How Many Calories Should I Eat in a Day?
“How many calories should I be eating every day?” is such a common question us dietitians get! You can find calorie calculators that tell you how much you should consume based on your weight, height, age, and activity levels but how accurate are they? They tell you the same number every day right? Okay, well is your energy level the same every day? Is your mood the same every day? Is your sleep the same every day? Is your movement the same every day?
Some days you probably have tons of energy while others you feel sleepy all day and need an extra nap. Some days you’re in a good mood, feeling happy and motivated while other days you’re maybe a little more down or moody, not feeling super motivated, or not wanting to engage with others. Some days you feel extra thirsty while others you forget to drink water. So if ALL of those things vary from day to day, why wouldn’t your caloric and nutritional needs?
START LISTENING
The best way to know how much to eat is by LISTENING TO YOUR BODY. How do you do this? By learning to become an intuitive eater. Learning to recognize your body’s varying levels of hunger and the signs of hunger and then also recognizing different levels of fullness.
The reason tracking and sticking to a calorie amount isn’t the best way to go is because it’s totally ignoring the body and what it’s telling you. If you’ve already reached your ‘allotted calories’ for the day based on some number a calorie calculator came up with for you, but you’re still hungry, would you not eat? That’s ignoring your body telling you it needs nourishment. And if you keep doing that over time, it will stop telling you that because it doesn’t trust you. There may be other days where you haven’t reached your ‘allotted calories’ and you’re just not that hungry. Should you eat more just to hit those calories or should you listen to your body and eat more if you feel hungry?
Yes, those calorie calculations can be good data and can give you an idea of a range you probably eat around, but using that number as gospel truth hinders you from being an intuitive eater and giving your body the nourishment it needs.
So INSTEAD of tracking your calories, try this:
Eat 3 meals and 2-3 snacks a day, somewhere around every 2-4 hours.
Eat meals with variety - aim for 2-4 different foods on your plate. Getting a good variety of carbs, fat, and protein will keep you satiated and give you energy. This will also help you get all the nutrients you need.
Listen to your body before you eat - how hungry am I?
Notice your body’s changing hunger cues as you eat - going from hunger to fullness
Notice your fullness. How full are you? Are you starting to feel satisfied but still want more? Eat more. Is your stomach feeling a little tight but still pretty comfortable? Maybe you’re about done. Is food starting to taste boring? You’re probably hitting a comfortable fullness right about now. Is your stomach super tight and uncomfortable? Maybe you ate a little too much or too fast. That’s okay. Your body will tell you when it’s hungry again.
It can take time to become an intuitive eater if you've been tracking calories or dieting for a long time. But we were born intuitive eaters (Think of a baby - how they will cry when they're hungry and they'll just stop when they want to be done eating. Sometimes they go 1 hour between eating and sometimes it's 3 or 4.) and we can definitely relearn it.
If you’re looking for help with becoming a more intuitive eater, you can book a free call with our dietitian, Josie, or click HERE to get on dietitian Emily’s waitlist.