A calorie deficit is the best way to lose weight and achieve your weight loss goals.
In fact, almost every diet and weight loss program in existence involves a calorie deficit strategy of one type or another.
Read on to learn why this is one of the most important factors when losing weight.
What is a Calorie Deficit?
Being in a calorie deficit means that you are consuming less calories than your body is using. When your body isn't getting enough calories from the food you eat, it starts converting your excess body fat into energy.
So in a calorie deficit your body literally burns the fat by converting it into energy.
This is exactly what you want to happen! And this is how you should think of calories and the food you eat...as potential energy.
But the flip-side is that when you eat more calories than your body needs, it saves the excess fat. Over time this is what leads to weight gain.
Without a doubt, understanding calorie deficits and how they work is one of the most important things you can learn when it comes to losing weight.
And it really is that simple...consume less calories in a day than your body needs and you will start losing weight.
Do I Need a Calorie Deficit to Lose Weight?
Yes, you need to be in a calorie deficit to lose weight naturally. Otherwise you will either maintain your existing weight, or gain weight.
The only exceptions to losing weight without being in a calorie deficit is through surgery or other medical procedures. For example, liposuction or a procedure like Coolsculpting.
And yes, we understand how tempting the shortcuts can be. But surgery is expensive and involves risks and down time. And Coolsculpting isn't for losing large amount of weight. It is designed to target specific areas of hard to lose fat.
In addition, many people who lose weight using surgical or freezing procedures put the weight back on. Why? Because they never the corrected the underlying cause of their weight gain: their diet and level of physical activity.
So we highly encourage you to use a calorie deficit to lose weight.
Remember: in order to naturally lose weight your body needs to enter into a calorie deficit phase. And this phase needs to be maintained long enough to start showing results.
How Long Should I Stay in a Calorie Deficit?
The amount of time you will need to maintain a calorie deficit depends on three things:
- How much weight you are trying to lose.
- The size of your calorie deficit.
- How consistent you are with maintaining the deficit.
Let's examine each of these items in more detail.
The Big Three
First, the amount of weight you are trying lose will have the biggest impact. The more weight you need to lose, the longer your calorie deficit phase will be.
Second, the size of your calorie deficit has a big impact. For example, let's say you need to eat 2,000 calories per day to maintain your current weight. If you eat 1,900 calories per day, this is a very small deficit, and your progress will be much slower than if you were eating 1,500 calories per day.
(The above is just an example. Remember: your actual numbers will be determined based on several factors which are covered in the next section.)
Third, consistency is very important because weight loss takes time. So you will need to be consistent with your diet and maintaining your calorie deficit.
For example, if you meet your calorie goal one day, and then exceed it the next, you just canceled out your progress. And it's entirely possible to wipe out an entire week's progress if you binge-eat one day.
So tracking your calories and being consistent over time is extremely important!
Determining the Size of Your Deficit
Remember: the bigger the deficit, the faster you will lose weight. But you need to balance your deficit goals with being both realistic and healthy.
In fact, one of the worst things you can do is to reduce your calorie intake by too much. The goal is not to starve yourself.
Because your body needs essential macro nutrients like protein, carbs, and yes...even fat. So you don't want to go off the deep end denying yourself these things to the extreme.
For example, your body needs protein otherwise you will lose your existing muscle mass. And your brain needs carbs to function properly. Remove all carbs and you will quickly have a hard time thinking clearly.
But that's not all. There is another reason going to the extreme isn't advised: it isn't maintainable. That's why most people who reduce their calorie intake by too much end up breaking down and binge-eating. Then they abandon their diet entirely, and end up in a worst place than they started.
Fortunately there is an easy way to determine the size of your calorie deficit!
Striking The Right Balance Based on Your Height, Weight, Age, and Gender
Now that you understand why it's not a good idea to cut your calories to the extreme, let's discuss a better strategy.
You can use online calorie deficit calculators or apps like MyFitnessPal to determine what your ideal calorie intake should be to lose weight.
There are several things that will impact your calorie deficit number including your:
- Height
- Weight
- Age
- Gender
- Activity Level
Another thing that will impact your ideal calorie count for weight loss is your timeline. This is because the greater the deficit, the greater the weight loss.
For example, MyFitnessPal has a setting where you can enter the number of pounds per week you want to lose. After entering this number, the app will tell you what your daily calorie consumption should be to hit this weekly weight loss goal.
But remember: your calorie deficit needs to be maintainable, while also aligning with your weight loss timeline.
How to Maintain a Calorie Deficit
Once you have determined your daily calorie intake to achieve your weight loss goals, it's time to get started.
