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How Many Calories Do You Need?
Three ways to calculate your needs.
Eating the right amount of food for your body’s needs sounds simple, but can be very challenging in today’s food environment.
We are surrounded by calorie-dense foods designed to trigger a desire for more (known as “hyper-palletable”); furthermore, “treating yourself” constantly is celebrated, and portion sizes are up.
How can we get things back in line? While there is no one-size-fits all solution, calorie management lies at the heart of all successful weight loss — whether or not this is done consciously.
Potential strategies to limit overconsumption range from intuitive eating, to altering your food environment, to implementing “rules” that minimize overeating, such as time-restricted eating or cutting out calorie-dense foods that trigger overeating (e.g. sugars and refined carbs).
This article speaks to a highly systematic approach that can be used alone or in combination with other approaches — understanding your calorie needs and choosing foods that fuel your body while keeping you within budget.
Before we dive into calculating YOUR calorie needs, let’s get some definitions straight.
What is a calorie?
A calorie is a unit for measuring…
