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Is Cutting Calories and Exercising More Really the Correct Answer?
The sizes of your portions affect how many calories you're getting. Twice the amount of food means twice the number of calories. It's common to underestimate how much you're eating, especially if you're dining out. Controlling your portions is a good way to control calories. Replacing high-calorie foods with lower calorie alternatives and reducing your portion sizes can help you cut calories and improve weight control.
For a successful — and sustainable — weight management plan, you also need to increase your physical activity. Combining regular activity and healthy eating will best help you achieve and maintain a healthy weight. Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission.
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10 ways to cut 500 calories a day
Free E-newsletter Subscribe to Housecall Our general interest e-newsletter keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics. Sign up now. Counting calories: Get back to weight-loss basics Weight control really boils down to one thing — calories. By Mayo Clinic Staff. Show references Atallah R, et al. Let's put it this way: You can run for a solid hour to create a calorie deficit, or you can just cut that jumbo muffin from your diet in the first place.
Either approach can lead to weight loss; it's just a matter of which is easier to manage both physically and mentally.
To cut through the confusion, we tapped experts to show you exactly how to cut calories for weight-loss success. When cutting calories, you'll be far more successful if you count 'em as you go. But while calorie counting often gets a bad rap, it's key to weight loss for a few reasons. For starters, counting calories keeps you accountable.
In addition, chances are you underestimate just how many cals are in your go-to breakfast burrito, post-workout smoothie, or afternoon cookie don't worry, we all do it. Logging your food will give you a better handle on exactly how many calories you're consuming, which is critical if your goal is weight loss, says Kristen F. Gradney, R. Many apps even allow you to scan barcodes so figuring out how to cut calories is easier than ever. Pojednic recommends MyFitnessPal. But before you start slashing calories left and right, you need to figure out how many calories you need per day just to maintain your weight.
You can do this by figuring out your basal metabolic rate BMR , or the number of calories your body burns at rest. Your BMR is determined by a host of different variables, including sex, age, height, muscle mass, genetics and even the weight of your organs. And according to a review in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise , your BMR is responsible for a whopping 60 to 75 percent of your total daily caloric expenditure, while physical activity and digestion account for the remainder.
The best way to get an accurate BMR number is to visit a doctor, nutritionist, or fitness facility for an indirect calorimetry test to measure your oxygen consumption. For a woman on a budget, your quickest, easiest option is to plug your height, weight, and current activity level into an interactive calculator online. Once you have your daily caloric estimate and are trying to figure out how to cut calories—and how many to cut—Spano recommends subtracting no more than calories to get your new daily total. Just keep in mind, this total is a starting point. Feel free to adjust if you find you need fewer-or more-calories than you're currently allotted.
If you slash calories too low, you may lose weight initially, but you'll risk some unpleasant side effects: headaches, moodiness, and low energy, Pojednic says. Not to mention, calories are what fuel your workouts those carbs are crucial! So, if you find you're struggling with your current calorie allotment, don't be afraid to tinker with it until you find a sustainable total.
Otherwise, you'll sabotage your weight loss later on. Or more," Pojednic says. Just keep in mind that once you start dropping pounds, your daily calorie needs will also drop, Spano says. This is because simply put, smaller things require less energy to power them. Think of it this way: Your smartphone likely uses less juice than your laptop or tablet.
So, if you're using the USDA calculator or another online tool, recalculate your daily caloric needs once you lose 10 pounds. This way, you don't eat more calories than you need. If you coughed up cash for an in-office test, wait until you've lost 20 pounds or more to get re-tested, and use an online calculator to tide you over until then.
Once you're ready to cut calories, start by slimming your bevvies, Gradney says. To avoid feeling deprived, pick calorie- and sugar-free versions of your favorites. From there, cut high-cal condiments like mayonnaise, and top your salads with vinegar-based dressings instead of creamy ones.
Exactly How to Cut Calories to Lose Weight | Shape
You can also reduce calories by subbing in fiber-rich fruits and veggies for your mid-afternoon snack, which offer the added benefit of keeping you fuller longer. Your best options include apples, bananas, raspberries, dark greens like spinach, carrots, and beets. Spano also recommends cutting fat before carbs, especially if you're a runner or HIIT-lover. You'll want to stick with general dietary recommendations, which suggest approximately grams of carbohydrates per day. Limit saturated fat to less than 10 percent of your daily calories. And no surprise here , fueling up on small amounts of junk food is not the smartest fix for how to cut calories.
Swap out high-fat, high-sugar foods like muffins, chips, and processed meats for nutritionally dense options like leafy greens, whole grain breads, and lean protein. This will give you the most nutritional bang for your buck, helping you fill up while you slim down. Okay, so you've calculated your daily caloric needs and dutifully tracked your food intake to stay within a calorie deficit.
What if, after weeks-or even months-of effort, the scale hasn't budged? According to Pojednic, if you're sticking to a calorie per day deficit, you should be on track to lose about 2 pounds per week. So if you haven't seen any progress after 30 days, it may be time to enlist the help of a physician or registered dietitian, Pojednic says. According to Spano, it's not uncommon for people to calculate their calorie needs incorrectly, overestimate how many calories they're burning through exercise, or underestimate how many calories they're eating.
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A physician or registered dietitian can help pinpoint your problem, and advise new strategies to get you on track think increasing exercise or meal frequency, or re-evaluating your calorie-counting method. Scientists at Harvard and Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge found that people who lowered their calorie intake lost an average of 13 pounds in six months no matter what kind of diet they were on. These findings give you flexibility to trim a bit here and there and still enjoy your favorites.
In fact, by nixing just calories a day, you'll lose more than 10 pounds a year.