How many calories does an adult needs per day?

Ahh, where to begin. Well I guess the best place to start is also the most feared place to start. YOUR METABOLISM. Many of us think that we have no metabolism, it’s non-existent, don’t even look at that piece of cake or you’ll gain 5lbs.

                Well none of that is true unfortunately. You do have a metabolism! Your metabolism is the sum of all the daily processes that your body does. Let’s look at a few examples.

1. Blinking your eyes
2. Thinking
3. Maintaining your hair, skin, and nail health
4. Using the restroom
5. Your heart beat

Should I continue??? Your metabolism makes up EVERYTHING you do. The simple act of being alive burns more calories than you think. For instance

• A 5’10”, 30yo, 200lb Male = about 2000 calories
• A 5’5”, 30yo, 150lb Female = about 1500 calories

And these numbers increase and decrease the older, heavier, taller/shorter you get. BUT NOT BY MUCH. Did you know for every 10 years you get older; your metabolism only slows down about 50 calories per day? That is only 8-10 almonds!! That’s nothing.

Did you also know that the heavier you are the MORE calories you burn throughout the day! That’s right, if you have weight to lose enjoy your food while it lasts because as your weight decreases so does the number of calories you need each day.

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Next, we have to take into account our life! What do we do all day? What do we do for work? Are we chasing kids around all day? Do we walk the dog? Is it a long walk into the office where we work? These things are NEAT. Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis – Burning calories but not exercising!!

All of these things burn additional calories than the ones we previously discussed. Have a more active life, eat more food!! It’s the greatest and it’s EASY!

Next, we can discuss exercise. Exercise is tricky, just because you workout longer doesn’t necessarily mean you’re burning more calories than you would in a shorter exercise bout. Intensity is the name of the game here. Want to burn more calories? Exercise harder, as long as you can.

Now, don’t think you have to kill yourself during each exercise session, but also don’t use your 30-minute walk as an excuse to eat an entire large pizza!

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Lastly, FOODDDD!!! Yum! Did you know that the simple act of digestion, chewing, and absorbing nutrients all burn calories!! This is called Thermic Effect of Food! And there’s a scale! More complex foods BURN more calories while digesting them than simple ones! Eat more complex foods (sound familiar?) Here’s the order in which foods burn the most calories to digest and utilize:

1. Food proteins (Animal Products)
2. Vegetables and fibrous foods
3. Complex carbs (beans, grains, starches)
4. Simple Carbs (fruits, sugars)
5. Fats (nuts, avocados, oils)

Now most foods belong in multiple categories, unlike candy (which is all sugar), things like beans are a mixture of carbs, fiber, and protein! Aka more complex!

So, as you can tell there are MANY things that affect how many calories an adult should be eating. And therefore, you should realize that there is no “One size fits all” diet. The nutrition plan you follow should encompass all of these things and set you up for success long-term. Not leaving you hungry all the time, not leaving you tired, not make you sick or too full. But just right, and enjoyable. That way you can maintain your nutrition habits long-term!