Calorie Deficit For Fat Loss Explained

So what does it mean to be in a calorie deficit and why should someone who is looking to drop fat be in one?

When we are in a calorie deficit we are essentially eating less calories than our bodies burn each day. Being in a calorie deficit over a prolonged period of time has been proven to reduce the amount of fat in the body. When you are in a deficit the body uses stored fat for fuel. Stored fat is stored fuel and the body can use this for energy instead of food. When the body uses fat for fuel you will lose weight/drop fat.

Tracking calories is definitely not for everybody but my thoughts on it personally are what gets measured gets managed. When we track our food we have a good understanding of the quantity of calories we are actually consuming and not just what we think we are consuming, which over time can have a big impact on our waistlines. What I would suggest is to track for about 2 weeks to get a rough understanding about the quantity and foods you are consuming. This should lead to more mindful habits when eating and lead to better food choices when following a calorie deficit over time.

Almost every diet that has been created throughout the years be it Fasting, Slimming World, Paleo, Keto will some way or another have you eating in a deficit. If your end goal is sustainable fat loss then being in calorie deficit should be your number one priority. It is important however to not create an overwhelming deficit in which you find yourself continuously hungry and struggling to stay on top of. A gradual drop in calories over a prolonged period of time is much more sustainable and achievable for fat loss than a huge cut in calories for those short-term results.

What I would recommend is figuring out your maintenance calories first per day (calories needed to stay the same weight) and trialing that number for about for 2 weeks. After the 2 weeks check how your body responds. If there is no change in measurements then drop your daily calories slightly, if there is a drop in measurements then go with it for a couple of weeks and then re-evaluate again.

(To figure out what your maintenance calories are you can find numerous calorie calculators online. I would recommend trialing a few and going with the most reoccurring number).