Counting calories may seem obnoxious or time-consuming.  However, if we are trying to lose fat it is almost impossible to have continued success without knowing the amount of calories we are actually consuming.

In order to lose one pound of fat, we must burn an additional 3,500 calories!  That’s how many calories are in one pound of fat, my friends.  That number may be overwhelming if we try to swallow it all at once.  However, it is MUCH safer to lose the fat slowly.  We can do this by breaking up the 3,500 calorie deficit among a number of days.  If we want to lose one pound per week, then we would maintain a daily caloric deficit of 500 calories (500 x 7 = 3,500).  That doesn’t seem too hard, does it?  We can even get more aggressive and go for a 1,000 calorie deficit per day to obtain a 2 pound loss in a week.  With that being said, you’ll want to make a mental note that two pounds per week is commonly accepted as the maximum rate for safe and healthy fat loss.  Losing fat too quickly has its disadvantages, so it is never recommended to take on more than a 1,000 calorie deficit per day.  And, based on your specific body type, it’s usually recommended to be somewhere in that 500-1,000 caloric deficit range.

You can obtain this calorie deficit by eating less calories, getting more exercise, or both!  So, if you are actually trying to lose fat then it’s almost necessary to count your calories.  Let’s get out those calculators and start adding up the numbers!