How Many Calories Should I Eat

The number of calories that you should eat depends of your weight, age, height, your activity levels and whether you are trying to lose, maintain or gain weight.

You need balance the calories that you take each day in the diet with the calories that you expend each day.

This calculator estimates the number of calories you should consume each day to maintain, increase, or decrease your weight based upon your gender, height, weight, age, and activity level. This calculator also provides a breakdown of calories and grams required from carbohydrates, fats, and proteins.

How Many Calories Should I Eat I found that according to the US Department of Health and Human Services in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans inside of My Pyramide published by USDA, they recommended the follow number of calories per day that you should eat:

For a person who practices 30 minutes or less of moderate physical activity, the number of calories that they should eat
Children--------2-3 years old 1000 calories
Children--------4-8 years old 1200-1400 calories
Girls-------------9-13 years old 1600 calories
Boys------------9-13 years old 1800 calories
Girls------------14-18 years old 1800 calories
Boys-----------14-18 years old 2200 calories
Females-------19-30 years old 2000 calories
Males----------19-30 years old 2400 calories
Females-------31-50 years old 1800 calories
Males----------31-50 years old 2200 calories
Females-------51+ years old 1600 calories
Males----------51+ years old 2000 calories

For a person who practices 30 minutes to at least 60 minutes or more of moderate physical activity, the number of calories that they should eat:
Children--------2-3 years old 1000-1400 calories
Children--------4-8 years old 1400-1800 calories
Girls-------------9-13 years old 1600-2200 calories
Boys-------------9-13 years old 1800-2600 calories
Girls------------14-18 years old 2000-2400 calories
Boys------------14-18 years old 2400-3200 calories
Females-------19-30 years old 2000-2400 calories
Males----------19-30 years old 2600-3000 calories
Females-------31-50 years old 2000-2200 calories
Males----------31-50 years old 2400-3000 calories
Females-------50+ years old 1800-2200 calories
Males----------50+ years old 2200-2800 calories

How can you meet your daily calorie target? 

One approach is to add up the number of calories per serving of all the foods that you eat, and then plan your menus accordingly.  The nutrition labels on all packaged foods and beverages provide calories per serving information. Make a point of reading the labels of the foods and drinks you use, noting the number of calories and the servingsizes. Many recipes published in cookbooks, newspapers, and magazines provide similar information. Focus on meeting food group needs with nutrient and beverages, and stay within calorie limits.

Some people focus on reducing the fat in their eating plan because, at 9 calories per gram, fat by weight contains more than twice as many calories as carbohydrates or proteins (4 calories per gram). By substituting lean cuts of meat for fatty ones, avoiding high-fat packaged foods and snacks, and refraining from fat-rich products such as butter and partially hydrogenated fats, you can cut out dozens or even hundreds of calories per day. 

The Dietary  USDA Guidelines include recommendations for food groups—vegetables, fruits, grains, dairy, and protein foods— eaten at an appropriate calorie level and in forms with limited amounts of added sugars, saturated fat, and sodium. Science shows that these same core elements of a healthy dietary pattern are consistent across each life stage.

How many calories should I eat to lose weight?

The first thing you need to do for lose weight is determinate the calories that you need a day.

The second is begin cut down the extra calories means change your diet and make exercises for burn these extra calories.

You need cut down 500 calories a day to lose 1 pound a week or 1,000 calories a day to lose 2 pounds a week (1 and 2 pounds a week is considered safe rate to lose weight).

It 's important to understand the connection between the calories your body takes in (through the foods you eat and the beverages you drink) and the calories your body uses (through normal body functions, daily activities, and physical activity).

You need check if you are eating food with the calories that you need per day, you can find this answer in the post how many calories you should I eat? in this site, after you find the exact number of calories that you should eat, if you need 1500 calories per day and you are eating 5000 calories per day, you need burn 3500 calories.

This translate in burns 500 calories a day to lose 1 pound a week or 1,000 calories a day to lose 2 pounds a week , you can cut down the intake of 500 calories a day or burn with exercises this 500 extra calories or just eating 250 calories fewer a day and burn 250 calories with exercises or being more active. (Your doctor can help you determine what kind of exercise program is right for you)change your diet and make exercises for burn these extra calories, you need make physically active, at a moderate intensity at least 30 minutes most days of the week.

Choose the most nutritionally rich foods you can from each food group each day – those packed with vitamins, minerals, fiber, and other nutrients, but lower in calories. Pick foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products more often.

Calorie balance is like a scale. To remain in balance and maintain your body weight, the calories consumed (from foods) must be balanced by the calories used (in normal body functions, daily activities, and physical activity)

Inappropriate dieting can lead to rebound weight gain.Diet that are excessively low in calories are considered dangerous and do not result in healthful weight loss. If you cut to much calories , you will notice a major drop in energy levels and stamina  making it hard just to get trough the day. A more desirable method of weight reduction is one that is moderate in calories and that encourages routine exercise.

Children and young adults should not limit calories below the Recommended Daily Allowance because they require a certain amount of calories for growth and development.

Some Practical

Once you’ve decided on How Many Calories Should I Eat you want to eliminate from your diet, you need to learn how to properly read the nutritional labels found on nearly all
foods. Known in the United States as the Nutrition Facts label, this is a standardized measure designed to help people learn the various amounts of calories, fats, carbohydrates, and other nutritional content in a given serving size. All boxed and bagged food will have this label and some supermarkets will even post labels for their fruits, vegetables, and meats as well.

There are two important things you should notice on a Nutrition Facts label:

The first is the serving size. This tells you exactly how much of the food contains the amounts of nutritional content specified in the label. The serving size can range from anywhere between a small morsel to the entire box.

The other important point to look at is the amount of calories found in each serving. This is the number you will be using for your daily calorie counting. 

Your diet hinges on your ability to read that number, add it to your daily
total, and keep track of exactly how many calories you eat each day. Remember where the number is located, and look for it on everything that you eat.

Advice on How to Lose Weight: How Many Calories Should I Eat

-Exercise. To prevent or minimize any drop in metabolism from eating fewer calories, exercise is your best friend.
-Set realistic goals. Depending on where you start, losing a couple pounds a month is healthy. Twenty one pounds in a month is probably not.
-Eat a healthy. Make sure those meals consist mainly of fruits, vegetables, lean meats, whole grains, and healthy fats.
-Eat proteins that you can find in the fish, nuts, seeds, etc Prefer boiled, grilled, roasted, poached, broiled meat, poultry, or fish instead of frying. Include adequate fiber in your diet. Fiber often makes you feel full without having to eat excess calories.
-Eat calcium, potassium, iron and vitamin A.
-Don't eat too few calories. This can cause your body to go into starvation mode and drop your metabolism way down.
-Limit your sugar water intake. By reducing soda ,you'd be amazed at the number of calories you can cut out of your diet. Limit the salt.
-You should eat lower cholesterol food, low saturated fat and low fat: because too much cholesterol in the blood
-Avoid alcohol, or drink in moderation.