Daily Calorie Intake

All of us tend to think that, if we eat less we're bound to lose weight. We consider going on crash diets and losing weight quickly. We consider cutting down on our daily calorie intake to lose weight. How many of us are able to effectively determine our daily calorie requirements?

Our sedentary lifestyle does not allow us for a handsome calorie intake anymore. In fact, the difference in the amount actually required and the amount consumed is enormous. We assume that by eating only three meals a day, we are not at risk of becoming overweight. It is, however, important to understand what those three meals are, and the number of calories being consumed per meal.

There are suggested figures for the daily calorie intake for men, women and children, established by the various health organizations worldwide. Below is an average suggested daily calorie intake:

• Adult Men - 2500
• Adult Women - 2000
• Children Aged between 5 to 10 - 1800

These, however, are suggested figures, and vary greatly, depending on three factors:

• The total body weight
• The muscle mass in the body, and
• The kind of lifestyle one leads (active/sedentary)

The above-mentioned factors constitute the determinants of a recommended daily calorie intake. By establishing the exact number of calories required by your body, you will be able to make healthier choices in terms of what you eat. People with lesser activity levels will need to consume lesser calories, while people with higher activity levels will need to consume more calories.

Keeping a track on the daily calorie count is, thus essential. This can be done by means of a daily calorie tracker. Online calorie calculators have made life simple for those who are unable to keep an account of what they eat and how much they eat. They also provide detailed information on how many calories are required to maintain your current weight, for weight loss, and for weight gain. It is suggested that 1 pound of fat consists of 3500 calories. Therefore, an effort to reduce 500 calories from your daily calorie intake can result in the loss of 1 pound in a week. However, do calculate your caloric requirements before taking any such measures. This is a general suggestion and may not be applicable in your case depending on your intake.

Foods with Healthy Calories

Some of the foods that account for a healthy calorie count are as follows:

Food Item	Number of Calories per Portion
Apricots	17 (1 Apricot)
Figs	38-46 (1 fig)
Broccoli	25 (1 cup-chopped)
Bok Choy (Chinese Cabbage)	20 (1 cup-chopped)
Wheatgerm	27 (1 tbsp)
Lentils	115 (½ cup-cooked)
Salmon	127 (3 ounce portion-cooked)
Crab	84 (3 ounce portion)

According to a research, a controlled diet as per the recommended daily calorie intake in combination with exercise, helps in significant weight loss over a span of time. Keeping up activity levels along with consuming the required calories will help you strike the perfect balance.

It should be remembered that it's unwise to cut down the daily calorie intake drastically. Doing so, will result in lack of energy to do even basic chores, loss of muscle mass and not actually fat, and in some cases, a drop in hemoglobin levels. These are just a few examples. The result of starving or deciding not to eat can also be fatal. Losing weight the right way, may take a while, but this is one combination that will have a lasting effect on your body, and a positive one at that.