I get asked one question more than any other: How many calories can I eat per day and lose weight?
One pound is about 3500 calories. If you cut 500 calories a day from your regular diet, you will lose about one pound a week (500 calories x 7 days = 3500 calories). Cut 1,000 calories a day and you'll lose about 2 pounds a week. If you add exercise that burns 500 calories a day, then you can trim off another pound a week. Find a way to burn 1,000 extra calories a day and you lose 2 pounds per week through exercise.

That's pretty straightforward. How you apply that knowledge and put together a weight loss strategy is where things can get off track. You could, for instance, take the information above and decide to cut 1,000 calories a day from your normal diet, and add 1,000 calories a day of exercise. You would lose about four pounds a week. The real issue is, can you sustain that? The problem a lot of us have with weight loss is the whole binge/purge cycle. Some call it "yo-yo dieting". We go on extreme diets that take the weight off fast (yay!), but then most of us break the diet and gain the weight we lost, often plus a little more.

If you've been on this cycle for a few years, you may be getting tired of it. This site is for the people who are getting tired of the binge/purge cycle, but who still have a soft spot for all those wonderful fast weight loss techniques that deliver such a great weight drop, even if we know its probably not going to stay off. Rapid weight loss is a great way to get started, right, so why not take off the first twenty pounds fast and then do the healthier, slower, more permanent weight loss, right? Right?

I am right there with you, even though I know slower weight loss is more likely to work (2 pounds a week or less is "slow"). But consider this: Farmers fatten pigs by putting them on severe food restriction for a few days, then letting them eat all they want for a few days, then restricting food again, then overfeeding again. That got my attention. The way a lot of us diet is the same way farmers fatten pigs. If that does not chasten even the most gleeful binge dieter, I don't know what will.

How to Lose Weight in a Week

There's more than one way to do it. I review the master cleanse, a vegan diet, a raw foods diet, a high protein diet, and what 90 minutes a day of exercise can do.

Weight Loss Articles

Healthy Snacks for Weight Loss
Snacking can make or break a weight loss plan. Here's how to snack without guilt.

Portion Size Guide
The two most popular ways to measure portions in the popular media are 1) by comparing portion sizes to common items and b) comparing portion sizes to your own hand. Of the two, I vastly prefer using hands.

How To Prevent Binge Eating
Once you start to chow down, its almost impossible to start. Here's how to never get started.

Running to Lose Weight
Nothing burns off the calories like a run. Here's how to get yourself going.

Foods to Eat to Lose Weight
So many diets tell you what you can't eat. Here are some foods you can eat all you want of.

Calcium for Weight Loss
Can increasing your calcium intake really boost your weight loss? Yes.

The Best Way to Lose Weight is Slowly
3 reasons why losing weight slowly is far healthier and more effective than losing it quickly.

There are Two Kinds of Weight Loss
Some thoughts on the differences between fast and slow, temporary and permanent weight loss.

Walking to Lose Weight
How much you have to walk to actually lose weight, and how to burn more calories as you walk.

Meditation for Weight Loss
If you have ever eaten because you were stressed or depressed, meditation can be a major tool in your weight loss.

Top 10 Weight Loss Tips
A lot of these sound like things your mother used to say "eat breakfast, get enough sleep, take a vitamin" but others, like "build muscle, eat enough to be full and find low calorie food you like" might not have been said enough.

71 Weight Loss Tips
71 proven, effective weight loss tips and techniques that can translate into a slimmer you.

Eat Apples to Lose Weight
Why apples are a fantastic weight loss food. My trainer says I can eat as many apples as I want.

How to Really Lose Weight
How I lost 73 pounds over one and a half years.

Eat Breakfast to Lose Weight
It may seem counterintuitive to eat more to lose weight, but breakfast is the one meal a day you should not skip.

Keep a Food Diary
Keeping a food diary or an eating journal is a proven web loss tool. Here's how to do it.

Drinking Water to Lose Weight
Did you know that some kinds of water are more helpful for weight loss than others? Find out what you should be drinking.

Quick Weight Loss Tips
Do these things to accelerate your weight loss - and improve your health without a lot of fuss or time.

800 Calorie a Day Diet
Unprocessed super nutrition on 800 calories a day with 15 minutes prep time. Yes, you can. It is all about using superfoods and lots of raw vegetables, with some splurges thrown in to keep you happy.

1200 Calorie a Day Diet
1200 calories a day from unprocessed, easy-to-prepare food that can be eaten on the run.

Free Weight Loss Tips
The best things in life, and in losing weight, are free. Includes a link to my all-time favorite online weight loss tool.

How Can I Lose Weight Fast?
If you want rapid weight loss, look to a cleanse. While your chances of keeping the weight off drop the faster you lose it, there are some options to be nearly 10 pounds slimmer in one week.

Lemonade Diet or Master Cleanse
How to lose a pound a day or more while cleaning out your system and boosting your energy

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