One issue many people struggle with when coming up with their fat loss diets is how many calories they should be taking to experience fat loss.  They may read something that says they should take in this number of calories then go over and read something else that gives them a completely other number. 

So how do you really know how many calories to take in for maximum fat loss? 

The answer is that it varies - probably not the answer you were looking for, but with the right information on hand, you can make a much smarter decision in terms of how many calories you take in regularly to get the results you're looking for. 

Here's what to consider. 

Current Body Fat Level 

The first thing to consider is what your current body fat level is.  If you're already quite lean, you're going to be able to eat more calories while trying to lose fat than if you aren't.  The primary reason for this being that when you have more lean muscle mass, your body will burn more calories just sitting there doing nothing, so you can afford the extra calories while still being able to lose weight. 

Type of Diet 

The second thing that you need to think about when calculating how many calories you can eat on your fat loss diet is the actual type of diet you're on. 

If you're on a higher protein diet, you can eat fewer calories than if you were on a diet that consisted of lower amounts of protein (say one gram per pound or less).  The reason for this is becauase protein helps to preserve lean muscle mass, so you'll risk less muscle mass despite eating fewer calories total. 

Lenght Of Time On The Diet 

Finally, the third thing to think about when calculating your calories is how long you plan to be on the diet for. If it's just a shorter term diet, you can take in fewer calories than if it's over the long-term. 

Long-term low calorie intakes are much more likely to lead to muscle mass loss, so it's vital that you aren't following one for months on end. In addition to this, lower calorie diets will slow the metabolic rate down lower as well, which can also prove to be quite problematic for future weight loss. 

So be sure you keep these points in mind when determining your calorie intake for fat loss. Making sure to track it regularly will ensure you see the results you're looking for. 

For more factors that come into play and to learn how to calculate the exact number of calories you should take in, check out this article I just wrote on:

---------> Calorie Intake For Maximum Fat Loss