Understanding the mathematics behind weight loss is virtually useless unless you are aware of where you are now, and where you have been in the past. Knowing where you are right now involves documenting current diet and exercise habits. This can be done by either keeping a journal of the foods you eat and the exercise you do, or by recalling a typical week of diet and exercise.

The more specific your information, the easier it will be to know exactly what you need to do to successfully lose weight. Therefore, keeping a journal for a few days is the best way to fully understand where you are right now. Recalling this information leaves room for “guesstamations” and inaccurate records. Keeping a journal may seem tedious, but it is the best way to ensure success.

Equally important as knowing where you are now, is knowing where you have been. This means tracking weight changes that have occurred in your recent past. Weight changes are a reflection of the number of calories your body actually needs, compared with the number of calories you are eating. To determine this, ask yourself if you have recently been gaining weight, losing weight, or maintaining weight.

Answer: Gaining Weight

If you have recently been gaining weight, this means that you are in a calorie surplus (calories in > calories burned). To determine how many calories you need to cut in order to stop gaining weight, you must first average out the amount of weight you have been gaining. For example, if you have gained 10 pounds in the past 2 months, your average weight gain is 1.25 pounds per week. This means that you are eating about 4,400 more calories than your body needs each week (1.25 x 3500 = 4,375).

In order to stop gaining weight, you must create a calorie deficit in your current intake. In this case, you would need to create a 625- calorie deficit every day (4,400 ÷ 7 = 625) to maintain your current weight.

In order to start losing weight, you would have to create an even greater calorie deficit. Remember, to lose 1 pound per week you need a weekly deficit of 3,500 calories (500 calories per day). Add this to the 625 calories you need cut to stop gaining weight, and your total calorie deficit for weight loss of 1 pound per week is 1,125 (625 + 500). With such a large number, you can see why diet AND exercise are important for successful weight loss.

Answer: Losing Weight

If you have recently been losing weight, you are already in a calorie deficit (calories in < calories burned). To know the precise number of calories you are currently cutting each day to achieve this weight loss, calculate your average weekly weight loss, multiply it by 3,500 calories, and then divide by 7 days.

For example, if you have lost 10 pounds in 6 weeks, you are losing 1.6 pounds per week by creating a deficit of 830 calories (1.6 x 3,500 = 5,810 ÷ 7 = 830). Now you can calculate how many more calories you can add or subtract to your diet to either speed-up or slow-down weight loss.

Answer: Maintaining Weight:

If you have been maintaining weight, then you are neither in a calorie surplus or deficit (calories in = calories burned). Therefore, in order to lose weight, you only have to create a calorie deficit. To lose 1 pound per week, you will need to cut out 500 calories per day. To lose more weight per week, increase the amount of calories cut daily, but remember, the most successful long- term weight loss occurs at a rate of 1-2 pounds per week.

Moving On

Now that you know where you are and where you have been, it is time to determine where you are going and, most importantly, how you will get there. Before moving on to step 3, take a moment to review a summation and equation review of step 2.

Summary and Equations

• Record a few days of typical diet and exercise
• Ask yourself if you have recently been gaining weight, losing weight, or maintaining weight.
• If you answer is gaining weight, determine the following with these equations:
• Average weight gain (per week): Total weight gained ÷ Time weight gained occurred (in weeks)
• Weekly calorie deficit for weight maintenance: Average weight gained per week x 3,500 calories
• Daily calorie deficit for weight maintenance: Weekly calorie deficit needed ÷ 7
• Daily calorie deficit for weight loss of 1lb per week: 3,500÷ 7 = 500
• Total calorie deficit needed per day for weight loss 1lb per week: Daily calorie deficit for weight maintenance + 500
• If your answer is losing weight, determine the following with these equations:
• Average weight loss (per week): Total weight lost ÷ Time weight loss occurred (in weeks)
• Weekly calorie deficit to maintain current weight loss rate: Average weight lost per week x 3,500
• Daily calorie deficit to maintain current weight loss rate: Weekly calorie deficit ÷ 7
• If your answer is maintaining weight, determine the following with these equations:
• Daily calorie deficit to lose 1 pound per week: 3,500 ÷ 7 = 500 calories
• Daily calorie deficit to lose 2 pounds per week: 7,000 ÷ 7 = 1000 calories

Step 3:Where You Are Going and How You Will Get There