Explaining a Calorie Deficit

September 14, 2021
What is it: To be consuming LESS than the calories your body is expending. Meaning your activity level is higher than the calories you are consuming.

This = weight loss.

People who struggle to lose weight could believe they have a slow metabolism. Your metabolism can slow down with age but a lot of the time, your activity level while eating the same amount (or more) is the main culprit. In reality, getting used to eating a certain quantity for years followed by going into a calorie deficit can be a pretty big jump.

I see it all the time with my clients. A huge misconception is thinking body types can change to look like someone else's. If you have wide hips or gain weight mostly in your stomach, you might not have a slower metabolism than someone else. Their fat might distribute itself differently and their frame built in another way. Thinking your body is capable of looking like someone else's without drastic measures can be detrimental. Some people are not born with the ability to have a thigh gap. That does not mean you have a slow metabolism or even have extra fat on you your body is just built differently! 
 Another false claim is, if you only eat healthy foods, the calories do not matter. That is false.

Ex: 1/2 cup of oats with 4Tbsp of peanut butter, is around 526 calories.

Two pieces of cinnamon raisin toast and 2 tsp of butter, is around 218 calories.

So why eat healthily then? Both of these breakfast choices will fuel your body differently. One of them will give you energy and hunger satisfaction for a longer period, while choice #2 doesn't have a lot of added nutritional value. Choice #2 probably won't keep you satisfied for long.

When trying to lose weight watch out for the extra calories not considered. These are things like using sauce, snacking when cooking, condiments added to something or snacking.

Main takeaway: Your body is built differently. Work with what you have. Life is about enjoying yourself, which means you need to eat healthy to fuel your body and mind. It also means that maybe 20% of the time you need to be flexible with your food choices and have some fun.

Start working your calories down to the amount that causes your weight to stay the same. You don't lose any, you don't gain any. This is called calorie maintenance. Once your body is used to that then start lowering the calories to lose weight. Slow and steady wins the race.