Speaking in terms of Cal-in/Cal-out, you would begin by getting an idea of your current Caloric intake and expenditure. This will allow you to understand whether you are currently in a deficit (weight loss), maintaining, or in a surplus (weight gain). From there, I would recommend pinpointing whether diet or exercise are lacking in terms of meeting your goals.

Some way diet could be lacking:

• low protein intake
• low fiber intake
• not tracking food
• yo-yo dieting

Some ways exercise could be lacking:

• sedentary lifestyle
• inconsistency

A lot of the time, people overdo it and find themselves quitting over short spans. Make small, doable behavioral changes and adhere in a way that doesn’t completely redirect you from how you currently live.

This is misinformation. Assuming OP is eating exactly at maintenance currently, 3500 Cal deficit equates to 1lbs of weight loss. Eliminating this much per week would yield 8lbs of weight loss over 8 weeks. OP needs to eliminate 2187.5 Ca per week, or average a 312.5 Cal deficit per day over 8 weeks.