- 1). Multiply your present weight in pounds by 15 to identify the amount of calories you currently consume. This calculation reveals the amount of calories needed to stay at your current weight if you are moderately active, meaning you are physically active for about 30 minutes per day.
- 2). Consult a body mass index chart to help you find your ideal weight.This chart will identify the health weight range for your gender, height and body type. BMI charts can be obtained from your health care professional or accessed online.
- 3). Calculate the amount of calories needed to maintain your ideal weight. This is your daily caloric goal; when you reach this goal, you will be at your ideal weight. Avoid consuming fewer than 1,200 calories per day if you are female and fewer than 1,500 calories per day if you are male, as this can deprive you of important nutrients and pose a health risk. Don't consume less than the recommended amounts of calories per day without first consulting a health professional.
- 4). Get yourself a chart that outlines the caloric content of foods you eat. This can be obtained from a nutritionist in a clinical setting, or you can find one online. Search tools online allow you to enter a food type and retrieve its caloric content. Use charts that can be conveniently accessed and that are easy for you to read; otherwise, you likely will quit using them.
- 5). Write down what you eat and the portion size. Use the chart to identify the calories in the foods you've eaten and add them together after each meal or at the end of the day. After practicing this for a while, it gets easier to estimate how many calories are in the meals you consume, and you may be able to count calories without writing down so much information.
- 6). Begin reducing the amount of calories by 500 to 1,000 calories per day. This will result in a weight loss of between 1 and 2 pounds per week. This is considered the most healthy rate of weight reduction and has the most lasting effects. You can reduce calories by changing the types of foods you eat to have lower caloric density -- for example, replacing your lunch of lasagna with a salad, or by eliminating extra snacks throughout the day. If you are trying to gain weight, use the same principle in the opposite direction by adding calories to your diet.