When it comes to losing weight and maintaining a healthy physique, math matters. Don’t worry. You won’t need to do the kind of math that left you scratching your head in school. This kind of math has to do with calories, and it only requires some basic calculations. First, you’ll need to determine the number of calories needed per day by your body. Your target caloric intake will depend on your age, gender, activity level, and possibly other health factors, and it will need to be fewer than or equal to the number of calories you burn. Seem complicated? Relax. We can help. Below we’ve listed some basic guidelines to help you determine how many calories you need to burn. Again, these are only guidelines. Be sure to speak to your doctor about your individual needs.
2 Ways to Calculate the Number of Calories Needed
IF YOU WANT TO TO MAINTAIN YOUR CURRENT HEALTHY WEIGHT:
If your goal is simply to maintain a healthy weight, the following are suggested caloric guidelines for adult women based on age and activity level:
Calorie Guidelines for Adult Women
Sedentary (active only through regular daily-living activities)
Age 19-30: 1800-2000 daily calories
Age 31-50: 1800 daily calories
Age 50-65: 1600 daily calories
Moderately Active (activity equal to walking 1.5-3 miles per day at 3-4 miles per hour)
Age 19-30: 2000-2200 daily calories
Age 31-50: 2000 daily calories
Age 50-65: 1800 daily calories
Active (activity equal to walking more than 3 miles per day at 3-4 miles per hour)
Age 19-30: 2400 daily calories
Age 31-50: 2200 daily calories
Age 50-65: 2000 daily calories
IF YOU WANT TO LOSE WEIGHT:
When your goal is to lose weight, you will need to cut back on the number of calories you consume each day. One pound equals about 3500 calories. That means if you want to lose 1 pound in one week, you need 500 fewer calories each day. The most effective way to lower calorie count is with a combination of calorie-burning exercises and proper portions of healthy foods. (NOTE: Women should not go below 1200 calories a day without medical supervision.)
Need to keep tabs on how many calories you’re consuming? Add up your intake with a food journal. Check out The Benefits of Keeping a Food Journal to learn more.
References: http://www.webmd.com/diet/calories-chart
Do we give up if we are over 50?
Janet, Absolutely not!!! 🙂
LOL, Never give up!