Caloric Balance

To maintain, lose, or gain weight, it's all about calorie balance. That means that if you consume more calories than your body uses, they will be stored as fat. One pound of body fat is equal to 3,500 calories. Losing one pound requires a deficit of 3,500 calories. For example, eating 500 fewer calories per day and burning 500 calories at the gym per day (for a total of a 1000 calorie per day deficit) would result in a 2 pound weight loss per week.