How Many Calories Are Needed For Weight Loss

Before we start to unpack how many calories for weight loss the average person might need, we first need to know what a calorie is.

Calories are a unit of energy measurement that refer to the potential energy in food and drink. A calorie is the amount of energy needed to increase the temperature of one kilogram of water by one degree Celsius.

Your body needs calories to do everything from breathing and thinking to walking and talking. Those you don’t use get stored as fat reserves, and the more calories go unused, the more gets stored, which causes weight gain. This is called a calorie surplus, which is the goal for underweight people who want to know how to get fat.

The number of calories that is used to maintain a certain weight and level of activity varies greatly depending on things like your age, size, and level of physical exertion.[1] If you were to compare the caloric needs of a sportsman like Ricky Ponting now and when he was in his prime, for instance, he would have needed a lot more calories back when he was playing regularly.

To lose weight, your daily caloric intake should be lesser than your daily energy expenditure.[2] The quality of calories are important, but generally, weight loss will require a calorie deficit.

For the same reason that people ask ‘How many calories for weight loss?’ the idea of calorie counting is a basic response to the problem of people just not being very good at estimating how much food they consume on the daily. Keeping track of your caloric intake can be a useful tool to prevent overeating and gain a better understanding of your regular eating habits.

You must, however, record food portions correctly for it to work. When it comes to measuring the amount of food you consume, there are various methods and implements you can use, such as the weighing scale, measuring cup, or calorie counter applications. 

Calorie counting has proven to be an effective tool for managing weight loss; however, it may not be suitable for everyone’s lifestyle. It can detract from the pleasure that is enjoying a meal, turning it into a chore of weighing and note-taking. Such a demanding practice can result in an unhealthy connection with food, which can make it even harder to maintain a weight loss plan.[3]

It can be challenging to keep track of your calorie intake for weight loss and maintain your health at the same time, which is why our doctors at Mosh can help you with a personalised weight loss plan.

You can send the details of your current situation to our Mosh doctors, who can determine custom options for you, including meal replacement shakes if the doctors find them necessary for your unique condition. 

The meal replacement shakes that come with our plans make it easier to manage your portion amounts, and we can deliver them to your doorstep for free. Even more, you won’t have to worry about running out because we can send new ones anytime you need a refill.

You may have heard about the ‘Twinkie Diet’, made famous by a nutritionist named Mark Haub, who ate mostly Twinkies, Doritos, sugary cereal, and other convenience store favourites for ten weeks and managed to lose 27 pounds by keeping his intake to a strict 1,800 calories a day.[4]

That’s certainly a demonstration of a calorie deficit, but what about those good and bad calories? 

According to Dr David Katz, there’s a significance to the ten-week time frame of Haub’s diet.[5] Long-term calorie restriction entails either putting up with hunger or feeling full and satisfied with fewer calories. In this case, calorie quality is an important factor. Aside from reaping their health benefits, consuming foods with higher nutritional value can help you feel fuller while eating fewer calories.

While it’s true that a calorie deficit is essential for weight loss, not all calories are created equal from a health perspective. Despite having similar calorie amounts, different foods have varying effects on various processes in the body.[6] 

Our bodies’ methods for maintaining a healthy weight are complex. How easily you can lose weight may depend on things you can’t change, like your medical history and genetics, as well as what you eat and how much you exercise. Personalised weight loss plans are a safe and effective way to lose weight because they take each person’s needs, limitations, and goals into account. 

If you decide that it’s time to lose some weight, instead of scrolling through results for ‘how many calories for weight loss’ you can do so safely and effectively with the help of a Mosh doctor, who can tailor a weight loss program to your individual needs, goals, and physiological condition.

First, you can take our online weight loss quiz. It will ask you a few basic questions about your goals, habits, and medical history. Your Mosh doctor can use this information to help you come up with weight loss plan that is tailored to you.

When creating a weight loss plan for you, Mosh’s doctors take into account your risk factors for developing health issues like diabetes, obesity, and high blood pressure and how sustainable it is for you to maintain the program. You can update your doctor on any progress and make any changes to your plan as your needs for weight loss change through regular check-ins. 

You can ask your doctor questions about ‘How many calories for weight loss?’ or ‘What to eat to lose weight?’ during consultation. You can even bring up specific goals and concerns like ‘how to get rid of neck fat’ or ‘how to get rid of underarm fat’ or even ‘how to get rid of fat under chin’.

Mosh is an online platform for men’s health that has services for skincare, weight loss, hair loss, mental health, and sexual health, among others. You can consult with AHPRA-registered Australian doctors who can give you science-backed advice on different health issues.

If you’re ready to start your weight loss journey, talk to us at Mosh!