The entire point of losing weight is to get your body to convert its fat reserves into energy.
So if you burn 2000 calories and eat 1500 worth of food, your body will make up the shortfall by converting muscle and fat into calories. You then lose a bit of weight.
Unfortunately, fat contains quite a lot of energy, so you will need to keep this pattern of burning a little fat per day for a long time.
Oaden t1_j6hc6eg wrote
Reply to ELI5 - When losing weight, why is it common to hear "burn more than you consume" in reference to calorie intake. if you consume" 1000 calories, how do you burn 1500? by Freedom-No-781
The entire point of losing weight is to get your body to convert its fat reserves into energy.
So if you burn 2000 calories and eat 1500 worth of food, your body will make up the shortfall by converting muscle and fat into calories. You then lose a bit of weight.
Unfortunately, fat contains quite a lot of energy, so you will need to keep this pattern of burning a little fat per day for a long time.