How Many Calories To Lose Weight – Where To Start

How many calories to lose weight, is probably one of the most frequent things people ask me. Back at the start of January 2009, I had a large amount of weight to lose. To lose my initial target of 56lbs I set a goal of 12 months, so a little over 1lb per week. I achieved my weight loss target earlier than planned, taking around 10 months.

To lose a large amount of weight over a long period, you need to develop a good understanding of how many calories you need. I feel that with not only losing a large amount of weight, but also in keeping that weight off, I am well placed to advise you on what you should look at in terms of reducing the number of calories to lose weight.

I know I say this quite often, but weight loss is simple, it is just not easy. What I mean by that is, if you create a calorie deficit, then you will lose weight, no matter what foods you eat. Yes I know there will be a  number of people that say there is more to it than that, but after  taking 20 years to finally win my weight loss battle, I am here to to tell you that you won’t be able to convince me it is anything more than calories in v calories out. I am proof It really is that simple.

The hard part, and the reason why I say it is not easy is you have to figure out a way how to do it that works for you. So no matter what method you are going to chose to lose weight, you first need to know how many calories you need on a daily basis, once you know this, then you look at how many calories to lose weight will be  required.

How Many Calories To Lose Weight – Take Your Best Guess

Unless were are going to spend 24 hours a day in science lab with all the gadgets known to man monitoring our calorie consumption and metabolic rate, then for those of us living in the real world, the best option we have is to make an educated guess as to how many calories we are eating. Yes that’s right, we have to guess. Put simply there is no way we can be exact about it. Food labels are a guide.  One reason we tend to put on weight is because we overestimate how many calories we burn, and we underestimate how many calories we consume. So when it comes down to calories and weight loss, turn it around. Start to guess higher for what you eat, and calculate lower for what you burn. To know how many calories your burn per day, see the resting metabolic rate  post. This will give you a benchmark number from which to start.

How Many Calories To Lose Weight – Daily Or Weekly Total

So the next thing to consider is should you base the number of calories for losing weight on a daily or weekly total ?.  My advice is to work out your weekly calories, and use this as your guide for how many calories to lose weight.

The reason for this is it easier to eat less calories on certain days than others. Weekends for example, we tend to consume more calories, often due to social engagements which usually include food and drink, but we find it easier to reduce the amount of calories we eat during the week.

Again to give you an example Iwill use my weekly calorie level of 12000 calories based on my resting metabolic rate ( approx 1700 calories per day )  Monday and Tuesday I find it very easy to keep my calories at about the 1000 mark,. So a week for me may look as follows.

Mon – 1000 cals

Tues -1000 cals

Wed -1250 cals

Thurs – 1250 cals

Friday – 2500 cals

Sat –  2500 cals

Sun – 2500 cals

This would be 12000 calories which is more or less my  RMR maintence.  If I wanted to lose 1lb of fat in one week, then I need to cut 3,500 calories from this total.

Once you have a clear plan of how to lose weight, the process becomes easier. In my case I  created a calorie deficit using intermittent fasting. After different experiments I found the eat stop eat method was best for me. We are all different, and all that matters is that you find your own way creating a calorie reduction that you can stick with. For more help with this check out my weight loss tips page

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