A Dietitian Explains How Many Calories You Should Eat in a Day to Hit Your Goals

Link -> A Dietitian Explains How Many Calories You Should Eat in a Day to Hit Your Goals

I know on Whole30 you are not supposed to count calories and for very legitimate reasons. However, since I have so much weight to lose, calories are something I monitor (but don't stress over if I go over my daily goal). In general, I shoot for 1,200 to 1,500 calories per day, depending on my activity level. If you want to know how many calories to consume each day in order to lose weight either click on the link above or see a brief synopsis below.

In general, your daily calorie needs are based on your resting metabolic rate (RMR), which is the amount of calories your body burns at rest to perform basic functions to keep you alive: breathing, heart beating, brain power, etc. 

For a woman, the calculation is:

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RMR = (6.25 x height in centimeters) + (9.9 x weight in kilograms) - (4.92 x age in years)

For a woman who is 30 years old, 5'6" (167.6 centimeters), and 150 pounds (68 kilograms), her RMR would be: 1,047.5 + 673.2 - 147.6 = approximately 1,573 calories a day. Once you have that number, then we can determine how many calories you need to eat in a day, whether you want to lose weight, gain muscle, or maintain.

So, for me (Karen Stufflebeam), the RMR would look as follows:

RMR = (6.25 x 170.18) + (9.9 x 103.56) - (4.92 x 34)

RMR = (1,063.63) + (1,025.24) - (167.28)

RMR = 1,921.59

How Many Calories to Eat to Lose Weight

For women, some experts have found in their practice that it is best to consume at the RMR and no more than 20 percent below to promote weight loss without damaging metabolism," Jim told POPSUGAR. So for that 1,573 RMR, you can eat around 1,570 calories a day and still expect to lose weight. Just don't go below 1,258 calories a day, which is 20 percent — in general, Jim said women shouldn't eat below 1,200 calories a day to avoid negatively affecting their metabolism and energy levels.

So, for me (Karen Stufflebeam) a healthy weight loss goal would be to consume 20% less than my RMR (1,921.59) which comes out to 1,537.27