How many calories a day to lose weight?

There are numerous different diets that all claim to have discovered the miracle formula for your dream weight. However, these approaches, which advertise rapid weight loss, are mostly very one-sided and not suitable as a permanent diet. Thanks to the yo-yo effect, the lost kilos are quickly back on your ribs after the diet - this is frustrating and not healthy.

Many people still believe that losing weight simply means eating less and exercising more. Although Exercise and a healthy diet are important, it is also necessary to consume the right amount of calories to achieve a calorie deficit. We'll tell you, how many calories you should consume dailyto achieve a healthy and sustainable weight loss to achieve healthy and sustainable weight loss.

What exactly are calories?

Calories are a unit of measurement for energythat we take in through our food in the form of carbohydrates, fat and protein and that our body burns every day. This energy is created because the nutrients in our food are broken down in the digestive tract. and utilized.

Healthy weight loss with a calorie deficit

There are basically two ways to achieve a calorie deficit:

• You can reduce your calorie consumption through exercise and sport increase.
• You can increase your calorie intake through conscious nutrition lower.

This means that if you consume more calories than you burn, you will gain weight. If, on the other hand, you eat fewer calories, you can lose weight. A calorie deficit is therefore required to lose weight. But when do you reach the deficit, how many calories are too many and how many are too few?

Calculating calorie requirements: Basal metabolic rate & power metabolic rate

To find out how you can maintain your weight and what you can eat to lose weight, you need to Your personal calorie requirement to find out. On average, you need Women need about 1,800 calories per day and men about 2,300 calories. However, only very few people correspond to the average. Because every body is different. For this reason, the daily calorie requirement should always be considered individually. and is made up as follows:

• Basal metabolic rate: The basal metabolic rate represents the energy required by the body in a state of absolute rest. It therefore describes the minimum number of calories that the body needs to maintain all life-sustaining functions such as breathing or digestion. The basal metabolic rate depends primarily on gender, age, height and physique. Women therefore generally have a lower basal metabolic rate than men.
• Power metabolic rate: The power metabolic rate describes the energy that the body burns during physical activity. This includes everyday activities such as talking, walking or working, but also sporting activities. The energy expenditure is expressed in PAL (physical activity level).

On particularly active days, your daily requirement will naturally be significantly higher than on days when you are predominantly sedentary. You can find more information on calorie requirements, basal metabolic rate and energy expenditure and how to calculate them in the following blog post >> Calculating basal metabolic rate and calorie requirements << And here you can find our free BMI calculator.

Age and gender-dependent calorie requirements

The energy requirements of a person is subject to change over the course of a person's life. During childhood, adolescence, pregnancy and breastfeeding, the body requires additional energy for growth and development. With age, however, the energy requirement decreases as the metabolism slows down and muscle mass decreases. This can lead to weight gain, although eating habits remain unchanged. Gender-specific differencesdue to the different body compositions of men and women also influence the daily calorie requirement. In general, men need more calories due to their higher proportion of muscle mass and their higher metabolism more calories than women.

Here you can find our clear table for the daily energy intake of men and women in different age groups. These values are intended as a guide for people with a predominantly sedentary lifestyle. With physical activity, the calorie requirement naturally increases accordingly.

Age	Men	Women
15 to 19 years	10,460 kJ/2,500 kcal	8,370 kJ/2,000 kcal
19 to 25 years	10,460 kJ/2,500 kcal	7,950 kJ/1,900 kcal
25 to 51 years	10,040 kJ/2,400 kcal	7,950 kJ/1,900 kcal
51 to 65 years	9,200 kJ/2,200 kcal	7,530 kJ/1,800 kcal
65 years and older	8,370 kJ/2,000 kcal	6,700 kJ/1,600 kcal

 

Here you can find a overview of the daily calorie requirements of men and women depending on their activity level. Attention: These values are only average reference values and do not take into account factors such as height, age or body composition.

Activity per day	Men	Women
< 30 minutes	2100-2500 kcal	1800-2000 kcal
30 to 60 minutes	2500-2700 kcal	2000-2200 kcal
> 60 minutes	3000-3500 kcal	2400-2800 kcal

 

How many calories a day to lose weight healthily?

Would you like to lose weight quicklyyou need to aim for a correspondingly higher calorie deficit. To lose weight in one week lose one kilogram of body weight in one weekin one week, you must save about 7,000kcal. Would you like to lose weight healthily and maintain your feel-good weight in the long term, you should only cut back by around 500kcal a day. This will allow you to lose about 0.5 kg per week without overtaxing your metabolism.

