How Many Calories Does a Woman Need Daily?

An active woman who gets 30 minutes of physical activity five days a week should consume about 2,800 calories per day to sustain her weight and activity level. Women who want to lose weight should cut their daily calorie count by 500 to a maximum of 2,300. Inactive women who get less than 30 minutes of physical activity for fewer than than five days a week and senior women should consume 1,600 calories per day.

Losing Weight and Calories

• You must use about 3,500 calories (or about three and a half hours of high cardiovascular activity) to burn one pound of fat. With this in mind, cutting your daily intake of calories by 500 will allow you to lose 1 pound of fat per week safely. Remember to consult your doctor before beginning any new diet or exercise program.

Calories From Fat

• A person who needs about 2,000 calories per day should only have about 65 grams of fat or about 600 calories from fat.

Calories from Fruit

• Consuming fruit is an excellent way to maintain energy without much concern for weight gain. Many fruits have 30 to about 100 calories. For example, an apple has about 35 calories.

Calorie Intake and Pregnancy

• Pregnant women need about 300 more calories per day during the last 6 months of pregnancy. Healthy food choices that equal about 300 calories include 1 cup of yogurt, a flour tortilla and refried beans, or 1 cup of bran cereal with milk.

Fun Fact

• Carissa Gump, a female Olympic weightlifter, consumes 3,500 calories a day to maintain her weight of 139 pounds.