In This ArticleView AllIn This ArticleHow to Calculate Your Daily Calorie GoalBreakfastMorning SnackLunchAfternoon SnackDinnerThe Bottom Line
In This ArticleView All
View All
In This Article
How to Calculate Your Daily Calorie Goal
Breakfast
Morning Snack
Lunch
Afternoon Snack
Dinner
The Bottom Line
Photographer: Brie Goldman Food Stylist: Lauren McAnelly Prop Stylist: Addelyn Evans
According to the2020–2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, most adult females require between 1,600 and 2,000 calories, and adult males between 2,000 and 2,400 calories, per day. Consequently, most people will lose weight following a 1,500- to 1,800-calorie diet. If you want to be even more precise abouthow many calories you should eat each day to lose weight, this simple calculation will give you a daily calorie goal that can help you lose a healthy 1 to 2 pounds per week.
Example:
If your current weight is 160 pounds and your goal is to lose 1 pound per week:
160 [lbs.] x 12 = 1,920 [calories]
1,920 [calories] – 500 [calories] = 1,420 calories
However, the best gauge for whether you’re at the right level is how satisfied you feel—you shouldn’t be hungry all day—and whether you’re losing weight. If you’re losing weight on 1,800 calories a day and you feel great, stick with that. This calculation is just a suggested starting point. As you lose weight, you may want to run the calorie-target calculation again since your calorie needs will have changed. You could also talk with your health care provider or a registered dietitian for a more personalized calorie goal.
For healthy weight loss, we don’t advise losing more than 2 pounds per week. If you calculate a daily calorie goal that’s less than 1,200, set your calorie goal at 1,200 calories. Below that, it’s hard to meet your nutrient needs—or to feel satisfied enough to stick with a plan. Additionally, drastic caloric restrictions, less than 1,200 calories, increase your risk of nutritional deficiencies and health complications.
If you’re unsure, start with a 1,500-calorie meal plan—a calorie level at which most people will lose weight in a healthy way. Here, we show what a day’s worth of food looks like on a 1,500-calorie diet. And when you’re ready for more, try our1,500-Calorie Diet Plan for Weight Loss.
For breakfast, choose something between 300 and 350 calories.
Sample Breakfast:
TOTAL: 346 calories
Other Breakfast Ideas:
Apple-Cinnamon Quinoa Bowl
Muesli with Raspberries
Strawberry-Ricotta Waffle Sandwich
Aim tokeep snacks around 100 calories.
Sample Snack:
TOTAL: 95 calories
Aim tomake lunch 350 to 400 calories.
Sample Lunch:
TOTAL: 400 calories
Use your afternoon snack to fill out the rest of the day’s calories.
TOTAL: 145 calories
Aim fordinner to be between 425 and 525 calories.
Sample Dinner:
TOTAL: 514 calories
Daily Total: 1,500 calories, 79 g protein, 91 g carbohydrates, 31 g fiber, 100 g fat, 2,026 mg sodium
Eating for weight lossdoesn’t have to be boring and tasteless—nor should you be constantly hungry. Regardless of what an equation says you should be eating, it’s important to tune into your body and hunger and fullness cues. Avoid seeing weight loss as a means to an end; instead, consider whathealth habitscontribute to weight loss and overall health and gradually make the necessary changes so they become a part of your daily routine.
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