general guideline, and you shouldn’t stress about pinpointing an exact number. “The actual best way to calculate your BMR is to go into a lab,” Rachele Pojednic, Ph.D., a research fellow at Harvard Medical School and professor at the Harvard Extension School, tells SELF. “They can measure the amount of carbon dioxide you’re expelling and how much oxygen you’re breathing to see how efficiently your body is metabolizing calories,” she explains.

BMR is at the root of the main hard-and-fast rule for safe weight loss: Your calories should never dip below 1,200, according to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. “Most people’s BMR falls above this number, unless they are quite small,” says Feldman. So, in general, most people need more than 1,200 calories per day to keep their various physical systems healthy. What happens if you drop below that number? “When you eat less than 1,200 calories per day, your metabolism can be majorly affected, your muscle mass can start decreasing, and you won’t get the vitamins you need to sustain daily activities,” Jim White, R.D. and spokesman for the Academy, tells SELF. Point is, eating is great for you (not to mention fun), and you shouldn’t cut out too much of it whether you’re trying to lose weight or not. .....

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