Are you ready to lose weight but feel overwhelmed by the complicated plans and conflicting advice out there?
The truth is losing weight doesn't have to be complicated. At its core, weight loss comes down to a simple formula: eat fewer calories than you burn. By creating a small calorie deficit each day, you can steadily lose one to two pounds per week and reach your weight loss goals.
In this article, we'll break down exactly what a calorie deficit is and how to calculate the right calorie intake for safe, sustainable weight loss. You'll learn simple lifestyle changes to help create that deficit without feeling deprived.
What Is a Calorie Deficit?
A calorie deficit simply means that you're taking in fewer calories than your body needs each day to function. As a result, your body turns to its energy stores, like fat, to make up the difference. By maintaining a calorie deficit over time through diet and exercise, you can lose weight. 1
For example, if you require about 2,000 calories per day to maintain your weight, reducing your intake to 1,500 calories per day would put you in a 500-calorie deficit. Similarly, keeping your intake at 2,000 calories but increasing your activity level and exercise to burn 2,500 calories would also result in a 500-calorie deficit. Either way, over time, this deficit leads to weight loss as your body taps into its fat stores for energy.
What determines your daily calorie burn? There are three main components:
- Basal metabolic rate (BMR): This is the energy your body uses to perform basic functions like breathing, circulating blood, and regulating temperature. This makes up 60 to 75% of your daily calorie burn.
- Thermic effect of feeding (TEF): These are the calories burned while digesting, absorbing, and processing the food you eat. This makes up 10% of daily calorie expenditure.
- Thermic effect of activity (TEA): This encompasses the calories burned during physical activity and exercise. TEA varies widely depending on your activity levels. 2
The bottom line is that a calorie deficit is simply creating an imbalance between the calories consumed and the calories burned. To lose weight, make sure you're taking in fewer calories than you expend each day.
How Much of a Calorie Deficit to Lose Weight?
Creating a calorie deficit is easy to understand but requires some simple calculations. Here's a step-by-step guide:
- Calculate Your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)
The first step is calculating your basal metabolic rate (BMR). This is the number of calories your body burns while at rest. To determine your BMR, you'll need to know your weight in kilograms and height in centimeters. 3 You can then plug these numbers into an online BMR calculator or into the following formulas:
Men: BMR = 66.47 + (13.75 * weight [kg]) + (5.003 * height [cm]) − (6.755 * age [years])
Women: BMR = 655.1 + (9.563 * weight [kg]) + (1.85 * height [cm]) − (4.676 * age [years]) 4
- Find Your Activity Level
Find your activity level ratio by using the table below. This accounts for the calories burned through daily activities and exercise. 3
- Calculate Your Maintenance Calories
Multiply your BMR by the activity level ratio to determine your maintenance calories. This figure represents the number of calories you need to consume to maintain your current weight. 3
- Calculate Your Calorie Deficit
Once you have your maintenance calories, calculate the calorie intake required for weight loss. While there isn't a one-size-fits-all deficit, guidelines recommend deficits of 500 to 750 calories per day for effective weight loss. 5
However, when deciding on your daily calorie limits, make sure to stay above 1,200 calories a day for women and 1,500 calories a day for men. This ensures you don’t experience nutrient deficiencies. 6
How Do I Create A Calorie Deficit?
There are two main ways to achieve a calorie deficit - eat less or move more. Often, a combination of both diet and exercise is the best approach.
To kickstart your calorie deficit plan, consider the following tips:
- Track your calories accurately: Use a calorie-tracking app like MyFitnessPal to calculate exactly how many calories you consume daily.
- Focus on protein and fiber: Eating foods high in protein and fiber, like beans, lentils, eggs, and leafy greens, will keep you feeling full and satisfied so you can stick to your calorie deficit goal. 7
- Cut calories gradually: Don't slash your calories by 500 per day right away. Start by cutting just 200 calories each week. This gradual approach will allow your body and mind to adjust, setting you up for long-term success.
- Exercise: While cardio provides an effective short-term calorie burn during your workout, strength or resistance training is what really transforms your body over time. Building muscle increases your metabolism, so you burn more calories throughout the day. 8 The combination of cardio and strength training is ideal for achieving a calorie deficit.
Conclusion
Creating a calorie deficit is the cornerstone of weight loss. By burning more calories than you consume each day, you force your body to tap into its fat stores for energy. This simple equation is what allows the pounds to come off over time.
The key is to ease into a calorie deficit. Don't make drastic cuts to your calorie intake overnight. Gradually decrease your calories each week to give your body a chance to adapt. This will make your new eating plan feel sustainable rather than like a crash diet. With time and consistency, the weight will come off in a healthy way.
The content in this article is intended for informational purposes only. This website does not provide medical advice. In all circumstances, you should always seek the advice of your physician and/or other qualified health professionals(s) for drug, medical conditions, or treatment advice. The content provided on this website is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
