If you asked 10 people how
many calories you should eat in a day, you would probably get 10 different
responses (and be even more confused than when you started). It's not an easy
question, yet everyone seems to think they know the answer. Instead of turning
to an online macro calculator or fitspo Instagrammer, I took this question
straight to an expert, Dr. Preeya Alexander.
Dr. Alexander, also known
as The Wholesome Doctor, is an
Australia-based general practitioner who is passionate about prevention and
enjoys a glass of wine with her healthy meals every once in a while. She gave
me the lowdown on how to really figure out how many calories you need in a day,
and her answers may surprise you.
Is
There Really a Baseline For Daily Calorie Intake?
If you've ever picked up a
fitness magazine, you've probably seen headlines like "Eat 1,200 Calories
a Day to Lose Weight Quick!" or "1,200 Calorie Jump-Start Diet."
According to Dr. Alexander, however, there is no certain calorie intake that is
right for everyone; how many calories you need varies based on a number of
factors (so please don't fall for those lose-weight-quick starvation diets).
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In medicine, energy is often
measured in kilojoules (as opposed to calories), and 8,700 kJ per day is a common
baseline. This is roughly the equivalent of 2,000 calories per day, a higher
number than you might expect. The mistake so many of us make, though, is
thinking of food intake only in terms of weight loss or weight gain.
The food we eat does so much
more than that — we need the nutrients from food to fuel every single thing
happening in our bodies all day long. This includes things typically associated
with food like digestion and energy for exercise but also for hormone
production, brain function, disease prevention, and countless other processes.
How Do You Know If You Are Eating the Right
Amount of Calories For You?
How many calories you need in
a day can vary quite a bit based on your age, sex, and level of physical
activity. According to Dr. Alexander, there are many factors that can make that
baseline number go up or down. Children and teens, for example, "require
extra energy to grow and develop," she said. Men typically need more
calories than women because they have more muscle mass, and, according to her,
muscle requires energy to function. No matter your sex, the more physically
active you are, the more calories you need to replace the energy you burn
during exercise (or a physically demanding job). Pregnant and breastfeeding
women also need additional calories to support the growth of their baby and
milk production.
In order to know if you are
truly getting the calories you need, Dr. Alexander recommends you look at a few
key factors:
·
Do you have enough
energy to complete your daily tasks?
·
Are your blood
sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol numbers at healthy levels?
·
Is your weight
within a healthy range?
If you're not sure, getting
the answers to these questions is as easy as scheduling a wellness exam with
your general practitioner. They can help you determine if your calorie intake
is right for your needs and lifestyle.
What If You Are Trying to Lose Weight?
Oddly enough, Dr. Alexander
advises her patients to take the focus away from calories and instead look to
food quality and upping their physical activity. She said, "It can
become an obsessive counting ritual. . . . So I often try to focus on how to
change their diet to make it healthier while bumping up their physical
activity." Eating healthy whole foods tends to slightly decrease
calorie intake (a handful of almonds is certainly more nutritious than a
handful of marshmallows), while increasing exercise naturally ups calorie
expenditure. When you combine these two things, the result is often slow,
steady, sustainable weight loss.
Related: 6 Ways To Cut Calories Every Day
Bottom line, if you feel
great, your doctor is happy, and you eat mostly whole foods (and the occasional
glass of wine, if you choose), you are probably getting just the right number
of calories for you.
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