In order to lose weight, you have to reduce calories so that you burn off more than you consume. Cutting calories too fast can cause a backfire, making you so hungry that you end up binge eating to compensate for the extreme hunger you feel. Cutting too little results in minute amounts of weight loss, which means an extremely slow pace to reach weight loss goals. Cutting smaller amounts at intervals is the best way to reduce calories and lose weight.
Step 1
Find your maintenance calorie level. Write down what you eat during a regular day, and count up all the calories. This is the amount of calories you need to maintain your current weight.
Step 2
Cut up to 500 calories. Using your current calorie intake, subtract 500 calories. You need to adjust your eating habits to take in that number of calories.
Step 3
Give it time. Stay at the reduced calorie level for a few weeks to allow your body to adjust before trying to reduce your calories further. This helps by decreasing your appetite if you have to reduce it further without the shock of a sudden huge calorie decrease.
Step 4
Shave off 200 more calories. After the large calorie reduction and maintenance, if you stall or aren't losing one or two pounds a week, drop another 200 calories off your calorie intake. Again, stay at this level for a few weeks before readjusting your calorie intake.
Step 5
Repeat as necessary. You can take 200 calories off every few weeks until you are losing one or two pounds a week.
Tips and Warnings
- Avoid reducing calories to an unhealthy level. According to the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), women should take in at least 1,200 calories a day, and men should stay above 1,500 calories a day.
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