How to count calories

How to Count Calories

Malia Frey is a weight loss expert, certified health coach, weight management specialist, personal trainer​, and fitness nutrition specialist.

Barbie Cervoni MS, RD, CDCES, CDN, is a registered dietitian and certified diabetes care and education specialist.

Calorie counting can be a valuable tool for reaching healthy weight loss goals, gaining weight, or maintaining weight. While the process may seem simple, some common mistakes can derail success. Use this list of calorie counting tips to ensure you have the correct numbers for success.

Counting calories may not be appropriate for all, especially those with disordered eating. It’s also not appropriate for children or teens. There are other, more intuitive and less intrusive ways to ensure you eat an appropriate amount of food. A therapist and/or nutritionist can help you learn more about nutritious eating.

Why You May Want To Count Calories

Some people prefer to count calories to help them balance their energy intake and output to support their body composition goals. While maintaining weight may be easy using intuitive eating, many people find that changing their body weight to lose fat or gain muscle mass is more challenging.

If your doctor has recommended weight loss for the sake of your health, or you are trying to build muscle mass, counting calories can help you meet your targets. Some people who’ve dieted in the past lose touch with their body’s natural hunger and fullness cues. They may chronically under-eat and undernourish themselves. In this case, counting calories can help you eat enough.

Others may eat too many calories for weight loss or weight maintenance. Perhaps you are accustomed to calorie-dense foods or large portions, and small shifts in your eating patterns could help you learn to consume fewer calories to align with a more appropriate weight.

It’s crucial not to reduce calories too much since this can be unhealthy and unsustainable long-term. Calorie counting can relieve some of the confusion and anxiety around knowing how much to eat.

Counting calories is not for everyone and if it becomes restrictive, creates negative feelings or relationships with food or your body, you should stop and consult a healthcare professional.

Calorie Counting Basics

If you’re not sure how to count calories, the best place to begin is with your daily energy needs. That is the number of calories you should eat each day. There are different ways to get the number, but many people choose to use an online calculator. Below is one tool you can use for weight loss.

Once you know how many calories you need to maintain your weight, you decrease the number to lose weight and increase it to gain weight. If you are hoping to gain muscle, you should combine a calorie surplus with a weight lifting plan that focuses on building muscle mass (hypertrophy).

Tips for Success

There are several different ways to streamline the calorie counting process so that you get an accurate number each day.

Use Tech Tools to Your Advantage

Don’t rely on memory to recall the food you consumed during the day. Even if you can recall what you ate, it is nearly impossible to accurately remember how much you ate. You’re not likely to get a precise calorie number if your food journal is incomplete or if serving sizes are wrong.

Instead, consider using a calorie-tracking app on your smartphone. Record the calories in your meal before you sit down to eat. You can also use a small notebook that you throw in your purse. The point is to have a calorie tracking method that goes wherever you go.

Measure Portions Accurately

Don’t use guesswork to determine portion sizes. People tend to underestimate their food portions. And there are certain foods that we tend to overeat. Cereal is a perfect example. People often pour too much cereal into their bowls, which means they inadvertently consume more than one serving.

Instead, invest in a digital kitchen scale. You don’t have to use it at every meal, but each time you eat new food, weigh a portion of food so that you know exactly how much to eat. If you consume more or less than the serving size indicated on the nutrition facts label, you’ll be able to get the correct calorie count if you know exactly how many grams were in your serving.

Stay on Budget

You don’t have to break the bank to buy expensive tools. The best calorie tracking tool for you isn’t necessarily the most expensive one. You’ll find different gadgets and tools at every price point. The one that works is the one you use. You don’t have to spend hundreds of dollars to get an effective tool.

You might also want to consider your lifestyle before making a purchase. Online tools might work for people in front of a computer all day. And for people who like using the traditional pen and paper method, a small notepad works well. Make sure that the notebook you choose is small enough to carry in a pocket or purse.

Record Macros and Exercise

Don’t limit yourself to just tracking calories. Depending on your tool, you can track other nutrients like fiber and sodium intake. Eating adequate amounts of fiber can improve your health. You can also ensure you get the right amount of exercise for weight loss if that’s the goal you’ve and your doctor have decided on.

In addition to recording your total calories, consider tracking macronutrients such as protein, carbohydrate, and fat grams. If you use a food app, these numbers will automatically be recorded when you input your food.

A Word From Verywell

Calorie counting is a tool you can use to help you reach body composition goals. It is a tool that should only be used short-term for most people since it can create obsessive behaviors. However, for many, calorie counting offers freedom from the anxiety of not knowing whether you’ve eaten enough or in some cases, too much.

Similar to creating a monetary budget, calorie counting can give you the freedom to eat foods you love without wondering if they «fit» into your energy balance targets. Maintaining weight is easier using intuitive eating, but making changes to your weight may require a strategy such as calorie counting for the best chance of sustainable success.

