At its core, losing weight is really all about simple math. If you burn more calories than you eat on a consistent basis, you will eventually lose weight. But doing it successfully is a whole different story. Using the nutrition values in food can be an excellent way to prevent yourself from overeating and consuming too many calories based on how many you're burning each day.
Step 1
Use a calorie calculator, such as the one on The Daily Plate, listed in the Resources section, to determine approximately how many calories your body burns on its own during normal activity during the average day. You'll need to enter information such as your age, height, weight and standard activity level.
Step 2
Set a goal for the amount of weight you want to lose each week.
Step 3
Calculate how much of a calorie deficit you will need each day in order to meet your weight loss goal. For example, since you must burn 3,500 calories to lose 1 lb., you would need a calorie deficit of 500 calories per day in order to reach your goal.
Step 4
Look up the nutrition values of every food you eat. Measure each serving according to the serving size listed on the package. Use the U.S. Department of Agriculture's database of standard values for unpackaged foods such as produce for determining calories.
Step 5
Calculate the number of calories in the total serving you consume of each food by multiplying the total number of servings you ate by the number of calories in each serving. For example, if a can of chili lists its calories at 250 for 1 cup, and you eat 1.5 cups, your total calories consumed would be 375 for that food.
Step 6
Write down the total number of calories eaten each day and compare it to the total number of calories burned---your standard number burned through regular activity plus any exercise---to determine if you've had a calorie deficit for that day.
Step 7
Reduce the number of calories you eat on days after you fail to reach your calorie deficiency goal.
Things You'll Need
- Calorie calculator
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