Is it true that in order to lose weight successfully, I need to consume less calories then I burn?
602491
Your body needs a cetain amount of calories to function each day.  Walking, breathing, working, etc.  all need energy (calories).  I suggest consulting a doctor about a proper diet and exercise program.  They can steer you in the right direction for the number of calories to consume each day for your current body composition.
569011
No, but it will help you to gain muscle mass.\nThe only way to lose weight is to expend more calories than you take in, and this can only be accomplished with diet and/or exercise.
1062653
No, your body does not become less efficient, it simply goes back to the way it was before you took them. Which is why fat burners and diet pills are not a good way to lose weight unless you want to be on them forever. They speed up your metabolism while you are on them, and also suppress your appetite. But when you stop them, your metabolism returns to normal, and your appetite returns to normal. So once you stop taking them, and your metabolism slows down and you start eating more again, you start gaining weight again. Which is  why it would "seem" as if your body is less efficient at burning fat.\nSo if you really want to lose weight and keep it off, you should do it in a healthy way. Dont diet. Diets are temporary and most people dont stick with them. Plus when you are done dieting, you go back to eating the same old foods and gain the weight back. And trying to starve yourself on a diet is not healthy. You have to permanently change your diet. Not less food, just healthier food choices. Drink lots of water, end excercise. This will raise your metabolism naturally, and keep it raised.
205379
Your body doesn't work that way.  When you burn calories, the body loses weight in a certain order.  Same with gaining weight.  You can't lose weight in only one specific area.  You can only tone the muscles in that area, but that won't make the fat go away there.
480352
Cut calories and exercise. In order to lose weight you need to burn more calories than you consume. However, if you cut too drastically you won't lose because your body will be starving. Also, you shouldn't try to lose more than 1 or 2 pounds a week, because it is unhealthy for the body. Slow and steady is best.
372056
burn more calories then you take in. its the only way. exercise more eat less
367357
No such thing.\nThis is another example of quackery and pseudo-science.\nAs the first answerer (Some Geek) rightly said, the effect upon metabolism is negligible.\nYou will lose weight when your energy-food (carbohydrates and fats) intake is less than your energy usage.\nLook here:
639824
It's true that you have to burn more calories than you eat to lose weight.  If you eat more than you burn, the excess is stored as fat.  However, you use a fair amount just by normal daily tasks such as walking round, keeping the body warm and alive, etc.  Depending on what you do during the day, you will burn off 1500 calories or more.
114961
In general, you have to have a calorie deficit of 3500 calories to lose a \npound of weight.  This deficit can be produced by eating fewer calories, by \nusing more calories (being more active), or a combination of the two.  \nCertainly, the easiest way to do this is by eating about 250 calories less \na day and exercising about 250 calories more a day to lose about 1 pound a \nweek.  Given that it takes about 3500 calories to lose a pound of weight \nand that the average calorie need for most of us is about 2000 calories a \nday, it stands to reason that losing more than a couple of pounds a week is \nmathematically impossible.
1049536
Yess offcourse but just don't over do it. Eat any ice cream you want and then do a little exercise to burn those extra calories..Its as simple as that!
842376
It's ok we all need reasurance sometimes.  it seems like you work hard but just got confused.  I'll try and help.\n\nI’ll assume you know how many pounds is lost given a certain amount of calories because I don’t.  If the desired weight is 5 pounds take the number of pounds lost per calorie and multiply it by 5..  This number is the total amount of calories needed to burn.  Then you take that number and you divide it by the number of calories burnt in an hour (740) That gives you the number of hours.\n\nI'm an economist not a nutrition major so sorry hope the suggestion helps.  It seems like your other answerers are too harsh.
428747
Nope.  Look at an exercise table and it will tell you how long you have to do a given activity to burn so many calories.  A small portion of ice cream probably has 200 calories, which you would have ro run for say a couple of hours for to burn.  Exercise is good, dieting is better, and both is best.
726834
This is not a safe way to lose weight. Doing this will cause your body to go into what is known as starvation mode. After this happens you will no longer burn fat but your body will begin to store fat and burn muscle in an attempt to survive from starvation.\n\nYour approach is right, but your numbers are WAY off.\n\nIt would be better if you (for easy math lets say) take the number 12 and times that by your body weight. This number will be your maintenance level. Now subtract 300-500 from that number. This is the amount of calories you should be eating.\n\nHowever if you decide to do exercise that will burn (lets say for easy numbers) 400 calories a day, you should raise the amount of calories being consumed by 200. \n\nTrust me when I tell you, that this will be most effective while trying to lose 30 lb, especially if you want the 30 lb to be fat and to stay off.\n\nGOD BLESS
712418
Eating less and increasing activity to burn more calories.
904636
Losing weight is a simple equation: if you burn more calories than you eat, the weight will come off. Start off by estimating how many calories you burn each day using the calorie calculator (http://www.straighthealth.com/pages/tools/caloriecalclb.html). This will give you an idea of how many calories to eat. Healthy weight loss is 1-2 pounds per week. To lose 1 pound per week you need to create a calorie deficit (bur more than you eat) of 500 calories per day. To lose 2 pounds a week, you have to double the deficit to 1000 calories per day. You can achieve this by eating less, exercising more or a combination of both. For more information on diet, weight loss and exercise, visit http://straighthealth.com
1072411
If you burn more calories than you take in, you will lose weight.
411230
The "negative calorie diet" is a scam!  There is only one way to lose weight and that is to decrease calorie consumption and increase exercise.  I am trying to do both of these myself, so I wish you the very best!\n\n"Negative Calorie Diet - Truth or Scam?\n\nThe truth about any food or diet is that they contain calories. To understand the falsehood of a negative calorie diet, you must understand the definition of a calorie. \n\nA calorie is simply a measure of energy. One calorie equals 4 Joules of energy. The purpose of food is to provide energy to the body. Food is design to contain energy and therefore calories. There is no such thing as foods with negative calories (except in the minds of slick marketers trying to sell you their product). \n\nYou must consume less calories than you take in to lose weight. Success or failure depends on the method you choose to control calories.\n\nIt’s your overall calorie consumption that matters.  To lose 1 to 2 pounds per week, most females should stay between 1200 and 1500 calories per day. Men should consume between 1500 and 1900 calories per day to lose the same amount of weight.\n\nInstead of focusing on foods with negative calories, which don’t exist, strive to stay within your calorie limit to lose weight. You will need to switch to lower calorie foods and you should eat 4 to 5 times per day. The more small meals you eat, the more efficient your body becomes at burning fat."