How to Count Calories: The Dos and Don’ts

Key Takeaways

Counting calories can be an overwhelming process. Especially when you don’t know where to start and what your actual caloric intake should be.

If you are unhappy with your current weight and want to do something about it, today’s article is for you. It doesn’t matter if you want to gain or lose weight, you can do both by learning how to count calories.

In the Golden Era, many bodybuilders chose not to count calories. For some, it was really only important when in the cutting phase prior to competition.

Even then, many chose to just change the types of foods they ate, rather than count calories.

According to OSL Ambassador Ric Drasin, he and fellow bodybuilders typically ate high protein meals. They would eyeball portions and repeat meals most days.

Reddit users agree that most Golden Era bodybuilders weren’t concerned with how to count calories. However, times have changed and bodybuilders today are more concerned with keeping their calories in check.

If you are someone who wants to count calories in food but aren’t sure how then keep reading.

Today, you’ll learn:

What are Calories?

The basic definition of a calorie is a unit of energy. When it comes to food and nutrition, calories are used to maintain healthy brain and body function.

If your body doesn’t get enough calories, a few things will start to happen:

And eventually, organ function will start to suffer as well.

There are a few ways we will reference calories throughout this article:

Here are some examples of what types of foods fall into each category:

Empty Calories

Low-calorie foods

High-Calorie Foods

How Many Calories Should I Be Eating?

Determining the number of calories you need to eat is a process. There is a minimum amount that you should never go under for healthy body function.

From there, you can determine calorie amounts based on your goals.

Here’s what you need to do to figure out your minimum calories and goal calories.

1. Determine Your Resting Calorie Burn

First, you need to determine your basal metabolic rate. This is how many calories are used when you are not doing anything and are at rest. There are several free calculators online you can use to come up with this number.

You’ll need to enter these stats into the calculator to figure out your basal metabolic rate:

You can use one calculator or a couple of different ones, then average the base rate if they are different.

If you prefer to calculate the BMR manually, here are the equations to do it yourself:

Women: BMR = 655 + (4.35 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) – (4.7 x age in years)

Men: BMR = 66 + (6.23 x weight in pounds) + (12.7 x height in inches) – (6.8 x age in years)

2. Calculate your Calorie Needs

Once you have your basal metabolic rate, you can calculate how many calories are needed to maintain your weight. This is especially helpful when increasing or decreasing activity levels.

To do this, you’ll take your BMR and multiply it by a specific number based on activity level:

Now, you can use these numbers to determine how many calories you need on any given day. Work out days will require more calories than sedentary days.

A quick calculation is all you need to start out your day correctly!

3. Calories Needed to Gain or Lose Weight

When you are trying to gain or lose weight, there are some things you need to know.

To be successful and keep the weight off (or on), you want to do so gradually. The CDC recommends you lose no more than one or two pounds each week for sustainable results.

To lose one pound of body fat, you’ll need to reduce your caloric intake by roughly 3,500 calories each week. To lose two pounds, you’ll need to shave off 7,000 calories per week.

That means you should reduce your calories by 500 or 1,000 calories daily.

To stay healthy, there is a certain minimum daily caloric intake goal you should meet. Generally, people consider minimum calories to be 1,200 for women and 1,800 for men.

However, the National Institute of Health encourages higher minimum calories for men and women. This link includes a chart that breaks down calorie requirements per gender, age, and activity level.

Restricting too much for rapid weight gain can have dangerous consequences for your health:

Now that you’ve got a better understanding of how to calculate your calorie needs, let’s take a look at counting calories.

How to Count Calories

When it comes to counting calories, it’s not as simple as looking at the nutrition label on the box. Sure, you’ll need to rely on that information in order to determine your caloric intake.

But there are different methods you can use to actually count calories. The method you choose is up to you.

Paper and Pen

This method is still used today, though it can take more time. Most people using this method will carry a notebook with them daily to track their calories

You’ll write down everything you eat and drink that day, plus all the macronutrients, not just calories. Yes, even drinks, because most also include calories you need to factor in.

Tally up the calories you are eating at each meal so you know what you have available for the remainder of the day. Don’t forget to factor in calories burned!

For some, counting calories using a spreadsheet or chart might work out better. You can also use a desktop computer or smartphone and let an app do the calculations for you.

People who keep a food diary, regardless of the form, have greater success than those who don’t.

Use an App

The quicker and more popular option would be to use an app to do the work for you. Similar to writing everything down, you have to input everything you consume that day.

The app does the work by calculating the calories and macros that you consume. Some apps also have a desktop version that syncs, so you can do this at a computer or on your phone.

There are also apps that can help you with nutritional content. This is especially helpful for things like fruits and vegetables which typically come without a label.

When learning how to count calories, factor in calories burned as well, which can also be tracked with the app.

