The Calories to Lose Weight for a 145-Pound Female

The number of calories you need to maintain a body weight of 145 pounds depends on your age, your height and how active you are on a regular basis. To lose weight, you need to take in fewer calories than it takes to maintain your weight. Adjusting your caloric intake to support weight loss while increasing your level of physical activity can help you reach your weight goals, as well as improve your overall fitness and health. A great tool to help you track your daily diet and fitness goals is an online calorie calculator.

Calorie needs among 145-pound women vary based on individual factors. For example, a 35-year-old, 5-foot 3-inch, inactive woman needs roughly 1,889 calories for weight maintenance, while a woman of the same weight, age and height who exercises daily needs more than 2,300 calories to maintain her weight. Refer to the calorie calculator provided by the Baylor College of Medicine to determine your weight maintenance needs.

Customize your calorie target based on your maintenance calorie needs. To lose 1/2 pound a week, subtract 250, or subtract 500 calories to support weight loss of 1 pound per week. Although 2 pounds a week is considered a healthy rate of weight loss, taking in 1,000 calories less than your maintenance needs to meet that goal may put your calorie target below the healthy range. Women need at least 1,200 calories to support nutritional needs during weight loss, says Medline Plus. If your maintenance target is 1,800, aiming for the minimum healthy calorie target of 1,200 would establish a daily deficit of 600 calories and lead to weight loss of roughly 1.2 pounds per week.

Adding physical activity to your daily routine boosts your weight-loss potential. If you walk 30 minutes a day, for example, you can burn an additional 125 calories, or 875 calories a week. This would produce an additional pound of weight loss over the course of four weeks. If you haven't exercised in a while, start with 15 to 20 minutes of slow walking and gradually increase your speed and the duration of your activity. If walking isn't your thing, any type of aerobic activity will boost your calorie deficit.

Set a healthy weight goal within the normal range on the body mass index, or BMI, table. A body weight of 145 pounds is considered normal for a 5-foot 5-inch woman, as well as for a 6-foot woman. However, the woman in the first example is at the top of the healthy weight range for her height and might feel healthier at a lower body weight. Check with your doctor before changing your eating and activity habits if you have heart problems or specific dietary and activity concerns resulting from other health issues.