Eating fewer calories than you burn can help you lose weight, but how to measure your calories remains the main question. (Counting calories is straightforward, but when you’re trying to lose weight, you’re aiming to use that number to not only lose weight, but also keep it off.)

"In order to see a difference, you need to eat fewer calories than you expend," says Linda Bacon, Ph.D., founder of Boston-based The Weight Loss Clinic, and author of The Lap-Band Bible. "You can’t cut calories in half or eliminate them entirely, but you can reduce them to about 20 to 30 percent of what you used to eat, and be assured you won’t feel deprived."

Eating fewer calories than you burn can help you lose weight, but how to measure your calories remains the main question. (Counting calories is straightforward, reduslim but when you’re trying to lose weight, you’re aiming to use that number to not only lose weight, but also keep it off.)

"In order to see a difference, you need to eat fewer calories than you expend," says Linda Bacon, Ph.D., founder of Boston-based The Weight Loss Clinic, and author of The Lap-Band Bible. "You can’t cut calories in half or eliminate them entirely, but you can reduce them to about 20 to 30 percent of what you used to eat, and be assured you won’t feel deprived."

Let’s take a step back. As long as you’re eating something, you’re going to be absorbing some calories, so the most basic thing you should be doing, right off the bat, is reducing the amount of food you’re eating.

"If you eat about 1,200 calories a day and you want to lose weight, you need to reduce that by about 300 to 400 calories," Bacon says. "That can be done through smart portion control, but ultimately you are going to have to reduce the calories you eat."

Reducing your calorie intake may seem difficult at first, but Bacon says if you try that first step, it’s more likely to be the one you stick with for the long haul.

"Most people go through life doing what works for them," she says. "If