There are several different apps you can try for free, including:

Using an app doesn’t only make it easier to track food and exercise, it can also help change behavior. A recent study indicates that people who use apps find:

More studies are being done as apps gain popularity. One thing noted by users of nutrition apps is lack of engagement can cause them to stop using it.

MyPlate, mentioned above, got some of the highest-scoring for engagement out of other nutrition apps.

Counting Calories Do’s and Don’ts

When it comes to counting calories, there are things that will help and things that won’t. Here are some of the best do’s and don’ts for you to succeed when counting calories.

Do Weigh and Measure Food

You won’t be able to accurately count calories without using a kitchen scale to weigh food. You’ll also want to measure ingredients using measuring cups and spoons for accuracy.

Weighing food can be tedious, but you don’t have to do it forever. After a while, you should get better at eyeballing and estimating portion size.

People who are trying to lose weight tend to have better success when using self-monitoring devices. This includes the internet, scales, and tracking apps as well as paper and pen.

Holding yourself accountable using various methods will lead to long-term success.

Do Know Portion Sizes

Many Americans underestimate portion size, which is why measuring and weighing are important in the beginning. Portion distortion happens a lot in young adults and can actually lead to weight gain and hinder weight loss.

Another thing to consider is intended consumption.

This study set out to determine if making an intent on portion size would change the amount consumed. Participants discussed their intended portions prior to eating, and then consumed a meal.

When comparing males to females, the males were more able to control portion size when their intent was made prior to eating.

Not sure what portion size you should be aiming for? Here are some measurements you can use:

Don’t Rely on Your Memory

Not only can eyeballing food portions derail your weight goals but so can relying on your memory.

In this fast-paced world we live in, some people can’t remember what they did the day before. How can you possibly remember and be accountable for your diet and fitness on memory alone?

Get in the habit of inputting your food after each meal so you don’t have to remember how much you ate. This will keep your food diary accurate and also help ensure you are eating the right portion size.

Do Read Nutrition Labels Carefully

It can easily get overwhelming when trying to read nutrition labels, but it’s important to do so. You need to monitor calories and macronutrients, while also paying attention to serving size.

By knowing the right serving size in an item, you can portion food so your tracking is accurate and realistic.

Pay attention to the number of milligrams (mg) and grams (g) for each macronutrient, not the percentage. The Daily Value % is based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so if that isn’t your target, you could derail your goals.

Don’t Be Tempted

The best way to derail your weight loss or weight gain plans is to give in to temptation. Minimize the risk by getting rid of junk food and other unhealthy items in your kitchen.

Keep healthy snacks and desserts in the house so you always have something to reach for. Here are a few examples:

Don’t Think of it as a Diet

Losing weight shouldn’t be considering dieting. It’s really a new way of eating and making smart lifestyle changes.

Failing to make a permanent change in your life means you can gain all the weight back – and then some. It starts with making better and healthier food choices, followed by increasing exercise.

Opt for fruits, vegetables, and whole grains and reduce the intake of processed foods, empty calories, and red meats.

If you aren’t sure which way of eating is best for you, check out our nutrition library. We review some of the most common healthy ways of eating so you can make the decision that’s right for you.

Do Track Your Weight and Measurements

While losing weight is a goal for many, getting healthy should really be the ultimate goal. A number on the scale doesn’t really mean much for health.

When you first start out, you’ll want to get your starting weight as well as measurements. Depending on your body composition, you might not see the scale move much. But that doesn’t mean you aren’t losing body fat.

This is where taking measurements is important. You can use a fabric measuring tape to get your body measurements. Use the tape to measure your:

When you measure your biceps and thighs, make sure you measure both sides. This way, you can see any discrepancies from one side to the other. You can then use this information in the gym to create balance on both sides of your body.

Don’t Skip Breakfast

Meal skipping is a common practice among many, with a lack of time being the most often used reason.

In this review of 35 different studies, anywhere from 14-88% of participants skipped breakfast. This was much higher than lunch (8-57%) and dinner meals (4-57%).

What does it matter if people skip breakfast? Well, it can have some negative effects on your energy and metabolism, including:

Do Regulate Meal Times

Another important factor to consider is consistent meal times. Some go beyond three standard meals a day and include snacks as well. Consider reducing the snacking and trying to stick to a predictable meal pattern, if you can.

Also consider that snacking, especially late at night, can increase the chances of blowing your calorie allotment. Plan your meals so you don’t run out of calories before the end of the day, especially around dinner time.

The effects mentioned above have also been studied in regards to intermittent fasting. By eating during specified windows of time and fasting during the remaining hours, some have seen positive health benefits.

One study even suggests that intermittent fasting combined with a Mediterranean diet work together to reduce:

If you do decide to try intermittent fasting, be sure that you are getting enough calories during your eating window. There are multiple ways to be successful with this way of eating, so find what works for you.