Much more important than the amount of calories, however, is the the right composition of your diet. You should definitely pay attention to this, cover your protein requirement of at least 1g protein/kg body weight every dayto avoid cravings and the notorious yo-yo effect. You should also always enough vegetables on the diet plan to provide your body with all necessary vitamins vitamins. High quality fats such as linseed oil, olive oil and algae oil round off your diet and provide you with valuable nutrients.

To give you the To make it easier for you to change your dietwe recommend our 3, 5 or 7 days juice cleanse. If you want to lose weight in a targeted and healthy way, you can also choose our food cleanse program. You'll be fully supported and won't have to spend time searching for recipes and shopping. Our Low carb and high protein dishes, snacks and shakes are the perfect basis for long-term weight loss. Our vegan bowls you can even permanently into your everyday life.

Tips & tricks for saving calories: Portion sizes, calorie counting and co. 

• Pay attention to portion sizes: Excessively large portions quickly lead to a high calorie intake. Use smaller plates and bowls to automatically reduce portion sizes. 
• Drink more water: Water is low in calories and fills you up. Drink a large glass of water before meals and you will automatically eat less. Replace sugary drinks such as soft drinks with water. 
• Combine wisely: For main meals, combine a portion of protein-rich foods such as lean meat, fish or pulses with larger quantities of low-calorie side dishes such as vegetables or salad. This will keep you feeling full for longer. 
• Watch out for hidden calories: Sauces, dressings and ready meals can contain lots of hidden calories. Use them sparingly or choose lower-calorie alternatives. 
• Snack healthily: Instead of reaching for potato chips, cookies or sweets, keep healthy snacks such as fruit, nuts or vegetable sticks. They fill you up and provide important nutrients. 
• Exercise is important: Regular exercise helps to burn calories and increase the basal metabolic rate. Even small activities in everyday life add up. 
• Keep a food log: Note down what and how much you eat and drink. This will make you more aware of your calorie intake and make it easier to recognize weak points. Although calorie counting should not be a permanent solution, it can certainly help you to develop a better understanding of your own diet. 

With a little creativity and discipline, you can reduce your daily calorie intake without too much effort. 

Frequently asked questions about how many calories a day to lose weight:

How do I know how many calories are in foods and drinks? 

If you have the determine the calories in food and drinks there are various ways to do this. In supermarkets you will find the nutritional information on the packaging, including the calories it contains contained. However, when eating in cafés, restaurants or if you cook with many different ingredients yourself, it can be more difficult to determine the exact amount of calories. In such cases, it helps to have some basic rules of thumb: 

• Foods high in fat and sugar tend to contain the highest amount of calories. 
• Protein and carbohydrate-rich foods provide a moderate calorie intake. 
• Fruit, vegetables, pulses and high-fiber foods generally contain only small amounts of calories. 

Using these guidelines, you can better estimate the approximate amount of calories if no exact nutritional information is available. 

How many kcal can I eat if I want to lose weight?

If you want to lose weight, you must eat fewer calories through a healthy dietthan you consume or burn more calories through sport and fitnessthan you consume. The combination of both usually makes the difference. The optimal amount of calories to lose weight in a healthy way is usually somewhere between your basal metabolic rate and your calorie needs. A calorie deficit of around 500kcal is often a good guideline.

Is 1200kcal a day too little?

If you want to lose weight, 1200kcal per day is very good to achieve a a sufficient calorie deficit but your your body with all the important nutrients. For this reason, you also take LiveFresh food cleanse you consume about this amount of calories per day. So you can lose weight effectivelywithout having to go hungry all day.

How many kcal do I consume per day without exercise?

There is no general answer to this question. Various individual factors play a role here. However, you can roughly calculate your calorie requirement for a day without exercise. All you need is your basal metabolic rate and multiply this by a low power metabolic rate of 1.4 for office work, for example.

How can I lose 1 kilo in a week?

With the LiveFresh food cleanse you take daily about 1200kcal a day. So you can save up to 7000kcal per week and your weight reduce your weight by up to 3.2kg. For men with an average energy requirement of 2300 calories per day (reference value), the 7-day diet corresponds to a daily saving of up to 1100kcal and a reduction of up to 1.1kg of fat in one week. Women with an average energy requirement of 1800 calories per day (reference value) can save up to 600kcal per day and Lose 0.6kg of fat in one week.