But for most people, getting starting isn't the hard part. Maintaining a calorie deficit is the biggest challenge and the hardest part of dieting.
Fortunately there are several things you can do to maintain a calorie deficit and avoid breaking your diet:
- Keep focusing on your primary reason for wanting to lose weight. Your 'big why' is what should motivate you to stay the course.
- Use an app to track your calories, what you eat, and to plan your meals.
- Take photos so that you can track your progress over time. When you start seeing the difference in your photo log, you will be more likely to continue.
- Eat healthy, high-volume foods that make you feel full (see next section).
- View weight loss as a journey. Yes your ideal weight is the destination you want to reach. But there are many exciting milestones along the way!
Something you may have noticed from the items listed above is that some are mental, while others are physical.
In fact, we talk a lot on this site about developing the proper mindset for losing weight. That's because much of the battle to lose weight is fought in your mind!
One last thing. As you might imagine, maintaining a calorie deficit can be stressful. So we highly recommend you check out our article on stress and weight loss.
Calorie Deficit Foods
You're probably wondering about the best calorie deficit foods.
We recommend focusing on two things. First, eat foods that are healthy and promote weight loss while meeting your daily macro nutrient needs. (Macros nutrients are protein, carbs, and fat.)
Second, consider eating foods that are high in volume but low in calories. So what does this mean? Apples are perfect example, because apples are low in calories but can be very filling due to the size.
To put it another way: eat foods that allow you to consume a large amount but which have a low calorie count.
So things like apples and oranges make great snacks. Vegetables, lean meats, and certain soups can also make great calorie deficit foods.
We are working on an article specifically dedicated to this topic and will add a link to this article once published.
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What Happens When I Reach My Ideal Weight?
This is the fun part! Once you reach your ideal weight you no longer need to stay in a calorie deficit.
So instead of losing weight, your new goal becomes maintaining your existing weight. Which also means you get to add some calories back to your daily diet!
But wait, why are you calling it a diet if my calorie deficit phase is over?
Because it's important to keep eating healthy and be disciplined about your calorie consumption if you want to lose weight and keep it off.
You can't fall back into your old eating habits or you will start putting on the weight that you worked so hard to lose.
Which means you will need to keep monitoring your caloric intake. And this is especially important when you start adding calories back. Why? So that you can get accustomed to eating this higher amount of calories without going over.
How Do I Determine How Many Calories I Should Eat to Maintain My New Weight?
Great question! This will be determined based on your height and target weight.
And this probably won't come as a surprise, but we recommend using an app like MyFitnessPal to help you make this determination.
But that should just be thought of as a starting point, and not a number that's set in stone. Why? Because everyone's body is unique and responds differently to food.
Which is why experimentation is a very important part of losing weight. You have to determine how your body responds to various foods and activity levels.
In fact we talk about this in our extremely detailed article on the best ways to lose weight. You should definitely check out this article.
How to Turbo-Charge Your Calorie Deficit Phase
We've already mentioned multiple times that your levels of physical activity are important when dieting and losing weight.
But physical activity also has the ability to turbo-charge the effects of your calorie deficit phase. Allow us to explain.
Let's say that you are in a calorie deficit of 500 calories per day (just an example). This means you are eating 500 calories per day less than your body needs to maintain your current weight. This is great, and you will lose weight if you continue.
But let's also assume that you decide to take up running, walking, swimming, or any other form of substantial physical activity. And that physical activity burns around 150 calories each time you do it.
Your calorie deficit is now 650 calories per day (500 diet calories + 150 calories burned through physical activity). That's almost a 23% increase in your daily calorie deficit on the days you add the physical activity!
Which means you have increased your deficit and turbo-charged the results of your weight loss plan! You're also doing your heart a favor.
So while it is possible to lose weight with a calorie deficit and low activity levels, doing both will deliver much quicker results.
And remember: being active makes you lose weight faster, which means you can exit the calorie deficit phase and move on to the maintenance phase.
Final Thoughts
So now you understand what a calorie deficit is, how it makes you lose weight, and why it is the most effective method of losing weight.
There are also ways to speed up the process, like adding more physical activity to your daily routine. This will turbo-charge your results and help you reach your target weight faster.
And while there is nothing fun about being in a calorie deficit, it is a temporary phase that will end. Even better: when it does end you will be looking great! You will also have a new level of confidence when it comes to taking control of your life.
Now that you have the knowledge, it's time to take action. Don't procrastinate, and don't beat yourself up if you have a few slip-ups along the way. The most important thing you can do is get started so that you can begin your weight loss journey.
Also, be sure to check out our other articles on how to lose weight for more valuable information on this topic!