A 60kg woman needs approximately 1,800 to 2,200 calories for maintenance, but this varies greatly with age, height, and activity level, ranging from around 1,600 (sedentary, older) to over 2,000 (younger, active) for weight maintenance, with weight loss requiring fewer calories. To maintain weight, a sedentary woman might need about 1,800 calories, while a very active one could need 2,200+. For weight loss, a deficit of 500 calories below maintenance is common, but never drop below 1,200-1,500 without professional guidance.
This is based on a starting point of at least 1,200 to 1,500 calories a day for women and those assigned female at birth, and 1,500 to 1,800 calories a day for men and those assigned male at birth. It can be unhealthy to take in less than that per day. Talk to your doctor about the minimum calories you need.
It depend s on how many calories you burn. If you need/burn 3000 calories per day you would not gain weight. No matter for how long you were to eat those 3000cal/day. It takes about 3500 extra/superfluous calories to gain a pound (US pound. One US pound = 454 gm, 1 kg=2.2 US pounds.).
Understanding the 3-3-3 Rule
Specifically, the rule suggests: Three balanced meals per day. Three hours between each meal. Three hours of movement per week.
One binge may not significantly contribute to fat gain because much of the weight gained is likely to be water, particularly if glycogen stores are low and the binge involves high-carbohydrate foods. Regular overeating is what typically leads to fat gain.
“Everyone's body is different, but for most people, eating less than 1,200 calories a day could slow your metabolism enough to make it harder to lose weight,” says Uy. Some signs you have low metabolism include: Weight loss progress that has slowed down. You feel tired or low energy throughout the day.
Get enough B vitamins – B vitamins, in foods such as bananas, baked potatoes, eggs, orange juice, peanut butter, peas, spinach and whole-grain foods, are essential for a fully functioning metabolism. B vitamins help your body metabolize carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, and use the stored energy in food.
If you're in a calorie deficit but not losing weight, it could be because of stress, health conditions, dehydration, mindless eating, or metabolic fluctuations. You could be miscalculating.
Other symptoms
Fastest ways to lose weight usually combine:
Our bodies need sufficient calories to function properly, and it's possible to eat too few of them, even when you're trying to lose weight. Reducing calories too drastically for too long can derail your efforts to slim down, and may cause health problems.
Things you can do to lose weight
Burn 500 Calories Working Out At-Home (30-Min Workouts)
The short answer is yes, you do burn calories, even when you sleep. As a rough idea, you'll burn about 50 calories an hour while sleeping. But the exact number of calories a person burns will all depend on their basal metabolic rate (BMR), or how many calories your body burns to do essential tasks like: Breathing.
The best exercises for burning belly fat involve a mix of High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) for maximum calorie burn and metabolic boost, and Strength Training (like compound lifts) to build muscle and raise your resting metabolism, coupled with consistent Cardio (running, cycling) and a healthy diet for overall fat loss, as spot reduction isn't possible. HIIT, with activities like sprint intervals, burpees, and jump squats, creates an "after-burn" effect, while deadlifts and overhead lunges build core and full-body strength.
The 3-3-3 rule for weight loss is a simple, habit-based method focusing on three key areas: 3 balanced meals a day, 3 bottles (or ~1.5L) of water by 3 PM, and 3 hours of physical activity per week, aiming for consistency over complex diets. It simplifies fat loss by establishing rhythm through consistent eating, adequate hydration to support metabolism, and regular movement, promoting sustainable health without intense calorie counting or restrictive rules, says Five Diamond Fitness and Wellness, Joon Medical Wellness & Aesthetics, and EatingWell.
Adele's significant weight loss wasn't from a quick fix but a two-year journey combining intense strength training, Pilates, hiking, boxing, and cardio, alongside major lifestyle changes focused on managing anxiety, not restrictive diets like the Sirtfood Diet, with workouts happening multiple times daily for mental and physical strength. Her routine included morning weights, afternoon hikes or boxing, and evening cardio, emphasizing getting stronger, which naturally led to fat loss and improved well-being.
Other breakfast ideas for a 1,200-calorie diet:
Fluid retention
The amount of fluid in your body changes throughout the day. It's totally normal for your weight to change up to four pounds in a single day, based on your fluid levels. Fluid retention, or edema, is when a lot of fluid builds up in the body. This can cause a sudden weight gain of 15 or more pounds.
Other things that may help you stop overeating include:
Bloating, or swelling due to a buildup of fluid in the tissues can cause weight gain. This may be due to menstruation, heart or kidney failure, preeclampsia, or medicines you take. A rapid weight gain may be a sign of dangerous fluid retention. If you quit smoking, you might gain weight.