How Many Calories Should I Eat a Day?

The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Department of Agriculture (USDA) have jointly published The Dietary Guidelines for Americans every five years since 1980 (http://www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/). The guidelines provide authoritative advice for people (two years and older) about good dietary habits for promoting health and reducing risk for major chronic lifestyle diseases. The latest guidelines, published in 2010, recommend that individuals wishing to lose weight need to create a calorie or energy deficit of 500 kcal per day (or 500 food calories per day). This deficit can safely result in about one pound (0.45 kg) of weight loss per week, translating to roughly 10% of overall weight loss within six months. But how practical is this in reality?

Can it work?

To test out the practicality of this recommendation, researchers from the Bowling Green State University’s Department of Psychology studied the effects of a 14-week (approximately three months) weight loss program on 44 overweight or obese adults. The participants were given a target of 5% total body weight loss. To achieve this, they had to expend at least an average of 500 kcal or more per day during the testing period. The participants were also required to log their total caloric or energy intake and expenditure, physical activity levels, and their weekly weight loss numbers.

Upon completion, study results showed that “individuals who averaged an energy deficit in excess of 500 kcal per day lost nearly four times more weight than individuals whose average energy deficit was below 500 kcal per day.” The researchers further reported that “individuals who lost 5% of their body weight during the intervention self-monitored more than twice as many days than individuals who failed to lose 5% of their body weight.”

If you want to lose weight, you certainly need to burn more calories than you consume. The effect of a calorie deficit on weight does not depend on how the deficit is produced – to achieve a 500 kcal deficit per day, you need to eat less, exercise more, or do a combination of both. Therefore, the strategy is to constantly be aware of what your lifestyle habits are while creating a 500 kcal deficit goal per day (which is highly feasible, as demonstrated in this study). What must you eat less of to create an energy or calorie deficit? (e.g., 300 kcal deficit means eating one less 35 g bread roll for lunch or cutting clown the cream cheese spread by half the normal amount used)

What simple exercises can you do and for how long to create an energy or calorie deficit of your choice? (e.g., 200 kcal deficit means 30 minutes of low impact aerobics or general house cleaning for 45 minutes). So, watch what you do-eat less, exercise more.

Notes: Knowing one’s daily calorie needs may be a useful reference point for determining whether the calories that one eats and drinks are appropriate in relation to the number of calories needed each day. The best way for people to assess whether they are eating the appropriate number of calories is to monitor body weight and adjust calorie intake and participation in physical activity based on changes in weight over time. A calorie deficit of 500 calories or more per day is a common initial goal for weight loss for adults.

Exercise: If you are new to exercise, please consult with your health care professional or medical doctor before you start. Start slowly, and don’t overdo it.

Dieting: Do not go below 1,200 Calories (for females) or 1,500 Calories (for males) per day unless you are on a medically-supervised weight loss program or after consultation with your health care professional or medical doctor.

Monosodium glutamate — commonly known as MSG — is a chemical that’s often used to spice up processed foods and Chinese takeout. This food additive does more thanadd flavor to your meal — it may be a factor in creating lifelong obesity, which is why removing it from your diet will get you one step closer to your weight loss goal.

“There is powerful evidence that MSG and other excitotoxic chemical food additives induce extreme obesity that lasts a lifetime [due to a loss of leptin receptors in the hypothalamus],” says Dr. Russell Blaylock, a retired neurosurgeon and former clinical assistant professor of neurosurgery at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. People who are exposed to high levels of MSG as children are at risk as adults for a chronic problem with the metabolism, known as metabolic syndrome, which results in obesity that’s very difficult to address with dieting or exercise and often leads to type 2 diabetes.

How can you avoid MSG in your weight loss diet? The trouble is figuring out where MSG might be hidden in your food. Ever since MSG got a bad rap for causing headaches and other bad reactions in people who were sensitive to it, many food manufacturers have looked for ways to get around listing it on their labels. You’ll need to watch ingredient lists for words like “glutamate,” which triggers the same kind of reactions as MSG. MSG may also be hidden in other food additives like caseinate, autolyzed yeast enzymes, beef or chicken broth, natural flavorings, hydrolyzed protein, soy isolates, soy protein, and soy protein concentrates — though that isn’t always the case. If you are truly serious about losing weight and ridding your body of toxins, vigilance about checking labels and avoiding these substances is key.

Though it may all sound very serious, keep in mind, effective weight loss plan revolves around eating natural, nutrient-rich foods that are good for your health — and those foods don’t contain MSG! Really, monosodium glutamate is one more reason to completely steer clear of processed “food” and instead favor delicious, nutritious forms of sustenance that will keep your body slim always!

Have you tried doing different diets and exercises to lose weight but have not really succeeded? Have you found other people criticizing or taunting you on your “failures”? Do you sometimes feel discouraged, frustrated, and/or angry with yourself because of this? Your belief in yourself in winning the war against being overweight may have taken a beating.

Take heart.

You can succeed in weight loss if you start to strengthen your self-efficacy. It is defined as the belief one has about his or her ability to successfully execute a course of actions necessary to reach desired outcome, such as losing weight. So a person with high dietary self-efficacy believes they can eat healthily no matter what – even when bored, upset, tired, on holiday or at a party.

One’s level of self-efficacy determines how hard they try and how long they stick at things in the face of difficulties. People with high self-efficacy are motivated and optimistic – when the going gets tough, they keep going.

People with low self-efficacy avoid difficult tasks and when things get tough they are more likely to give up. Do not feel guilty if you need to take time for yourselves to improve your health.

Perception of self is experienced as reality, and a negative self-perception will rob you of the faith in yourself to do what it takes to be healthy. Improve your self-efficacy by developing skills, having role models and getting encouragement from others.

Canadian Psychologist Gordon Cochrane, in his extensive review of weight-loss research studies since 1960, has four belief-enhancing suggestions to help you in your journey.

Step 1: Reframe

Think of the process of weight-loss as “self-care.” Whatever you do for yourself, you are doing it for health and wellness reasons, not just “losing weight.” You are simply taking good care of yourself, health wise.

Step 2: Self-awareness

Monitor your emotions in relation to food and eating. Be aware of the triggers for overeating, like when you are stressed, angry, or tired. Note them down.

Step 3: Better Than Before

Think of your current self as wiser and more experienced than before. Forgive yourself for making the mistakes or not succeeding before. Here’s another chance to start anew and make it better!

Step 4: Model Success

Model (some people call it “imitate”) people who are successful in losing weight or being healthier.