Eat the Perfect Amount - Establishing a New Normal

How to Lose Weight

We start by finding our personal maintenance number of calories. This is how many calories we can eat and not gain or lose weight. We simply maintain. Unfortunately, finding the magic number is a bit of a guess combined with trial and error. It may take a few weeks to pen down this number, but it is worth it because with this number, losing weight becomes simple math. Without it we'll just be hungry and grumpy without results. As a starting point a woman might consider 1800 as a maintenance number of calories. A man might need 2000 calories daily. 
To lose one pound a week, eat about 500 fewer calories daily than you need to maintain. I maintain at 1800 calories a day so to lose weight, I eat 1300 daily.  

Once we have our starting number of calories, space them throughout the day, so we don’t run out.     

Because I love snacking, I’ve spaced mine like this: 

Calorie Spacing

Start the day with 16 ounces of water  

1st Breakfast 100 calories (Yogurt and fruit) 

2nd breakfast 100 calories (banana with peanut butter) 

Between breakfast and lunch drink 8 more ounces of water then 8oz with lunch 

Lunch 250 (Salad) 

Snack 50+50 (baby carrots and cheese stick) 

16 more ounces of water between lunch and dinner 

Snack 100 (1 whole apple) 

Dinner 600 (entree and ½ my plate is fruit and veggies) 

8 ounces of water with dinner and 8 oz. more before bed 

Snack 50 (milk and honey) 

Space your calories in a way that works with your schedule and plan foods you absolutely love. I set a reminder in my phone, so I don't have to decide at the last minute what I'll eat.

There are so many different diets on the web, but we are all unique and choosing a plan that someone else created can be difficult to sustain. Start in your kitchen with what you already enjoy eating.

NEXT: Easy Count Calories

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