It would be nice to know that there is a certain amount of food we should eat that will help our efforts to lose weight. Giving a clear-cut standard number is not the answer. Instead, we need to understand how weight gain and weight loss work first. Then we can determine how much to eat, and when to stop.
First, we gain or lose weight based on how much we eat compared to how much food we use. Calories are units of energy, much like liters are units of liquid measure. If you eat 500 Calories, then you ate 500 units of energy. Once you eat the Calories, your body needs to put the energy into use. If I fill my car with gas, it burns it in order to run. Meanwhile it stores the gas it hasn't used yet in the gas tank.
If you eat 2,000 Calories of food in a day, and you don't use it, your body will store it on your body. That is how body fat is accumulated. You eat more energy than your body needs, and in turn, your body stores the unused energy on your hips, belly, and wherever else your heredity says to store it.
