The appropriate calorie intake may

The appropriate calorie intake may be determined by subtracting 500 to 1000 cal- ories from the client’s estimated total energy needs, which is the sum of calories used for basal metabolic rate and physical activity (see Chapter 7). A more general approach is to choose a specific calorie level based on gender. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recommends low-calorie diets of 1000 to 1200 cal/day for overweight women and 1200 to 1600 cal/day for over- weight men and heavier (