Why do you need a calorie deficit diet? The answer is simple. It’s to get rid of the extra fats that make you gain weight.
Each cell in your body requires energy to work properly. It gets the energy from the foods that you eat. When you eat, your body breaks it down during digestion.
From there it releases the energy it contains. Unfortunately, your body doesn’t need all that energy after you eat. It stores the extra fat or carbs for later use.
Unfortunately, the extra piles up. And this is why you gain weight. But if your body burns more calories than you consume, you lose weight. This happens when your body is in a calorie deficit.
How Should A Calorie Deficit Be Like?
It’s important to note that not all calorie-deficit diets are equal. Some of them aren’t even healthy. When choosing a diet that helps you be in a calorie deficit, make sure that you choose one that you can follow for a long period.
A healthy deficit falls in the range of 300 to 700 calories a day. This is considered safe by most nutrition experts. The number is also enough to support steady fat loss without affecting your metabolism.
Don’t cut your diet by more than 1,000 calories a day. You’ll indeed lose weight faster at first. However, you’ll also lose a lot of muscle. Plus, you’ll have low energy. Then, you’ll suffer from nutrient deficiencies. Worse, you’ll experience hormonal imbalances.
Then, you can’t maintain it. After eating too low in calories, you’ll definitely binge eat and you’ll gain back all the weight you’ve lost.
Thus, a well-balanced calorie deficit must be not more than 15% to 25% below your maintenance calories. This is something that you can stick with for months.
Your diet must also be nutrient-dense. Keep in mind that your body needs enough vitamins, minerals, and protein. It must also be something that can support your activity level, especially if you exercise a lot.
How to Create a Calorie Deficit?
Diet and exercise can help you create a calorie deficit. The most effective approach is to combine both.
Eat Fewer Calories
The simplest method is to consume fewer calories than your body burns in a day. That said, you need to reduce your portion sizes. It’s also vital that you avoid high-calorie junk food.
Focus on eating whole foods, like fruits, lean protein, vegetables, and whole grains.
Exercise Regularly
You can increase your daily calorie burn by walking, running, cycling, or strength training.
Even small changes can significantly help reduce your calorie intake while boosting your daily calorie burn. For instance, you can take the stairs instead of the lift or escalator. Take a walk during lunch break. These can all contribute to your total calorie expenditure.
Use a Calorie Calculator
You won’t know how much you’re taking in if you don’t monitor it. To estimate how many calories you need to maintain your weight, you may use tools like a TDEE calculator. For safe weight loss, you can subtract 500 calories from your TDEE.
What Happens When You’re in a Calorie Deficit?
When your body is in a deficit, it doesn’t have enough fuel to meet its energy demands. To fill the gap, it starts to break down stored fat to release energy.
But it’ll use glycogen first. It’s a stored form of carbs in your muscles and liver. It’s used up quickly. That’s why you’ll notice early weight loss. But it’s mostly water weight. It happens during the first few days of the diet.
Once glycogen stores are low, your body starts to convert stored fat into energy. And this is where the fat loss begins.
It’s important to note that if your calorie deficiency is too extreme, you’ll lose muscle mass. This is because your body breaks down muscle tissue for energy. But it only happens if you’re not eating enough protein when you’re in a deficit or you’re eating too little.
For that reason, it’s vital that you include resistance training when on a calorie-deficit diet. It’s also vital that you eat adequate protein.
Best Protein Sources for Weight Loss
Choose sources that are high in nutrition but lower in saturated fats and calories. The choices are plenty.
Lean meats, for instance, contain a high amount of protein. Examples would include skinless chicken and turkey. You may also choose lean cuts of red meat, like beef and pork.
Avoid processed meats.
Other health choices for your protein can be seafood, beans, low-fat dairy, eggs, nuts, and seeds.
How Fast Will You Lose Weight?
Weight loss depends on various factors. Your starting weight can be a factor as also your daily calorie deficit and your activity level. You’ll lose weight quickly if you’re younger.
A good rule of thumb is that a deficit of 3,500 calories will lead to about a pound of fat loss. In that case, if you follow a 500-calorie daily deficit, you can lose a pound of weight loss a week. This is still a realistic rate and is considered healthy.
However, you must remember that weight loss isn’t linear. You might lose more in some weeks and you’ll lose less in other weeks. It totally depends on factors, like water retention, hormones, and changes in muscle mass.
Avoid These Mistakes
Cut Calories Too Much
If you eat too low calories or more than 500 calories deficit, your metabolism starts to slow down. Also, you’ll feel hungry constantly. You’ll also have less energy and become moody.
Skip Protein
Protein, as mentioned earlier, helps preserve muscle mass. It keeps you full and it supports your metabolism. Hence, you should aim for at least 0.8 to 1 gram of protein per pound of your body weight.
Ignore Exercise
If you rely too much on your diet to lose weight, it can lead to muscle loss. Incorporate both strength training and cardio to support your fat loss. It also helps in improving body composition.
Focus on Calories and Ignore Nutrition
It’s important to remember that a 1,800-calorie fast food is different from 1,800-whole food. Always remember that your food affects your hormones, hunger, and health.
Expect Immediate Results
Fat loss can take a lot of time. That’s why you must be patient and consistent. You may track your weight every day. But you should also look for non-scale victories, such as improved energy or better sleep.
Is this Diet Right For Everyone?
Most people can benefit from a calorie deficit, if they need to lose weight. However, it’s not right for everyone.
Pregnant or breastfeeding women should not be on a calorie deficit diet. And if you have an eating disorder or if you’re taking certain medicines, don’t be on this diet, without first talking to your doctor.
Based on a Simple Principle
The calorie-deficit diet is based on a science-backed principle. That is, consume fewer calories than your body needs. In that way, your body will use stored fat for energy.
However, a successful deficit must be balanced, nutritious, and sustainable. Avoid quick fixes.