Do Be Kind to Yourself

When it comes to counting calories, it’s not just as simple as keeping track of what you’re eating. As you’ve seen today, it’s a process and includes lifestyle changes to truly be successful.

Inevitably, you’ll do something to mess up. Whether it’s eating something you shouldn’t or skipping a workout (or two), don’t beat yourself up. Remind yourself this is a journey, recommit to your goals, and keep moving.

If doing this alone doesn’t work, consider getting an accountability partner. Find a trusted friend or family member who has similar goals, and commit to checking in with each other.

Having someone as a sounding board can help make the hard days easier, and the great days worth celebrating. Plus, they can help remind you why you’re doing this on the days you want to give up.

Final Thoughts

Choosing to count calories is a personal decision and so is the method you use to do it. Get started with the proper calculations and keep track of our progress. Know going in that your numbers will fluctuate with your activity levels.

Don’t restrict yourself and make sure you are eating properly to sustain your energy levels. Check-in with yourself often and be honest about what is working and what isn’t.

Counting calories isn’t for everyone and is mostly used to reach bodyweight goals. Anyone who wants to make changes to their diet should consult their doctor to get the all-clear first.

If you are currently counting calories to reach a goal, what are your most successful tips? Any words of caution for those just starting out? Let us know in the comments section below.

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Calorie Calculator

The Calorie Calculator can be used to estimate the number of calories a person needs to consume each day. This calculator can also provide some simple guidelines for gaining or losing weight.

Food Energy Converter

The following converter can be used to convert between Calories and other common food energy units.

This Calorie Calculator is based on several equations, and the results of the calculator are based on an estimated average. The Harris-Benedict Equation was one of the earliest equations used to calculate basal metabolic rate (BMR), which is the amount of energy expended per day at rest. It was revised in 1984 to be more accurate and was used up until 1990, when the Mifflin-St Jeor Equation was introduced. The Mifflin-St Jeor Equation also calculates BMR, and has been shown to be more accurate than the revised Harris-Benedict Equation. The Katch-McArdle Formula is slightly different in that it calculates resting daily energy expenditure (RDEE), which takes lean body mass into account, something that neither the Mifflin-St Jeor nor the Harris-Benedict Equation do. Of these equations, the Mifflin-St Jeor Equation is considered the most accurate equation for calculating BMR with the exception that the Katch-McArdle Formula can be more accurate for people who are leaner and know their body fat percentage. The three equations used by the calculator are listed below:

The value obtained from these equations is the estimated number of calories a person can consume in a day to maintain their body-weight, assuming they remain at rest. This value is multiplied by an activity factor (generally 1.2-1.95), dependent on a person’s typical levels of exercise, in order to obtain a more realistic value for maintaining body-weight (since people are less likely to be at rest throughout the course of an entire day). 1 pound, or approximately 0.45 kg, equates to about 3,500 calories. As such, in order to lose 1 pound per week, it is recommended that 500 calories be shaved off the estimate of calories necessary for weight maintenance per day. For example, if a person has an estimated allotment of 2,500 calories per day to maintain body-weight, consuming 2,000 calories per day for one week would theoretically result in 3,500 calories (or 1 pound) lost during the period.

It is important to remember that proper diet and exercise is largely accepted as the best way to lose weight. It is inadvisable to lower calorie intake by more than 1,000 calories per day, as losing more than 2 pounds per week can be unhealthy, and can result in the opposite effect in the near future by reducing metabolism. Losing more than 2 pounds a week will likely involve muscle loss, which in turn lowers BMR, since more muscle mass results in higher BMR. Excessive weight loss can also be due to dehydration, which is unhealthy. Furthermore, particularly when exercising in conjunction with dieting, maintaining a good diet is important, since the body needs to be able to support its metabolic processes and replenish itself. Depriving the body of the nutrients it requires as part of heavily unhealthy diets can have serious detrimental effects, and weight lost in this manner has been shown in some studies to be unsustainable, since the weight is often regained in the form of fat (putting the participant in a worse state than when beginning the diet). As such, in addition to monitoring calorie intake, it is important to maintain levels of fiber intake as well as other nutritional necessities to balance the needs of the body.

Calorie Counting as a Means for Weight Loss

Calorie counting with the intent of losing weight, on its simplest levels, can be broken down into a few general steps:

The above steps are an attempt at the most basic form of calorie counting. Calorie counting is not an exact science, and can be as complex as you want to make it. The above does not consider the proportions of macronutrients consumed. While there is no exactly known, ideal proportion of macronutrients (fats, proteins, carbohydrates), some balance is certainly advisable, and different foods have been found to have different effects on health, feelings of hunger, and number of calories burned. Generally, minimally processed plant and animal foods tend to be more conducive to healthy weight loss and maintenance.

