What's in a calorie?

So you've heard it time and time again, cut your calories and lose weight! But you're just not sure how many calories you're supposed to be eating in the first place, right? Generally here's the rule of thumb when it comes to mealtimes and snacks calories:

350 calorie breakfast
400 calorie lunch
500 calorie dnner
2- 150 calorie snacks

Of course if you are working out ALOT, you will need more calories to balance all those efforts. Also you can breakdown your day into smaller meals, less calories per meal, to add up to the same sum.

NOW how do you figure out how many calories you should be eating for optimum weight loss?

In order to lose weight, you must create a "calorie deficit" in your day,  in other words, less calories in, more calories out. Our friends at Livestrong explain it most effectively in this breakdown:

1. Multiply your current weight by 15 (if you are moderately active, that is 30 minutes of exercise a day) Or times 10 if you are not active at all. For instance if you are 150 pounds, then doing the math, you consume 2.250 calories a day.  If you want to lose weight, you eat less than 2, 250 calories, by creating a calorie deficit.

2. To create a "calorie deficit"you  should subtract 500 to 1,000 calories from your starting number (Subtract from 2,250 calories or whatever your # came up to be). For men generally 1800-2000 to lose weight, women, 1400-1600.  Dipping any further down is not good for your body and metabolism, so make sure to consume good calories, just less calories. ******And Harvard Medical school cautions that men eat no less than 1500 and women, no less than 1200 when losing weight. You want a # that is doable in the long run, so when you reach your goal, you can add healthy calories back to maintain, not gain.