Featured in the second edition of Eating for Pregnancy, the Stay Balanced Diet for Mothers is a safe and healthy way to lose post-pregnancy weight, after breastfeeding, or years later.
The chart below outlines calories guidelines for maintaining weight and for weight loss, depending on your age and how active you are. Generally, when you are in the weight-loss mode, you drop approximately 500 calories from your daily maintenance calories in order to lose one pound per week: one pound equals 3,500 calories (500 calories x 7 days = 3,500 calories).
The guidelines below are just that: guidelines. Your calorie needs may be higher or lower, and might change depending on the results you get. If you find that a suggested calorie level is just too low and you are always hungry, even if you are losing weight, increase your calorie intake a bit. In the end, you are better off losing the weight at a slower pace, while changing your eating habits, than losing pounds quickly and not being able to keep them off. On the other hand, if you are not losing weight at all, and you feel you could cut out a few more calories, go for it.
*Calories per day
“Weight Loss During the Intensive Intervention Phase of the Weight-Loss Maintenance Trial,” Jack F. Hollis, Ph.D., et.al., “Weight Loss During the Intensive Intervention Phase of the Weight-Loss Maintenance Trial,” American Journal of Preventative Medicine 35, no. 2 (2008): 118 – 126.
For a more exact reading of your calorie needs, go to http://www.caloriecontrol.org/calcalcs.html and plug in your height, weight, age and activity level and you will get your estimated daily maintenance calorie needs.