There are many approaches to weight loss and there is no set ideal method that works for all people, which is why so many different diets and exercise regimens exist. While some methods are more effective for each individual person, not all weight loss methods are equivalent, and studies suggest that some approaches are healthier than others. That being said, one of the most commonly effective weight loss methods is counting calories. In its most basic form, calories consumed minus calories expended will result in weight gain if the result is positive, or weight loss if the result is negative. However, this is far from a comprehensive picture, and many other factors play a role in affecting healthy, sustainable weight loss. For example, there exist conflicting studies addressing whether or not the type of calories or foods consumed, or how they are consumed, affects weight loss. Studies have shown that foods that require a person to chew more and are more difficult to digest result in the body burning more calories, sometimes referred to as the thermic effect of food. While the increase in burned calories may be marginal, foods that are more difficult to digest such as vegetables generally tend to be healthier and provide more nutrients for fewer calories than many processed foods.

Consistent with the view that in regards to weight loss, only net calories are important and not their source, there exist cases such as the Twinkie diet, where a person that solely counted calories while eating a variety of cake snacks managed to lose 27 pounds over two months. As effective as this can be, it is certainly not suggested. While the participant did not seem to suffer any noticeable health detriments in this particular case, there are other less measurable factors that should be considered such as long-term effects of such a diet on potential for developing cancers, heart disease, and diabetes. However, ignoring efficiency and health, sustained, significant reduction of caloric intake or increase of physical activity should result in weight loss, and counting calories can be an effective way to achieve this sole result.

Aside from being one viable method for facilitating weight loss, calorie counting has other somewhat less quantifiable advantages including helping to increase nutritional awareness. Many people are completely unaware of, or grossly underestimate their daily caloric intake. Counting calories can help raise awareness of different types of foods, the number of calories they contain, and how these calories have a different effect on a person’s feelings of satiety. Once a person has a better understanding of how many calories are actually in that bag of chips that they can so easily inhale within minutes, how much of their daily caloric intake it consumes, and how little the chips do to satiate their hunger, portion control and avoidance of foods with empty calories tends to become easier.

Having actual caloric measurements can also assist in weight loss, since tangible calorie goals can be set, rather than simply trying to eat less. Also, although this is not necessarily directly related to calorie counting, studies have shown that portion control by simply eating from a smaller plate can help reduce calorie intake, since people tend to fill their plates and eat everything on their plates. Many people do not realize that they are overeating, since they have become accustomed to restaurant-sized portions being the norm, when said portions can be up to three or more times larger than necessary for a typical meal.

Tracking calories also puts exercise in a quantifiable perspective, increasing a person’s awareness regarding how much exercise is really required to counteract a 220-calorie bag of M&M’s. Once a link is made between the amount of exercise that some snack equates to, many people find abstaining from that bag of chips to be the preferred option rather than performing an equivalent amount of exercise – which can lead to healthier eating habits.

In the end, however, what’s important is picking a strategy that works for you. Calorie counting is only one method used to achieve weight loss amongst many, and even within this method, there are many possible approaches a person can take. Finding an approach that fits within your lifestyle that you think you would be able to adhere to is likely going to provide the most sustainable option and desirable result.

Zigzag Calorie Cycling

Zigzag calorie cycling is a weight loss approach that aims to counteract the human body’s natural adaptive tendencies. Counting and restricting calories, as described above, is a viable method to lose weight, but over a period of time, it is possible for the body to adapt to the lower number of calories consumed. In cases where this happens, a plateau in weight loss that can be difficult to surmount can result. This is where zigzag calorie cycling can help, by not allowing the body to adapt to the lower calorie environment.

Zigzag calorie cycling involves alternating the number of calories consumed on a given day. A person on a zigzag diet should have a combination of high-calorie and low-calorie days to meet the same overall weekly calorie target. For example, if your target calorie intake is 14,000 calories per week, you could consume 2,300 calories three days a week, and 1,775 the other four days of the week, or you could consume 2,000 calories each day. In both cases, 14,000 calories would be consumed over the week, but the body wouldn’t adapt and compensate for a 2,000-calorie diet. This also allows a person more flexibility in their diet, allowing them to plan around occasions, such as work or family gatherings, where a person may consume more calories. Consuming a lower number of calories on other days can allow a person to enjoy these gatherings or even have a «cheat day» where they eat whatever they want without feeling guilty, since they can make up for the excess calories on their low-calorie days.

There is no concrete rule or study that dictates the most effective way to alternate or spread out calorie consumption. How to vary calorie intake is largely up to personal discretion. Depending on a person’s activity, it is generally recommended that the high-calorie and low-calorie days vary by approximately 200-300 calories, where the high-calorie day is often the number of calories a person needs to consume to maintain their current weight. For a person with a higher activity level, the calorie difference should be larger. The calculator presents two zigzag diet schedules. The first schedule has two higher calorie days and five lower calorie days. The second schedule increases and reduces calories gradually. In either case, the total weekly calorie consumption is the same.

