How Many Calories Do I Need A Day?

by Andrea Holwegner | Dec 30, 2019

Answering a common question: how many calories should I eat a day?

One of the most common questions that we get asked in our counselling practice is “how many calories do I need a day?”

If you have read a diet magazine that suggests an adult needs only 1200 calories per day this is likely far too low to be sustainable, enjoyable and helpful to manage a healthy metabolism (after all a 2 year old needs 1000 calories a day and they are much smaller than an adult!).

Consuming too few or too many calories?

Consuming too few calories compared to what your body requires is a form of stress for the body and will inevitably not help you manage your personal best weight and enjoy flexible eating habits over time.

Your metabolism is like a furnace, if food is in short supply it slows the furnace or metabolism down. If you are not consuming enough calories your energy, mental health and physical health can be negatively influenced.

On the other hand eating too many calories for what your body requires is one of the leading causes of obesity in North America.

I often find many of our clients struggling to lose excess weight underestimate how much they are eating and overestimate how many calories are burned during physical activity. If you are trying to lose weight, hitting the gym and burning off 300 calories during your workout would not warrant an extra large supper and justify two helpings of dessert.

Listen to my previous QR77 radio interview here

What factors influence how many calories I need a day?

The total amount of calories you require per day will vary based on:

gender
age
body composition
activity level
genetics

The chart below gives you an estimate of how many calories you likely need per day. While there is definitely individual differences, this chart can give you a rough ballpark. For people that are extremely active they will even require even more than what is listed on the chart below.

Activity levels on the chart below can be defined by the following:

LOW = less than 30 minutes a day of moderate physical activity in addition to daily activities
MOD. ACTIVE = 30-60 minutes a day of moderate physical activity in addition to daily activities
ACTIVE = 60 or more minutes a day of moderate physical activity in addition to daily activities

Estimated goals for total calories needed per day

MALES				FEMALES
Activity level	Low*	Mod. active*	Active*	Activity level	Low*	Mod. active*	Active*
AGE				AGE
2	1000	1000	1000	2	1000	1000	1000
3	1000	1400	1400	3	1000	1200	1400
4	1200	1400	1600	4	1200	1400	1400
5	1200	1400	1600	5	1200	1400	1600
6	1400	1600	1800	6	1200	1400	1600
7	1400	1600	1800	7	1200	1600	1800
8	1400	1600	2000	8	1400	1600	1800
9	1600	1800	2000	9	1400	1600	1800
10	1600	1800	2200	10	1400	1800	2000
11	1800	2000	2200	11	1600	1800	2000
12	1800	2200	2400	12	1600	2000	2200
13	2000	2200	2600	13	1600	2000	2200
14	2000	2400	2800	14	1800	2000	2400
15	2200	2600	3000	15	1800	2000	2400
16	2400	2800	3200	16	1800	2000	2400
17	2400	2800	3200	17	1800	2000	2400
18	2400	2800	3200	18	1800	2000	2400
19-20	2600	2800	3000	19-20	2000	2200	2400
21-25	2400	2800	3000	21-25	2000	2200	2400
26-30	2400	2600	3000	26-30	1800	2000	2400
31-35	2400	2600	3000	31-35	1800	2000	2200
36-40	2400	2600	2800	36-40	1800	2000	2200
41-45	2200	2600	2800	41-45	1800	2000	2200
46-50	2200	2400	2800	46-50	1800	2000	2200
51-55	2200	2400	2800	51-55	1600	1800	2200
56-60	2200	2400	2600	56-60	1600	1800	2200
61-65	2000	2400	2600	61-65	1600	1800	2000
66-70	2000	2200	2600	66-70	1600	1800	2000
71-75	2000	2200	2600	71-75	1600	1800	2000
76 and up	2000	2000	2400	76 and up	1600	1800	2000

*Calorie levels are based on the Estimated Energy Requirements (EER) and activity levels from the Institute of Medicine Dietary Reference Intakes Macro nutrients Report.

