If you do not have a calorie deficit then you can't lose weight. But it is also very important to create the deficit the right way, so you do not regain all your weight. People usually cut their calories too much and too quickly and that causes problems later on.

How to cut calories to lose weight

The best way to figure out how many calories you need to cut, to lose weight successfully, is to use the percentage method. For example if your maintenance level is 2400 calories than a 15-20% reduction would be ideal. A 20% reduction would mean a 480 calorie deficit per day. The percentage method is more individualized than just using an absolute number like 500, 750 or 1000 calories.

Sometimes you may need to cut your calories more than 20%, but the danger by doing this, is the loss of muscle tissue. And the loss in muscle tissue means a slowing down of the metabolic rate. It is always better to start slowly with a small deficit and then move on one step at a time. The key is only to lose fat, not muscle mass and a severe reduction in calories always means muscle loss.

Another way to avoid muscle loss, is to burn more calories with exercise such as weight training and aerobic exercises. The less calories you reduce the more likely you are to lose weight successfully, because you can eat more. And also the less likely it is for your body to go into the starvation mode. People often starve the muscle in order to lose weight, but the key is really to do the opposite - burn fat and feed muscle.