If you're not already aware of your daily calorie intake, it’s time to start! Consuming more than you need will lead to weight gain. The recommended daily calorie intake for men and women are different.
Being conscious of your calorie intake can help you maintain a healthy weight, or lose a few extra pounds if necessary.
The average recommended daily calorie intake is 2200 Calories for males, and 1800 calories for females. These values are based on an average weight and physical activity of the average male and female Singaporean. For a more personalised and accurate calorie requirement, you would need to take into account your age, gender, height, weight, and activity level. Find out your daily recommended calories requirement with the Body Mass Index (BMI) and Calorie Calculator.
You can download the Healthy365 app by HPB for iPhone or Android — which includes an easy-to-use Meal Log tool that tracks calories across an extensive database of local dishes.
Related: Cut 100 Calories From Your Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner Every Day
One of the simplest and most effective methods for controlling your calorie intake is portion control. Often, we eat what is on our plate rather than what our body needs. By deciding beforehand how much we need and what goes on our plate, we are a lot more likely to succeed in controlling our diet and calorie intake.
Here’s a scenario: You’ve identified that your recommended daily calorie intake is 2200 Calories. It’s now time for dinner, and you’ve already consumed 1500 Calories throughout the day. That leaves you with an allowance of 700 Calories for dinner. You should then portion what goes onto your dinner plate accordingly to keep those extra pounds away.
A range of dishes on your dining table to choose from:
To achieve your target of 700 Calories, you can only pick, for example, the brown rice (137 kcal) + beef rendang (201 kcal) + sambal egg (67 kcal) + fish ball soup (53 kcal) + spinach (163 kcal), which would add up to 621 Calories. If you wanted the scoop of ice cream, you would have to forgo another item such as the sambal egg.
Depending on your physical output for the day, you might also want to adjust your food intake accordingly. For example, if it’s the weekend and you did nothing but sit in front of the TV all day, you could consider adjusting your portion downwards.
Consuming too many calories which we do not use up will lead to weight gain. Studies show that when our body weight is at an unhealthy range, we are at a higher risk of health problems such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, among other chronic diseases.
Related: An Introduction To Calories
Consuming the right number of calories is a good first step towards achieving a healthier body. However, you should know that not all calories are equal. Keeping to the calorie count on a diet consisting of only sugary cakes, meat dishes, or a glass of wine is far from ideal. This is because your body needs a variety of vitamins and minerals, as well as fibre to function properly.
One simple way to achieve this is to follow My Healthy Plate guidelines for a balanced meal. Fill your plate with 1/2 plate of fruit and vegetables, 1/4 of wholegrains, and 1/4 of lean meat and others.
Eating healthy is not limited to eating the right amount and the right mix. It is also important for optimum nutrition to choose healthy foods prepared with healthier options and ingredients. Steamed chicken, for example, is far healthier than deep-fried chicken.
For example, wholegrains are healthier than refined grains (white rice or bread) as they contain more vitamins, antioxidants and fibre. In addition, they also keep you feeling fuller for longer, which helps reduce the risk of overeating. Choosing healthier cooking oils are also important as they can affect your body’s good (High density lipoprotein) and bad (Low density lipoprotein) cholesterol levels.
Here are six useful tips to help you achieve your food intake target:
If fat loss is one of your weight loss goals, merely controlling your calorie intake will not be enough to do the trick. Diet and exercise are pertinent when it comes to healthy weight loss.
You should be doing a combination of cardio and strength-training exercises, which are useful in losing fat as well as gaining muscle mass.
Instead of turning to fad diets that may have negative side effects on our health, a better healthier option would be a healthy lifestyle that includes healthy eating habits and includes physical activity each day. Don’t forget to rest well by getting at least 7 hours of sleep every night!
Download the Healthhub app on Google Play or Apple Store to access more health and wellness advice at your fingertips.
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This article was last reviewed on 17 Jun 2025
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