Daily Energy Deficit
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Key to Successful Weight Loss

Losing weight requires that you achieve a daily energy deficit. This means that you need to consume less calories (or, joules) than your body is burning. You can do this by eating a little less, exercising a little more, or (ideally) a little of both.

Slow and Steady

For successful long-term weight loss, most studies recommend losing weight slowly. A rate of 0.5-1 lb (0.2-0.4 kg) per week is best, but even slower rates can result in substantial weight loss when applied over time (and, they are easier to achieve!). The table below shows how much weight you will lose with small daily energy deficits.

The problem with this approach is knowing whether or not you are on track. Your weight changes all the time, and day-to-day changes of 2-4 lbs (1-2 kg) are fairly common, even if you are successfully losing weight. It's easy to get discouraged when your weight goes up by a pound or two, or to think you are doing very well when it drops by the same amount. But, it is the long term trend that is important, not the daily weight.

The WeightWare Approach

This is where WeightWare can help. Every time you record your weight in WeightWare, you are providing it with a "data point". WeightWare takes these data points and analyzes them using advanced statistical techniques.* This analysis will show you instantly how your weight loss program is doing, and can help you to stay on track. WeightWare makes this quick and convenient - all you have to do is weigh yourself and record it in WeightWare!

With the Graphs and other tools in WeightWare, you can instantly see what your true daily calorie deficit has been, and how it is changing. This makes it easy to keep your weight loss program on track, and reach your goals.

* Specifically, WeightWare uses "linear regression" and "exponentially smoothed moving averages" to filter out the normal, day-to-day fluctuations in your weight records. Our motto is, "We do the math, so you don't have to!"