How Much Should You Eat to Lose Weight? (Most People Get This Wrong)

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If you’ve ever started the week super motivated — meal prepping, eating clean, ready to finally stick to your plan — only to crash by Thursday and “start over” again on Monday…

You’re not alone.
And it’s not because you “can’t stick to a diet” or don’t have enough willpower.

The real reason?
You’re probably not eating enough.

The “Start Over Monday” Cycle

Here’s how it usually goes:

Monday: You wake up motivated, eating small, “healthy” meals like eggs and toast for breakfast, boiled chicken and broccoli for lunch, maybe a granola bar or protein shake as a snack. You’re proud of your discipline.
Tuesday: Still on track, but not as excited about your food. You push through.
Wednesday: Energy dips. Life stressors pile up. You swap breakfast for coffee and a quick egg white bites from Starbucks.
Thursday: You drag yourself to work with your packed lunch… and see the break room donuts. You resist… for a while. But by mid-morning, you cave.
Friday–Sunday: The “I blew it” mindset kicks in. Dinner out, drinks, snacks. By Sunday night, you feel off-track and ready to “start again” Monday.

Sound familiar?
This isn’t a willpower issue. It’s a bad plan.

Why Eating Too Little Backfires

When you cut your calories way too low, your body fights back.

Your cravings skyrocket.
Your energy drops.
Your brain keeps nudging you toward food — any food.

This isn’t weakness; it’s biology. Your body is trying to protect you from what it thinks is starvation.

Finding Your Sweet Spot: The Calorie Bracket

Think of your calorie needs like a bracket:

Above the bracket: You’ll gain weight.
In the bracket: You’ll maintain weight.
Just below the bracket: You’ll lose weight — slowly and sustainably.

The key is to eat just below maintenance, not drastically under it. Aiming for about ½ to 1 pound of weight loss per week may sound slow, but over a year, it’s life-changing.

How to Figure Out How Much You Should Eat

You have two options:

1. Track Your Macros

Use a macro or calorie calculator to estimate your needs (I’ve linked my free macro calculator below).
From there, aim for a 250–500 calorie deficit — not 1,000+.

2. Use the Plate Method

If tracking feels overwhelming, build three balanced meals per day:

Protein: Chicken, fish, eggs, lean beef, tofu, etc.
Carbs: Rice, potatoes, oats, fruit, whole grains.
Healthy fats: Nuts, seeds, avocado, olive oil.
Color: Add fruits and vegetables for nutrients and fiber.

Add 1–2 high-protein snacks if needed. This naturally puts you close to your ideal intake.

Avoid “Rinky Dink” Meals

One of the biggest mistakes I see?
Building tiny 250-calorie meals that leave you starving.

When most of your food comes from whole, minimally processed sources, it’s hard to overeat.
So make your meals robust — you’ll be more satisfied, less likely to snack mindlessly, and less tempted to binge.

Change Your Mindset: Support, Not Restrict

Most diets fail because they’re built on restriction:

“I can’t have this.”
“I’m cutting out that.”

Instead, ask:
“How can I support my body today?”

When you focus on nourishment instead of punishment, it’s easier to stick with your plan long term — and actually enjoy the process.

Next Steps

If you’re ready to figure out your numbers or start building balanced meals, here are some free resources to help:

And if you need more structure to get back on track, my Well Fed Kickstart is a 30-day, self-guided program with daily prompts and resources — all for less than $1/day. Learn more here.

This post is Part 1 of my Easy Macros series.
Next up: How Much Protein Do You Actually Need? Stay tuned!

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