Balanced diet

A diet that contains adequate amounts of the nutrients necessary for good health. Balanced diet needs a balance of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats which contains the correct amounts of nutrients, vitamins, and minerals.

To lose weight, the amount of calories you get should be lower than you burned in a day. The following examples are the estimated calorie needs per day, by age, sex, and physical activity level based on United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) guidelines.

:: Males ::

Age	Sedentary	Moderately Active	Active
19-20	2,600	2,800	3,000
21-25	2,400	2,800	3,000
26-30	2,400	2,600	3,000
31-35	2,400	2,600	3,000
36-40	2,400	2,600	2,800
41-45	2,200	2,600	2,800
46-50	2,200	2,400	2,800
51-55	2,200	2,400	2,800
56-60	2,200	2,400	2,600

:: Females ::

Age	Sedentary	Moderately Active	Active
19-20	2,000	2,200	2,400
21-25	2,000	2,200	2,400
26-30	1,800	2,000	2,400
31-35	1,800	2,000	2,200
36-40	1,800	2,000	2,200
41-45	1,800	2,000	2,200
46-50	1,800	2,000	2,200
51-55	1,600	1,800	2,200
56-60	1,600	1,800	2,200

:: More Info ::
Here is an example balanced diet plan
Full list of estimated calorie needs by the USDA