If you are a woman, you should consume about 2000 calories a day. If you are a man you should consume about 2500 calories a day. And if you are a child you should consume about 1600 calories a day.
If you want to lose weight in a healthy way, you should fit in a exercise routine and a healthy diet so that your body can stay healthy! Exercise is good for the body since it makes the muscles move, makes your blood reach all veins in your body and makes cells and neurons stay stronger. Eating a healthy diet makes your body have all it need: the right amount of proteins, fat, salt, water, carbohydrates calories, vitamins, minerals, etc. With the right amount of all the nutrients a body need, you will have healthy organs (heart, liver, kidneys, stomach, muscles, skin, etc).
The amount of calories you should eat to lose weight is not the right question. If you do exercise at least 3 times a time for 30m-60m each time, and if you eat healthily (fruit, vegetables, soups, meet, fish, bread, water) you will be fit, healthy, slim.
If you are overweight, the first thing to do is to cut on the unhealthy food (muffins, other cakes, sugary meals, salty meals, burgers, Pizza, etc) and start to make your diet turn to salads, fruit, vegetables, lots of fluids. Like this, you will note the difference. The thing is to eat the right food. Because if you eat the right food, with the right amounts of nutrients, your body will absorb those nutrients and make them useful for your body, and by doing exercise, any extra fat your body has will be burned. If you don't eat the right things, your body will not be 100% and it will store all the fat it can to recover its lose in nutrients. And if you don't do exercise that fat will accumulate and accumulate until you get overweight. Eat well, do exercise and you will stay fit and healthy.
On this question there is no unambiguous answer as depends on your way of life, the physical data, genetic predisposition, presence diseases and many other things much. If roughly, at a sedentary life of 1200-1500 calories a day, at an inactive way of life 1400-1800 calories a day at an active way of life 1800-2200 calories a day, at heavy physical work 2500-3000 calories a day.
For more in-depth information, see the related question and answer listed further down this page, under Related Questions.