In the end, regardless of what method you choose to use when approaching weight loss, what’s important is picking a strategy that works for you. Calorie counting and zigzag calorie cycling are only two methods (that are fairly interrelated) used to achieve weight loss among many, and even within these methods, there are many possible approaches a person can take. Finding an approach that fits within your lifestyle that you think you would be able to adhere to is likely going to provide the most sustainable and desirable result.

How Many Calories Do You Need?

Many people seek to lose weight, and often the easiest way to do this is to consume fewer calories each day. But how many calories does the body actually need in order to be healthy? This largely depends on the amount of physical activity a person performs each day, and regardless of this, is different for all people – there are many different factors involved, not all of which are well-understood or known.

The body does not require many calories to simply survive. However, consuming too few calories results in the body functioning poorly, since it will only use calories for functions essential to survival, and ignore those necessary for general health and well-being. Harvard Health Publications suggests women get at least 1,200 calories and men get at least 1,500 calories a day unless supervised by doctors. As such, it is highly recommended that a person attempting to lose weight monitors their body’s caloric necessities and adjusts them as necessary to maintain its nutritional needs.

Calories: Different Kinds and Their Effects

The main sources of calories in a typical person’s diet are carbohydrates, proteins, and fat, with alcohol also being a significant portion of calorie intake for many people (though ideally this should be limited since alcohol contains many empty calories). Some studies have shown that the calories displayed on nutrition labels and the calories actually consumed and retained can vary significantly. This hints at the complex nature of calories and nutrition and is why many conflicting points of view on the «best» methodology for losing weight exist. For example, how a person chews their food has been shown to affect weight loss to some degree; generally speaking, chewing food more increases the number of calories that the body burns during digestion. People that chew more also tend to eat less, since the longer period of time necessary to chew their food allows more time to reach a state of satiety, which results in eating less. However, the effects of how food is chewed and digestion of different foods are not completely understood and it is possible that other factors exist, and thus this information should be taken with a grain of salt (in moderation if weight loss is the goal).

Generally, foods that take more effort to chew – fruit, vegetables, lean meats, whole grains, etc. – require the body to burn more calories since more calories are required to digest them. It also results in the feeling of satiety for longer periods of time. Furthermore, certain foods like coffee, tea, chilies, cinnamon, and ginger have been found to increase the rate of calories burned, due to the ingredients they contain.

The «quality» of calories consumed is also important. There are different classifications of foods in terms of calories. This includes high-calorie foods, low-calorie foods, and empty calories. Consistent with their naming, high-calorie foods are foods that are calorically dense, meaning that there are a high number of calories relative to serving size, while low-calorie foods have fewer calories relative to serving size. Foods such as fat, oils, fried foods, and sugary foods are examples of high-calorie foods. Being a high-calorie food does not inherently mean that the food is unhealthy however – avocados, quinoa, nuts, and whole grains are all high-calorie foods that are considered healthful in moderation. Low-calorie foods include vegetables and certain fruits, among other things, while empty calories, such as those in added sugars and solid fats, are calories that contain few to no nutrients. Studies have shown that there is a measurable difference between consuming 500 calories of carrots compared to 500 calories of popcorn. As previously mentioned, this in part can be attributed to differences in how the foods are consumed and processed. Carrots require far more chewing and can result in more calories burned during digestion. Again, the mechanism for these differences is not fully defined, but simply note that for weight loss purposes, the general formula of calories in minus calories out determining weight gain or loss does hold, but that the number of calories on a nutrition label is not necessarily indicative of how many calories the body actually retains. While there is no clear-cut or ideal amount of macronutrient proportions a person should consume to maintain a healthy diet or lose weight, eating a «healthy» diet replete with a variety of unprocessed foods such as vegetables, fruits, and lean meats is correlated with being healthier, and is more likely to result in sustainable weight loss. Also, remember that calories from drinks comprise an estimated 21% of a typical person’s diet. Many of these calories fall under the category of empty calories. While sodas are an obvious culprit, drinks such as juices and even milk have large amounts of sugar and should be consumed in moderation to avoid negating their nutritional benefits. Ideally, a person should drink water, tea, and coffee without adding sugar in order to reduce calories gained from drinks.

Remember: All foods, including «healthful foods,» should be consumed in moderation, and distinctions can often be misleading since even natural foods like fruits can have large amounts of sugar, and foods labeled as «health foods» such as low-calorie foods, reduced-fat foods, etc. can potentially replace one unhealthy component with another. Many reduced-fat foods have large amounts of added sugar to compensate for taste lost through fat reduction. It is important to pay attention to, and consider the different components in a food product in order to determine whether said food should have a place within your diet.

Calories in Common Foods

250 milliliters, 1 table spoon = 14.2 gram

How to Count Calories

If you want to lose weight, you must eat less than what your body needs for cell repair and to burn for energy. If you eat more than what your body needs, the excess food may be stored as muscle, but, mostly, it is stored as fat. Counting calories will make it easier to lose weight during a diet. If you know the calorie content of food, you can avoid high-calorie foods and select lower-calorie foods that allow you to lose weight and satisfy your nutritional requirements.

