What is your calorie magic number?

Do you know your number? As in, do you know how many calories you should consume daily?

If you’re like most of the participants in a recent study, the answer is an emphatic no. A recent online survey of over 1,000 Americans finds that 63 percent of respondents couldn’t correctly estimate their daily calorie needs and 25 percent wouldn’t even take a guess.

The survey, sponsored by the International Food Information Council Foundation, reports that while 70 percent of participants are concerned about their weight, only 54 percent are actively trying to lose weight. But can they be successful if they don’t know how many calories they need?

“It is important to know how many calories your body needs in terms of weight loss,” says Pamela Ofstein. “If you consume too many calories, overconsumption can lead to weight gain. Consuming the right amount of food (calories) to fuel your body — while keeping active — will maximize your weight loss.”

The fact that only 12 percent of the people surveyed actually knew their calorie needs shows how complicated the issue can be. There is no one-size-fits-all number for calorie needs. Factors like gender, age, weight, height and activity level make calculating your number a complex equation.

We’ll skip the math lesson and just give you the Dietary Guidelines for Americans provided by the US Department of Health and Human Services in 2005:

Women
Age 19-30: 2,000 calories (sedentary); 2,000-2,200 (moderately active); 2,400 (active)
Age 31-50: 1,800 (sedentary); 2,000 (moderately active); 2,200 (active)
Age 51 and above: 1,600 (sedentary); 1,800 (moderately active); 2,000-2,200 (active)

Men
Age 19-30: 2,400 calories (sedentary); 2,600-2,800 (moderately active); 3,000 (active)
Age 31-50: 2,200 (sedentary); 2,400-2,600 (moderately active); 2,800-3,000 (active)
Age 51 and above: 2,000 (sedentary); 2,200-2,400 (moderately active); 2,400-2,800 (active)

These numbers are a good place to start if you’re clueless about calories. If you are trying to lose weight, you will need a slight caloric deficit, so your number may need to be lower than the numbers above, which are for weight maintenance.

Your health deserves care!

Monday, August 2, 2010