You know you are going to have to reduce your calorie intake to lose weight, but how many calories are you going to have to eliminate. If you eliminate too many calories, your body is going to think it is being starved and it is not going to want to give up any of its weight. So the key is coming up with a number that will allow you to lose, but still allow the body to be nourished properly.

The other thing that you have to factor into the picture is exercise. Exercising will deduct calories from you daily intake. Sometimes all it takes for people to lose the desired weight is to exercise. Exercising may be enough to create the necessary calorie deficit needed to accomplish your goal. For most people, it is going to take a combination of exercise and reduced calorie eating.

An extreme calorie reduction (less than 800 to 1000) will cause your body to go into defense mode and hold onto everything that it has. 1200 to 1500 calories is a more reasonable figure to start out with and if you have a lot of weight to lose you may want to go as high as 1800 calories. You will have to gradually reduce the amount of calories (or increase your exercise) as you lose weight, in order to be able to continue to lose weight.

Keep a food record so that you can calculate the average number of calories you consume on a normal day. You will need to determine the number of calories it takes to maintain your present weight. With there being 3500 calories in a pound you will need to reduce your daily caloric intake by 500 calories lose a pound per week. To lose a pound and half weekly, you will need a 750 calorie reduction and a 1000 calorie reduction daily, will get you 2 pounds a week. These calorie reductions can be accomplished by reduced food intake or increased exercise or a combination of both. Put in its simplest terms, weight loss is simply a numbers game.

If reducing your calorie intake by 500 calories is going to put you below the 800 to 1000 calories minimum. You are going to want to reduce your caloric intake by 20 percent. This is a healthier weight loss because it is slower. If you are trying to lose 20 to 30 pounds, the 20 percent method is best for you. If you have a lot of weight to lose, you should try to get 2 pounds off, per week for the first month or two so that your body can start experiencing the health benefits (reduced joint pain, lower blood pressure, fewer respiratory problems, etc...).

If you keep track of the number, make wise food decisions and exercise regularly you will soon see the benefits of your efforts and find yourself living in a leaner, healthier, more energetic body.