What is a Calorie?
A calorie is the amount of energy required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1 degree Celsius. The calories in food are really kilocalories or 1000 calories. When we say that a carbohydrate like sugar has 4 calories per gram, we really mean that it has 4 kilocalories per gram. This means that one gram of sugar has enough energy to raise the temperature of 1000 grams of water by 4 degrees Celsius. The calories in food provide a measure of the energy content of the food.

How many calories does your body burn?
The number of calories that you need depends on the size of your body and your level of activity. A large person requires more calories than a small person, an active person requires more calories than a sedentary person, and men require more calories than women. The minimum amount of energy required when resting, called the Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) can be calculated using the Mifflin-St Jeor equations. These equations require the weight in kilograms, the height in centimeters, and the age in years. The BMR has to be multiplied by an activity factor to estimate the daily calorie requirements. The following calculator can provide an estimate of your daily caloric requirement, but it is important to provide a good estimate of your activity. «Sedentary» means that you don’t exercise at all. «Lightly active» means that you engage in light exercise or sports 1-3 days per week. «Moderately active» means that you exercise hard at least half an hour per day, five days per week. «Very active» means that you engage in fairly strenuous exercise or sports 6-7 days a week, and «extra active» means that you have a physical job where you are very active throughout the day.

Setting a Target Body Weight
Once you have calculated your current calorie requirements, you have to calculate the calorie requirements for the body that you would like to have. Your target weight should be such, that your Body Mass Index falls within the normal range of 18.5 to 24.9. For example, if you are a 35-year old, lightly-active female with a height of 5 feet, 6 inches and a weight of 160 pounds, you need 1,978 calories per day to maintain your weight. If you want to weigh 145 pounds, set the weight in the calculator to 145. The calculator shows that you should eat 1,884 calories per day to maintain a weight of 145 pounds. This difference of about 100 calories per day is equivalent to a slice of toast with a pat of butter.

Since one pound of body fat has about 3,500 calories, a reduction of 100 calories per day will cause the loss of one pound of weight in 35 days. By just cutting out the calories equivalent to one slice of buttered toast from your diet, you can lose 15 pounds in one year and a half. Similarly, you can gain 15 pounds in a year and a half by eating 100 calories extra per day.

Weight loss can be accelerated by reducing the calories further, but a diet should not reduce intake below 1,300 calories per day because such diets are not sustainable and it is very difficult to obtain all the necessary nutrients with very low calorie diets. Another adverse effect of very low calorie diets is that the body goes into starvation mode and decreases the BMR. A decrease in BMR reduces weight loss and has the unfortunate consequence that you will gain weight faster if you overeat because you will be consuming more excess calories above your new, lower BMR.

The best diet is one that can be maintained for many months or years until healthy eating habits become a way of life. As a general rule, your daily calories should not be reduced below 15 percent of the calories required by your target weight and activity level. In our example above, the target weight for the lightly active female requires 1,884 calories per day. Fifteen percent of this amount is 282 calories, i.e, 1884×(15/100). Subtracting 282 from 1,884 we get 1,602 calories per day. This reduction of 282 calories per day should result in the loss of one pound every twelve days, or about 2 pounds per month, at the beginning of the diet. As the body weight decreases, the rate of weight loss will also decrease. When you approach your target weight, you can increase your calories gradually until you reach a maintenance level.

Just how much food is 282 calories? This is approximately one slice of apple pie (1/6 of an 8-inch pie), or one jelly-filled doughnut, or two scoops of vanilla ice cream, or two regular sodas. You can normalize your weight by just skipping dessert and sweet drinks! It also helps if you can exercise vigorously 30 minutes per day. Vigorous exercise can burn 200 calories in half an hour. Just walking burns approximately 150 calories in half an hour.

Food scale and Measuring cup

Nutrition Label for
Sunflower Seeds

Determining the Calories in Food
Once you know how many calories you need to achieve your target weight, you have to figure out how many calories are in the food that you eat. The following table shows the calories of carbohydrates, proteins, fats, and alcohol. Fiber consists of carbohydrates that are not digestible and can be subtracted from the amount of total carbohydrates.

Since most foods consist of complex mixtures of the basic food components, you will need to interpret nutrition labels to determine the calories in packaged foods, and you will need five basic tools:

Establish a baseline: If you are not used to dieting and measuring food, the best way to start is to just eat normally for about one week, but weigh and measure everything that you eat or drink. This will establish a baseline of your normal eating habits and your ad libitum caloric intake.

