Weight loss happens when you burn more calories than you take in. Sounds easy, right? Anyone who has tried to lose weight knows it’s more complicated than that. The first place to start is to figure out how many calories you need to eat and how much you burn during a workout.
How many calories someone needs to burn to lose weight healthily varies by person. Working with a dietitian or nutritionist is best to establish a healthy plan for your body’s specific needs. If that’s unavailable, you can learn how to estimate how many calories you need to eat and burn daily to meet your weight goals.
To break down the topic, I consulted Jamie Maitland, renowned fitness instructor, certified holistic nutritionist and founder of The Office Health.
How do calories work?
A calorie is a unit of energy used to express how much energy you exert or consume daily. We need calories; they give the body fuel and the ability to function. However, the calories you intake that are not used are stored as body fat.
According to the USDA, adult females need to consume between 1,600 and 2,200 calories each day. The average male requires between 2,200 and 3,000 calories. However, it’s important to remember these are just guidelines, and while most people fall within these ranges, you may not.
You burn calories just by living. That’s right, just reading this burns calories. So, whenever you clean your house or garden or do things that don’t feel like a workout, you’re burning calories. However, it’s generally not enough to lose weight.
How many calories should you burn to lose weight?
Everyone is different, so you’ll have different calorie goals than someone else. Maitland explained that several factors influence how many calories you need to burn to lose weight. They include your weight, age, gender, hormones and health conditions. Your lifestyle and attitude will also come into play.
“In order to really determine how many calories you need to burn to lose weight, you should realistically ask yourself what your goal weight is, and you are willing to change the way you think in order to achieve those results,” Maitland said.
While calorie needs vary by person, the science behind weight loss is clear: you must be in a calorie deficit. You do this by either reducing the extra calories you’re consuming or burning more than what you’re eating with exercise.
You’ve probably heard of the 3,500-calorie deficit rule, which states that a pound of fat equals 3,500 calories. While this provides a basic framework, Maitland pointed out that it won’t apply to everyone. If you’re unsure where to start, Maitland suggests that you start simply and shave off 500 calories from your normal intake and monitor how you feel.