Calorie Deficit

---

I am sure you have heard, to achieve weight loss you need to have a calorie deficit. But what does that actually mean, and how can I do that?

Let us get started with what a calorie is as we will using that word quite a lot in this article.

A calorie is a unit of energy. It is the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water by one-degree celsius and this is what we use to see how much energy we are getting from food. So basically, calories in food provide us energy in the form of heat so that our bodies can function.

Each day we burn a total number of calories which is called your total daily energy expenditure, these calories come from:

•  Exercise and non-exercise movement
•  Calories burned through digestion (also known as the thermic effect of food).
•  Calories burned to maintain basic bodily functions such as breathing and blood circulation.

 

Many people consume more calories than they need to maintain their weight each day. If we have excess energy left over after burning our total daily energy expenditure we are left with a calorie surplus and when our body has a calorie surplus we store this energy as fat, which we can break down and use as energy another day if needed.

In order to create a calorie deficit, we need to be consuming less calories than what our body is using in exercise and non-exercise movement, calories burnt through digestion and calories burned to maintain basic body functions. To do this we either need to:

• Limit the number of calories going into the body.
• Increase calories being used by the body.

 

When you create a calorie deficit, your body uses the energy or fuel from stored fat from a previous day of calorie surplus. This is the extra fat you carry around your hips, thighs, stomach and throughout your body.

Now while it seems like simple maths to create a calorie deficit and lose weight, many people struggle with this process. So how do you create a deficit? Well, you do not have to starve yourself with a trendy diet, or a lemon juice fast. There are a few ways to healthily create a calorie deficit.

• Eat less food
• Focus on cutting portion sizes
• Chose lower calorie foods.
• Cut back on snacking.

• Get active
• Increase steps per day to 10k
• Aim for 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise per week or 75 minutes of higher intensity exercise per week

Combine the two

Most successful diets combined diet and exercise to lose weight.

Remember there is no such thing as a one diet that fits all. For sustained weight loss you need to find a way to achieve a calorie deficit that works for you.