George asked his doctor about weight loss surgery. However, George’s doctor thought he should first try to lose weight by making
some dietary and lifestyle changes. What are George’s daily calorie needs (use 30 kcal/kg of body weight to calculate calorie needs)? How many calories should George be eating each day if he wants to lose one pound per week?
The caloric intake of a person depends on the sex, activity and health status. Assuming that George is an average male from the United States, we will calculate his weight to be around 88.8 Kg.
If he were to eat 30 kcal/kg of body weight his ideal amount of calories for the day would be around 2,640. This falls within the range of 2,500 calories for men and around 2,000 for women.
These values, however, are not fixed as the amount of caloric intake is dependent on the individual and this can only be determined by the health care provider and in conjunction with the needs of the individual.
