How Many Calories Per Day to Lose Weight Fast?

If you want to lose weight quickly you need to both diet and exercise. It is important to eat the right amount of calories per day to optimize your weight loss. Once you start eating your ideal caloric intake, you will start to see some great weight loss results. Before going on any diet--especially if you have a lot to lose--you need to check with your physician to make sure you are healthy enough to begin such a program.

Recommended Weight Loss

While everyone wants to lose weight quickly, it's best to lose weight at a rate of no more than two pounds per week. Most people will experience a larger drop at first while their body is adjusting to healthier eating and losing some water weight.

It is best to lose weight using a combination of diet and exercise. One pound of fat is equal to 3,500 calories. To lose one pound a week, you'll need to create a caloric deficit of 500 calories per day. This means that you either cut out 500 calories from your diet or burn 500 calories with exercise, or some combination of the two. If you want to lose two pounds a week you need a caloric deficit of 1,000 calories per day.

Minimum Recommended Calories

The number of calories you should consume to lose weight depends on several things: your activity level (either from your daily activities or actual exercise), your age, your sex and your current weight. Men generally need more calories than women and older people need fewer calories than younger ones. Heavier people burn more calories for the same activities than those who weigh less.

The minimum amount of calories anyone should consume is roughly 1,500. If you eat less than that you risk putting your body into a starvation mode, which actually hampers your weight-loss efforts. You also risk gaining weight rapidly once you resume eating a normal amount of calories.

To determine your specific caloric needs, use a calorie calculator like the one at www.ahealthyme.com/topic/calneed. The calorie calculator will tell you based on your determining factors how many calories you need to maintain your current weight. It also can help you calculate the number of calories to consume for specific weight-loss goals.

When planning your diet, be sure to give yourself enough calories to allow room for an occasional small splurge. If you are too strict on your calories each day with no room for any rewards there is little chance that you'll stick with your weight-loss plan.

The best way to succeed with weight loss is to make and maintain small changes. Continue making small changes and over time you will have a healthier lifestyle.