Think of your diet like it is a bank account. Depending on the result you want you can “spend” or “save” your calories leaving more, or less, in the ”bank”, or your body, than what started with.

If you are trying to lose weight you need to use up more calories than you consume. If you are trying to gain weight (maybe you are trying to add muscle or gain weight for medical reasons) you need to eat more calories than you will use and leave some in your body.

On a daily basis it should be your goal to get your budget right. Sometimes this is difficult as you might be in a situation where you have to do with what you have. If you are out for a family meal you might deposit too many calories that day. If you can’t get away for lunch, which is a bad habit, and you miss a meal, you may need to make up for it. Try to think of your diet in a longer interval than a day. A week is more reasonable than a day to work with. If you can make the right choices for your calorie budget on a weekly basis you will be in good shape at the end of each month. That is when you get your “bank” statement. Weigh and measure to make sure you are on track.

Try using the calculators on the site to help you get an idea of how many calories you are consuming and how many calories you need to burn off through activities so you can set up your budget.

Good Luck.