How to calculate calorie deficit
Caloric Deficit: What is it?
When I first made a SMART goal to lose weight, I decided to go on a caloric deficit. I heard about it from a few people in my gym community, friends and fitness experts, so I decided to do my own research and embark on my own journey.
I was so nervous at first because I thought that I would fail. It sounded like I would have to eat way less than I was used to and I did not like the idea of that. I tried so many diets in the past and failed, so I thought being in a caloric deficit was the same. However, I was totally wrong!
My journey being on a caloric deficit was very effective! It helped me to lose over 12 pounds. It even got to the point where I was losing too much weight, so I had to stop and readjust my goals and nutrition plan.
This is what I would like to talk about in this post. I am going to explain what exactly a caloric deficit is, how to enter a caloric deficit and sustain yourself and how long you should actually be in a deficit. Ready? Let’s go!
What is a caloric deficit?
A caloric deficit is when you consume less calories than you would on a normal basis for the purpose of weight loss. During a caloric deficit, you burn more calories than you take in. When you are in a caloric deficit, your body draws on stored energy in your body, like fat, to fuel you daily activities and metabolic processes.
I honestly don’t remember how many calories I cut down on when I was on a calorie deficit, but I do know I cut out at least 500 calories. This varies for everyone because we all have different basal metabolic rates (also known as resting heart rates), activity levels, goals and time frames for achieving these goals. Fortunately, they have calorie calculators online to help you with this! Here is one from NASM https://www.nasm.org/resources/calorie-calculator?srsltid=AfmBOoq10SH2RCg_CnLtKdmK6L4zoefrrb-MDSkRln9wKgSGfqByahBY.
Make sure to fill this out as accurately as possible.
A caloric deficit may sound intimidating and just the thought of having to calculate things may have you feeling stressed out, but it is not as hard as it sounds. There are many resources that help to simplify the process. It is worth it to take the time out to do this if you are serious about losing weight and feeling your best!
How to successfully complete a caloric deficit?
There are several things I would suggest doing before entering a caloric deficit. The first is mentioned above - filling out an online calculator or speaking with a personal trainer/fitness professional to figure out exactly how many calories you need to cut out and for how long. This will help make things very clear and specific for you and your personal goals.
Next I suggest meal prepping. When I was on a caloric deficit I meal prepped for almost two months straight and then for some time after. This helped me so much. I looked up a lot of high protein, low calorie recipes on pinterest, instagram and google. This process was actually fun, trying new recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert! I still use many of these recipes to this day. I highly suggest making sure these meals are high in protein!
The third thing I suggest is making other lifestyle changes to supplement your weight loss journey and ensure success. This includes getting good sleep, surrounding yourself with a positive community, viewing working out as a privilege not a chore, drinking alcohol less or not at all and cutting down or cutting out smoking. All these things helped me because all of my hard work was not in vain or discredited due to poor lifestyle habits. You can work hard by eating healthy and working out but it will not last if you are living an overall unhealthy lifestyle.
The last thing I would suggest doing is making sure you challenge yourself but also be realistic. When I first made my SMART goals to lose weight I decided that I was going to lose 10 pounds in two months. This was actually unrealistic for me and I had to readjust my goals to get to where I needed to. So have patience with yourself and take your time. Slow and steady actually does win the race.
How long should I be in a caloric deficit?
How long you should be in a caloric deficit depends on you. Is this an overall lifestyle change? Or just something you would like to do to fit into a wedding dress? Be real with yourself. Just remember that the shorter amount of time you have to achieve an aggressive goal is the more intense your approach. If you have given yourself 2-3 months to lose 10 pounds you will have to make some drastic changes.
I suggest making goals based on the desire to have a lifestyle change, not just a change for a few months. It is hard to not see changes right away, but what is worse is seeing results go just as fast as they came. So as I said before, take your time and set challenging but realistic goals.
There is nothing wrong with setting a goal to lose 7-10 pounds in 5 months. Based on this goal you can calculate how many calories you need to consume each day, meal prep and follow an effective workout regimen.