Weight loss comes down to one thing: calories in versus calories out. That means taking in (eating) fewer calories than you’re putting out (exercising/burning). In the simplest terms: to lose weight you’ve got to eat less and/or burn more.

Calorie counting is a great place to start for weight loss. But you need to know where to start.

Here’s a basic breakdown for how to determine how much you need to take in versus how much you need to put out in order to see weight loss results over time:

1. Google TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) and use the online calculator to determine your numbers. The number you get is your maintenance calories (basically your base metabolic rate -BMR- plus your exercise calories burned).

1. Track your meals in MyFitnessPal for a week. If you find that you’re eating at your TDEE you will maintain your current weight. If you’re going over, you’re likely slowly but surely gaining weight.

1. To lose weight, subtract 300-500 calories from your TDEE. This means you’ll be eating in what is called a caloric deficit. You do not want to eat less than 300-500 calories below your TDEE in the beginning. Eating too far below your TDEE can cause metabolic damage which means an even slower metabolism (fewer calories burned/slower weight loss).

1. Track your intake/output consistently. Most women need 14-21 days of straight consistency to evaluate things properly. Do your best not to take a ‘cheat’ day for the first 2-3 weeks.

A few notes:

• Healthy weight loss is 0.5-0.7% of your body weight each week. You can use a standard calculator to determine the weekly weight loss goal that is right for you.

• Rate of loss will be faster for those with higher body fat percentages or those going from being sedentary to regular activity. It will eventually slow down which is important for your metabolism and for long-term maintenance.

This is a beginning system for tracking and losing weight using calories.

Inside G-Transformation Academy, we take it a step further by teaching our clients how to count and track macros. Macro counting not only gets you results in faster time, but it also helps with body composition change (fat loss) where calorie counting alone focuses solely on weight loss.

The combination of fat loss and weight loss that happens when you’re accurately tracking macros custom for your body and goals will get you the lean look you want while following a healthy nutrition and exercise program you can maintain alongside an enjoyable lifestyle.