First of all, what is a calorie?

According to science, generally, a calorie is defined as how much energy  is required to raise  1 gram of water 1 degree Celsius.  Energy is measured in Joules, and in this case the amount of energy needed equals 4,168 Joules.

*Nutritionists apply this science when they are measuring the energy content of food. Food energy is measured in Calories (abbreviated as C) or more accurately Kilocalories (abbreviated as kcal as you often see in food packaging).  1 food calorie (kcal) = 4,168 Joules 
*Reference Webster's Dictionary

Food calories come from three types of food; Protein, Carbohydrate, and Fat.
1 gram protein= 4 kcal
1 gram carbohydrate= 4 kcal
1 gram fat= 9 kcal

The above protein, carbohydrate and fat gram calorie equivalents will help you read food nutrition labeling far more effectively.  When something is called low fat, take a look at the number of grams of fat, multiply that number by 9 and compare the resulting calories to see how many of those calories come from fat and therefore, what percentage fat there really is in that product.

So, how many calories to lose weight?  Well we know that food calories are the measurement of fuel being delivered to our bodies.  Through scientific research, we have established a knowledge base of how much fuel is burned, when our bodies are in various states of activity.  For example, a women who weighs 140 pounds will burn 480 kcal during an 8 hour (480 minutes) night sleep.  That same women, doing general household cleaning for 60 minutes will burn 200 kcal.  If that women goes for a 30 minute jog, she will burn about 233 kcal.  

The fuel your body burns takes into account your weight, the intensity of the activity, and the duration of the activity. 

So back to the question, how many calories to lose weight?
Since 1 pound = 3500 kcal, you know that for every extra 3500 kcal your body didn't need or expend, and stored as fat, you gained 1 pound of body weight.

To un-do this weight gain, this should give you an idea of what you will need to accomplish.  For simplicity sake, to lose one pound of weight per week you will have to do one of the following;
1.  Burn or expend an extra 3500 kcal of food energy via activity,
2.  Reduce your caloric intake by 3500 calories a week (500 kcal/ day),
3.  Both Reduce Caloric Intake and Increase Energy Expenditure.

3500 calories over the course of a week means we are talking about 500 calories a day that need to be reduced.  

How many calories to lose weight in your case?  The best approach to this, bringing the greatest benefits like cardio health, fitness and sense of well being in addition to a healthier weight, will be combining calorie reduction with increased activity.  

Think in terms of 1 or 2 pounds/ week for a safe and manageable weight loss program that will deliver a body that will keep the weight off.  Very rapid weight loss would not only present health risks in varying degrees depending on the individual, this weight loss would be unrealistic to maintain since extreme measures were used to achieve that weight loss.

Here is a free on-line Calorie Counter that will provide a calorie breakdown for a very extensive list of food searches.  While your there, snoop around and get great information on fitness, health, recipes and much more.

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