Caloric needs are based on a number of factors, but Stephanie Ferrari, a registered dietitian with Fresh Communications, said, "The most important ones for a healthy individual include gender, age, weight, height, and activity level." It's best to meet with a registered dietitian to help determine how many calories you need each day in order to lose weight; they can assess your lifestyle, goals, and health history (but this formula will give you an idea).
After you have that calorie goal set, for absolute accuracy, weigh and measure your food and track your calories in an app such as MyFitnessPal to help you stay within your range. Take photos of everything you eat if you don't have time to track throughout the day. Or, if you tend to go over your calorie amount, try tracking the night before so your meals and snacks are already planned out.
Registered dietitian Leslie Langevin, MS, CD, of Whole Health Nutrition said to opt for meal repetition since "it helps with food tracking to make it faster." Langevin recommends having a handful of go-to healthy meals that you can rotate between throughout the week to prevent boredom and help you get a variety of nutrients.