Almost each and one of us tried some kind of diet at some point in our life, so we all know very well the term “calorie deficit”. It means when you “spend” more calories than you “earn” – the opposite of how you want to handle your money. It’s the base of most diets, and the only way to lose weight in an efficient way. But what does it really mean, and how do we reach the best calorie deficit in the most healthy way?
What is a calorie deficit?
Calorie deficit is when your body burns more calories (which are measurements of energy) than what you are taking in. Let’s say you eat 1800 calories a day, and you burn 2000 – you will be in a calorie deficit of 200 calories that day. If you keep this way for a while, you will start losing weight. The way of achieving calorie deficit is by either eating foods with less calories intake (or eating less overall), or burning more calories by using more energy.
Sounds kinda easy right? Well, everybody who tried it once knows it actually isn’t. It’s important to stress the fact that the weight loss process can be affected by many more factors than just your daily calorie intake, for example: your hormonal state, the amount of sleeping hours, the quality of the food you’re eating and of course, stress.
How do I reach a calorie deficit?
First, we need to distinguish between the ways your body can burn calories. There are 3 ways to do it:
- Resting energy expenditure- which means the amount of calories your body burns while resting. While you are resting, your body is still working on breathing and blood circulation, those actions burn calories as well.
- Thermic effect of food – your body burns calories while digesting and activating metabolism.
- Activity energy expenditure- this is where larger amounts of calories are being burnt, while engaging activities such as walking, running, exercising and even just cleaning the house
The combination of those three will get you a calorie deficit. The safest way to get them to work together for efficient results, and get your metabolism working faster is to Maintain proper eating and regular physical exercise.
So how to do it safely?
The thing that is the most important to remember is that too much of a calorie deficit can damage your health! People may think that if they’ll increase the amount of physical activity while decreasing the amount of food they are eating in a day – they will get faster results. This way of thinking is wrong and can cause you a lot of harm in the long run.
The safest way to reach a healthy calorie deficit, that will also leave longer-term results, is to keep a deficit of about 300-500 calories per day, depending on your physical data. Also, make sure to not drink your calories and avoid sweet sugary beverages. Drink a lot of water and eat foods with high protein levels and low calories density. And most important- be patient! Fast results don’t go a long way, but learning your body and giving it what it needs, sure does.