Determining a healthy daily caloric intake depends on body type and lifestyle factors. A healthy daily caloric intake is generally 1,800 calories for women and 2,200 calories for men. Cutting calories should not exceed 500 per day, and eating fewer than 1,200 calories per day can damage vital organs. Lifestyle changes are difficult, but making a meal plan and including daily exercise can help.
A healthy daily caloric intake seems to vary no matter who you talk to. There is a reason for that. Determining a healthy daily caloric intake depends on your body type and lifestyle factors. Lifestyle factors include activity levels and exercise. It is generally accepted that a healthy daily caloric intake is 1,800 calories for women and 2,200 calories for men. Depending on your age and height, that number could change even more, especially if, for example, you lead a relatively inactive lifestyle.
Finding a healthy daily caloric intake personalized for you is easier than you think. There are several sites that will do the math for you, including one run by the US government. Other sites offer libraries of foods and their associated nutrition facts, as well as journals that help you track your daily intake and activity levels. . Online discussion forums are also plentiful.
If you decide to start cutting calories, you probably shouldn’t cut more than 500 each day. It’s also not usually a good idea to eat fewer than 1,200 calories per day. Your body needs those calories only for daily organ and muscle functions. You’ll lose muscle and over time risk damaging vital organs when you eat less than your daily healthy caloric intake. It can’t be sustained without your body going into starvation mode, which could make it difficult to lose weight.
There is a delicate balance that affects everyone, too many calories and you gain weight, too few and your body begins to hoard energy as it goes into starvation mode. Ideally, you shouldn’t be hungry, but you shouldn’t be full either. When you sit down to eat, you should eat slowly so that when you get to the point of being full you can stop. In the end, though, it’s a basic balance of input (eating) versus output (activity).
Lifestyle changes are difficult, but not impossible. Take each day or even each meal as an opportunity to make changes and make the best decisions you can. Steady, consistent shifting wins the race. Making a meal plan that meets your healthy daily caloric intake is another way to track your calories when you start out so you have a good idea of what to eat. Stick to your plan as closely as possible and be sure to include daily exercise.
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