Between the ages of 20 and 55, most adults gain between 1 and 2 lbs (.5 kg to 1 kg) per year, which could see some people become overweight or obese over time. This weight gain isn’t usually the result of overeating large amounts of food. Instead, it’s usually caused by eating a small amount—around 100 to 200 extra calories—more than is needed each day.
The good news is that we may be able to prevent ourselves from gaining weight by making small changes to our diet or physical activity. Our recent review found that eating 100 to 200 calories less, or burning an extra 100 to 200 calories each day, may be enough to stop us from gaining weight in the long run. This is known as a “small-changes approach,” which was first proposed in 2004 by James Hill, an American expert on obesity, to help people manage their weight.