Do I need to track my calories in order to be successful?

None of the Dietitians in our practice routinely recommend tracking calories for our clients as it can become obsessive and steel the joy in everyday eating when you are focused on numbers rather than overall nutritional balance and taste.

Rather than track calories we recommend our clients understand the numbers for general awareness but then move away from the numbers. Once our clients have an awareness of their overall calorie needs,we feel focusing on what, when, where, how much to eat and why they are eating are more effective strategies to help our clients move to their personal best weight.

We feel the following is more important for long-term success:

Understanding the science of food and prevention and treatment of medical issues
Ensuring you plan meals for balance for productivity and satiety
Developing a bank of meal planning ideas of foods you and your family love
Being able to eye-ball portion sizes appropriate for you
Working through barriers in habit formation, cravings and emotional eating
Understanding hunger and fullness cues and trusting your body as an intuitive eater

Looking for more advice related to this topic?

Check out some of these previous posts from our blog:

Need more support from our Calgary Nutritionist / Online Dietitian team?

Contact us for help! As Registered Dietitians that specialize in meal planning, weight concerns, emotional eating, eating disorders, digestive health, heart health, diabetes, pediatric nutrition and sports nutrition we can see you in our local Calgary Nutritionist office or as an Online Dietitian by phone or video conferencing for virtual nutrition counseling. Find out more about our Dietitian Nutrition Counseling Programs here.

Join the waiting list for our next Online Nutrition Course The Pursuit of Healthiness.

As university trained Registered Dietitians, you can count on us for credible advice and practical meal planning so you don’t have to stress about food anymore. You can achieve a healthy and joyous relationship with food and your body. Let’s talk about what this can look like for you. CONTACT US.

Andrea Holwegner

About Andrea Holwegner

CEO, Registered Dietitian, Counseling Practice Director & Professional Speaker

Andrea the «Chocoholic Nutritionist» is founder and CEO of Health Stand Nutrition Consulting Inc. since 2000. She is an online nutrition course creator, professional speaker and regular guest in the media. Andrea is the recipient of an award by the Dietitians of Canada: The Speaking of Food & Healthy Living Award for Excellence in Consumer Education....Read more

2 Comments

Jessica Marshall on April 28, 2021 at 9:09 am

I see the calorie list you have provided is for a male. What are the numbers for a female?

Andrea Holwegner on May 7, 2021 at 5:51 am

Hello Jessica – thanks for your note – both the male and female calorie levels are listed. If you were viewing on a mobile device perhaps the table was harder to read so perhaps try on a desktop? Thanks again
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How Many Calories Do I Need A Day?

Answering a common question: how many calories should I eat a day?

Consuming too few or too many calories?

What factors influence how many calories I need a day?

Estimated goals for total calories needed per day

Do I need to track my calories in order to be successful?

Looking for more advice related to this topic?

Need more support from our Calgary Nutritionist / Online Dietitian team?

Join the waiting list for our next Online Nutrition Course The Pursuit of Healthiness.

Andrea Holwegner

About Andrea Holwegner

2 Comments

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How Many Calories Do I Need A Day?

Answering a common question: how many calories should I eat a day?

Consuming too few or too many calories?

<img decoding="async" class="wp-image-4848 alignright lazyload" title="originally published in" src="https://www.healthstandnutrition.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/LOGO-qr77-radio-logo-300x196.jpg" alt="originally published in" width="108" height="71" />

What factors influence how many calories I need a day?

Estimated goals for total calories needed per day

Do I need to track my calories in order to be successful?

Looking for more advice related to this topic?

Need more support from our Calgary Nutritionist / Online Dietitian team?

Join the waiting list for our next Online Nutrition Course The Pursuit of Healthiness.

Andrea Holwegner

About Andrea Holwegner

2 Comments

Submit a Comment Cancel reply

As seen in

Success stories

Satisfy your curiosity.

Pin It on Pinterest