Weight maintenance is about balance
Weight loss depends on energy balance.
To lose weight, your energy intake must be less than your energy expenditure.
To lose weight, you have to change your energy balance. There are two ways to do this – consume less energy (Calories) or expend more energy (exercise). The easiest way to reduce your consumption is to cut back on the size of your portions and/or the amount of high-Calorie foods and liquids that you consume. This doesn’t mean that you have to give up any particular favorite food. A smart approach is to just eat less of those high-calorie foods and fill up on lower, healthier foods. Keeping track of calories is your best bet in controlling weight gain. It is all about the numbers.
One pound of fat is equal to 3500 calories. You need to cut 500 calories per day to lose one pound of fat per week. Try to do this by cutting 300 calories from food and increasing exercise each day to burn 200 more calories.
Use this simple method for a start.
Weight x 10-15.
10 is for non active people and 15 is for very active.
Example:
John weighs 170lbs. and exercises 4 days per week.
170 x 15 = 2550
Now take off 300 calories from this number and add a short exercise routine for an additional day, burning 200 calories.
2550-300-200 = 2050 calories per day
This should lead John in the right direction for a weight loss goal of 1 lb. per week
If this does not produce your desired outcome, you can drop or expend an additional 100 calories per day until you find the right balance. Starting off with too low of a calorie range will not produce better results and is typically an unhealthy approach that may lead to fatigue and fat storage.
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