What Are Low Calorie Diets?

Managing your weight is based on three simple equations:

1. Calories in = Calories needed: When the calories you consume are equal to the calories that your body needs daily, your weight will stay the same. For example, most women, depending upon their age and activity level, consume from 1,600 to approximately 2,200 calories daily. When they consume this amount of calories daily, they are able to maintain their body weight. Men typically need from 2,200 to 2,800 calories or more daily, depending upon their activity levels, to keep their weight stable.
   
   
2. Calories in > Calories needed: When you consistently consume more calories than you need over an extended period of time, your weight will begin to increase as your body will store these excess calories as fat. Unfortunately, many peope are finding themselves a product of this unbalanced equation, as over 60 percent of Americans are currently overweight or obese. In other words, Americans are chowing down more calories than they need on a regular basis, and their bathroom scales are constantly reminding them of their overindulgence.
   
   
3. Calories in < Calories needed: If you routinely consume fewer calories than you need, you will begin shedding your excess weight. Since a pound of fat is the equivalent to approximately 3,500 calories, a deficit of this amount of calories, over a period of time, will produce a loss of a pound of weight. For example, if a person who needs 2,200 calories daily to maintain her weight begins to consume 1,950 calories, or 250 calories less daily, she would pleasantly find that there would be one pound less of her by the end of a two week period (250 calories X 14 days = 3,500 calories).