you know how they say to only have a certain amount of calories a day when trying to lose weight well.....?

Question

so really how many calories should i be having an entire day to burn fat and how many meals a day?

Answer 1

There are two ways to calculate the number of calories you need to eat per day to burn fat and lose weight.

The first is the "quick and dirty" estimate to determine how many calories you need per day to lose 1 pound per week.

Take you weight (for example, 160 pounds) and multiply by a energy estimate. If you exercise 1 to 2 hours per week, then multiply your weight by 13.

160 x 13 = 2080 calories per day

This would be the estimate for the number of calories you would need per day to maintain your current weight.

One pound of fat equals 3500 calories, so to burn 1 pound of fat each week, you need to subtract 500 calories from 2080.

2080 - 500 = 1580 calories

Of course this is only an estimate. If you find that you are losing weight too fast (more than a pound or two per week), then you should eat a little more. If you are losing less than a pound per week, you can eat a little less, or exercise a little more.

A more exact way to determine the number of calories you should eat per week is to calculate your basal metabolic rate, and multiply this number by your total daily expenditure to get the number of calories you burn per day.

Then subtract 500 from this number to get the number of calories you need to eat per day to burn fat. It is not a hard to calculate as it sounds, and the website below lays out an easy to follow step by step process.

You will notice with both the calculations, that the more you excercise, the more you will be able to eat and still keep your calories in a deficit.

I hope that helps!

Answer 2

Excellent example of a simple question that is so difficult to answer in a way that will suit all people. So I will give you parameters within which you can operate with most assured success.

1> See your doctor first. Yes, I know, this sounds like a CYA answer, but it can make a big difference in how quickly you can loose weight. You will want your Dr. to ensure you're healthy enough to diet, and to rule out anything that might prevent or slow your weight loss. You may be surprised how supportive you Dr. can be. This also gives you the opportunity to get a seond opinion from a medical professional.

2> Calculate your basal metabolic caloric requirement. What? This just means to figure out, roughly so, how much you need to eat to stay at your current weight. Once you know that, every calorie less will contribute to weight loss. What I have found to be a safe starting point is to multiply your current weight by 15. For example, if you're 200 pounds, multiplied by 15 equals 3000 calories --- that's what I would "predict" I would need to remain 200 pounds.

3> Remove calories (no more than 500/day)
How much to cut? I personally advocate removing no more than 500 calories a day. That alone will not result in a fast weight loss, but it is maintainable -- something that should not make you feel like you're starving yourself. To hasten your weight loss, add exercise.

4> How many meals?
Have a decent breakfast, snack responsibly, and then it doesn't matter how many more meals you add. I personally like to eat more meals throughout the day, and then never snack. So I try to eat 5 meals a day. But you may have to redefine what you call a meal. Only my breakfast resembles what your mother might have considered a real meal.

5> Exercise and see your doctor! Exercise doesn't have to mean 30 minutes of hell at the gym. I feel lucky if I get one 30-minute workout a week at the gym, but I do lots of supplemental exercise. I walk the dogs about 2 miles a day. I park in a nice, empty lot about 3 blocks from work, then i walk.

And see your doctor. Some people need help to loose weight -- your doctor will determine this. Good luck.

Answer 3

First, go here: http://www.caloriecontrol.org/calcalcs.html . Plug in your details to find about how many calories you'd need every day to stay exactly the weight you are. Then, just subtract a few hundred from that and try to keep around that number every day. As for how many meals, they say that more, smaller meals are better for your metabolism (5-6 little snacky meals instead of 3 big ones), but it really depends on what works into your schedule.

Answer 4

Losing weight is a simple equation: if you burn more calories than you eat, the weight will come off. Start off by estimating how many calories you burn each day using the calorie calculator http://straighthealth.com/pages/tools/caloriecalclb.html This will give you an idea of how many calories to eat. Healthy weight loss is 1-2 pounds per week. To lose 1 pound per week you need to create a calorie deficit (burn more than you eat) of 500 calories per day. To lose 2 pounds a week, you have to double the deficit to 1000 calories per day. You can achieve this by eating less, exercising more or a combination of both.

Guide to Dieting - http://straighthealth.com/pages/guides/dieting.html

Answer 5

find calorie/fitness calculator on the net, enter all your stats and it will tell you how many calories you need a day to maintain, take off 300-400cal off that number and thats how much you need to lose.
eat 5-6 small meals a day (eat every 2-3 hours)
5-8 servings of fruit and veggies a day
8 glasses of water
have complex carbs for breakfast - they give you energy
have lean meat (protein) for dinner - repairs muscle
cardio exercise 4-6 times a week for 30-50min, light weight training
dont consume foods that are made of white flour (white bread, cakes, past etc.), sugar loaded foods (cookies, icecream, candy etc) and nothing fried, oily.
ofcourse you can spoil yourself once in a while with a little treat:)

Answer 6

man=1500 calories a day=at either 3 main meals or 6 small snack size meals
woman=1200 a day and the same way

Answer 7

I need to know your weight, height , age and activity level to be able to answer that question. Go to this website below to calculate your BMR (which is what you are asking). Basically, your body burns so much on its own in a day without any activity. To lose weight, we need to burn more calories than we consume, so we lower our calorie intake and increase our excerise. It takes an excess 3500 calories in 1 week to lose 1 lb, so by reducing calories and gaining calories through exercise, this can be acomplished.

http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/

Answer 8

It has to do with metabolism. once you devour under 1200 energy an afternoon, your metabolism is going into shielding mode and clings to fat, proceeding (if the situation gets that dire) to burn muscle extremely. so which you're nonetheless dropping that quantity of energy, besides the undeniable fact that this is doing no longer something to make you seem greater trim or have a flatter abdomen, besides. once you're a woman, that's additionally the final place you will lose fat. To drop some pounds, you may desire to devour a minimum of 1200 energy of protein (no longer lots, regardless of the undeniable fact that--it comes for sure on your weight loss plan, besides), complicated carbs (like pasta), and different nifty issues like potassium (in bananas) that might actually assist you experience finished longer and get greater power out of your nutrients. do no longer devour pasta too lots--purely once you are going to run/perform a little endurance guidance interior the destiny--and as for protein that's an undemanding rely of finding on the nutrients information or finding the nutrients up. as an occasion: (ALL of those are PROTEIN-wealthy meals) * Milk * Soy Milk * Eggs * Cheese * Yogurt * Peanut Butter * Lean Meats, Fish, and chicken * Beans, Tofu, Lentils, and different Legumes * Grains, alongside with bread and pasta * Nuts and Seeds As I suggested, no longer too lots protein an afternoon (under 10-20 p.c.). devour lean fat (no longer lots candy/chocolate), and--exceptionally--exercising. that's what builds muscle and burns fat, besides as united statesyour metabolism by using a ton. The greater muscle you have, the greater energy you burn in an afternoon. So... That replaced right into a splash long. yet desire I helped!

Answer 9

five small meals a day rich in fiber, burn off more then you take in...stay away from dairy, rememebr whole grain everything!!! no white breads and noddles...drink a lot of water and exercise

Answer 10

1500...3 meals