calories and calories burned

Is it true that you should eat 500 less calories than you burn per day? Sounds unusual to me, but I am no expert. Can someone help?

to lose 1 lb a week.. yes.. :)

hi

i would like to think we can deduct 1000 fat calories a day -thus 2 lbs per week of pure fat.

but to make sure we dont mess with our metabolism or insulin- i also suggest balancing the meals 40% carbs, 30% protien 30% unsaturated fat. I try to eat at least 5 times a day and drink 2 gal of water. (8 glasses)

that's right, lady!  a pound of fat is the same on everyone.  3500 calories.  divide by 7, and you get the 500 cals you need to burn off in a day to lose a pound a week.    you either burn them or slash them from your intake.  best approach is to do both.  so like tom says, if you slash 500 and burn 500 extra you CAN lose 2 lb a week.

the advice about water and nutritional balance is important, too.  and no matter what you do do not go below 1200 cals per day.  your body needs that just to stay healthy.  i'm about 50-25-25, and working on getting closer to goal in that ratio.

uh.. 2 gallons of water is ALOT more than 8 - 8 oz glasses.

Okay, according to the activity chart I have been burning about 1200 calories a day. So that means I would only be able to eat 700 calories a day. But that would cause me to go into starvation, and I don't want that. I only log my work I do at my job, and the exercise I get in the morning. Maybe I am not logging everything in. I just noticed that sleeping is an activity to log in.

Also, I gained 2 lbs over night. I don't know why, or what could have caused it. The only thing I did different yesterday was not drink as much water as I normally do, only because I just didn't have time. Could not drinking water cause me to gain weight?

Lady - did you use the "expenditure" tool? - unless you are a very sendentary 3 foot tall, man, I don't think you're calculating enough to determine what you're burning.  I'm short, (5'3.5") and female, and sedentary and I burn 1600 a day.

Check out the "Tools" menu and use the "expenditure" and let this site do the math for you.  Then you'll know where to start.