As an example, let us say that you would like to eat some sunflower seeds. The nutrition label says that one serving consists of one ounce or 28 grams, and that the one-pound package has 16 servings. This 28-gram serving has 190 calories. Grab a handful containing all the sunflower seeds that you are going to eat, and before eating a single kernel, weigh them. Suppose that they weigh 30 grams. You know that there are 190 calories in 28 grams, so you calculate:

You write this in your journal and then you can enjoy the seeds.

Once your diet starts: You will want to know how many grams of food have a specific number of calories. If you want to eat only 100 calories of sunflower seeds, how many grams should you eat? Since you know that 28 grams have 190 calories, you can calculate:

Round this figure to 15 grams, weigh that amount of seeds, write it in your journal, and enjoy knowing that you are eating only half of your previous calories. You may still feel hungry, but that is life. You have to sacrifice for what you want. You won’t starve.

The first few days of keeping track of your calories are the hardest because you have to look up the number of calories of each new food. It may seem that you are spending more time writing down what you eat than eating. Don’t be discouraged.

Scales and Software to make your life easier
There are scales such as the Newline Digital Nutrition Diet Scale that weigh and track nutritional intake for many foods. All you have to do is select the name of the food, and the scale calculates the calories, fat, cholesterol, fiber, and protein based on the weight. The scale can store in its memory multiple food entries to keep a record of what you have eaten.

There are several web sites and computer programs that you can use absolutely free to determine the calories in food and to track your daily calories and nutrients.

Main topics covered in this page:
Calorie counting is an easy way for you to manage your weight.
Learn how to calculate your daily calorie intake and how to count calories to lose weight.
Calories count when it comes to weight loss.
The energy in food is measured in units of Calories.
What are calories and how to count them.

How to Calorie Count for Better Diet Choices

Our team is passionate about being a resource for credible and up-to-date information on all nutrition and exercise topics.

Jonathan Valdez, RDN, CDCES, CPT is a New York City-based telehealth registered dietitian nutritionist and nutrition communications expert.

Getty Images / d3sign

Calorie counts are the first thing you probably look at when you look at a nutrition facts label. Food provides energy that comes in the form of calories (or kilocalories). All foods provide calories, whether they have a nutrition label or not, and it’s much easier to achieve your weight goals when you know how many you’re consuming.

A calorie counter is one of the easiest ways to consistently keep track of your calorie intake. You can use an app on your phone or computer. Even if you don’t consistently use a calorie counter, it’s a good idea to try it out for at least two weekdays and one day on the weekends to know if you’re meeting your daily calorie goal. Only do this if your weekdays and weekends are similar. If your schedule is different every day, you may need to do a calorie count for the week.

You should also familiarize yourself with the calorie counts of your favorite foods so that you can make smarter in-the-moment decisions. Start by reviewing nutrition labels. If you have your phone handy you can easily search for the calorie content of the food. Many calorie counter apps also allow you to scan a food’s barcode to easily locate its nutrition facts label. In addition to calories, labels provide valuable information about what’s in your food, so it’s crucial that you understand how to read them. And make sure to follow the dos and don’ts of counting calories correctly!

How Many Calories Should I Eat?

Knowing the calorie counts of your favorite foods is only helpful if you know the total number you should be striving for. The truth is that the number varies person-to-person based on age, gender, activity level, daily calories burned, and weight goals. In other words, the “2,000 calorie diet” quoted on nutrition facts labels don’t apply to everyone.

So how many calories should you be eating? Enter your information into a daily calorie goal calculator to find out, then use a calorie counter to track your food intake and see if you’re meeting your goal.

How Many Calories Are in Carbs, Proteins, Fats, and Alcohol?

Some foods contain more calories than others, and it often depends on the macronutrient content of the food. In general, foods are made up of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, each of which provides a different number of calories:

If you’re drinking alcohol, keep in mind that one gram provides 7 calories. After a few drinks, the calories in your favorite alcoholic drinks can really stack up—and that makes sense.

Proper portion sizes will provide a balanced amount of calories. Make a few portion size mistakes or eat a meal too high in calories and you may find yourself gaining weight.

Understanding Calories vs. Quality of Diet

Does it matter where your calories come from? Is it better to get most of your calories from protein, or eat fewer calories from carbs?

Experts have argued on this topic for some time, but the answer is simple: a calorie is just a calorie when it comes to counting the numbers, but the different sources of calories can have different effects on your weight because of factors like satiety and effects on hormones.

Bottom line: focus on eating a healthy, balanced diet full of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins to get the most benefit.

Are Nutrition Facts Labels Accurate?

We’d like to believe that nutrition facts labels are 100% accurate, but because of imperfect measuring techniques, FDA labeling regulations, variations in cooking techniques, and factors like digestibility, they’re often not. The numbers we see are merely estimates—but they’re strong estimates that we can use to achieve our goals.

Remember, the formulas used to figure out calorie goals provide estimates, too. If you’re closely following them but aren’t seeing the results you’re aiming for, it’s a good idea to work with a registered dietitian, doctor, or other healthcare professional to figure out why.