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Weight loss advice is everywhere online. One video says to cut carbs completely. Another says to skip meals. Some people claim there is a “secret” trick that changes everything. In reality, one of the most important concepts behind weight change is much simpler and much more scientific. It is called a calorie deficit.
A calorie deficit occurs when your body uses up more energy (aka calories) than what you get from your food and drinks. Naturally, your body needs a certain amount of energy just to continue surviving (breathing, thinking, moving, digestion, etc.), but when it doesn’t get enough energy from food, it will turn to using up its stores for that missing energy – usually the fat stored in your body.
What Is a Calorie?
Calorie refers to energy units. Energy stored in your body In nutrition, you use calories to represent the energy from the food you eat and how many calories the body uses to perform all its processes. Energy is required at all times, including while you are at rest. Metabolic processes such as heartbeat, respiration, maintenance of body temperature, neural activity (the brain), etc., require energy.
Common nutritional sources for calories include:
- Protein: 4 calories / gram
- Carbohydrates: 4 calories / gram
- Fat: 9 calories / gram
This is why fats (high fat foods) are typically calorie dense foods; they contain more calories per unit of food.
What Is a Calorie Deficit?
As previously stated, calorie deficit occurs when you consume fewer calories than your body burns in a day.
For example:
• If your body burns 2,400 calories daily
• But you eat 2,000 calories daily
• Your calorie deficit is 400 calories
Over time, the body may use stored fat for energy, leading to weight loss.
However, calorie deficits are not supposed to be extreme. A very large deficit can cause fatigue, muscle loss, irritability, headaches, dizziness, and nutrient deficiencies (when the body does not get enough vitamins or minerals).
How the Body Burns Calories
There are various ways the body burns calories.
BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate)
The energy your body needs to just be alive. Breathing, circulating blood, maintaining organ function, and regulating body temperature are all included. This is typically the largest amount of calories burned in your day.
Physical Activity
Any exercise, sports, walking, stair climbing, and all other movements during your day are classified as physical activity.
The Thermic Effect of Food (TEF)
Requires additional energy (calories) to digest food. Digesting protein requires more calories than digesting carbohydrates or fats.
NEAT (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis)
Small movements throughout the day (fidgeting, standing, cleaning, etc.) also impact calorie burn over time.
Why Slow Weight Loss Is Usually Better
People want to see quick results. There has been a trend in recent years for social media to show people “quick fixes” for weight loss with drastic results in a short amount of time. However, research shows that losing weight slowly and steadily will usually yield a safer and more sustainable outcome.
By having a moderate calorie deficit, you will also be able to help preserve:
- Muscle mass
- Energy
- Athletic performance
- Concentration/focus
- Hormones
When you severely restrict calories, your body will adapt by decreasing your metabolism (or burning less energy) because it is trying to conserve its energy because there is not enough food available.
This is why crash diets are so difficult to stick with.
The Importance of Nutrition Quality
It is possible for someone to lose weight if they consume mostly junk foods and remain calorie deficient; however, this is not a healthy way to maintain good health.
Nutrient-rich foods tend to leave a greater impact on the health of our bodies than processed foods.
The following kinds of foods contain a good amount of nutrients:
- Fruits
- Vegetables
- Whole grains
- Lean protein
- Nuts and seeds
- Yogurt and other dairy products
Most of these types of foods provide vitamins, minerals, fibre and protein to help us maintain healthy bodily functions and leave us feeling full.
Even though processed foods have their place in a well-balanced diet, eating too many processed foods may result in an individual feeling hungry frequently.
Protein and Satiety
The feeling of being full after eating is called “satiety”.
During a calorie deficit, it is helpful to consume protein to maintain muscle; in addition, consuming protein helps increase the sense of satiety. Examples of common protein sources include chicken, fish, eggs, tofu, Greek yogurt, and beans.
Consuming fiber can also assist with the feeling of fullness. You can find fiber-rich foods in vegetables, whole grains, legumes (beans, peas, lentils), oats and fruits.
Why Exercise Matters
Although exercise won’t necessarily help you create a caloric deficit, engaging in exercise may make it healthier and more effective.
When you engage in physical activity, you will:
- burn more calories.
- maintain muscle mass.
- improve your cardiovascular health, i.e., heart and blood vessel health.
- reduce stress.
- get better sleep at night.
- have more energy and a better mood.
You can realize the benefits of both strength training and cardiovascular exercise.
The primary benefit of resistance or strength training is that it will help you to keep your muscle mass during weight loss. Additionally, muscle burns more calories than fat, even when at rest.
Some examples of what type of cardiovascular exercises you can do include the following:
- walking.
- running.
- cycling.
- swimming.
- sport.
Common Misunderstandings about caloric deficits
“I need to starve myself to lose weight.”
Not true. Caloric deficits can be moderate (typical) or extreme (not healthy). Starving your body and losing body fat is detrimental to your body and will make it harder to achieve lasting results.
“Some foods will automatically melt fat away.”
No one food dissolves body fat. However, certain foods may help keep you full and slightly increase your metabolism, but overall caloric balance is still what counts.
“Skipping meals helps people lose weight.”
Skipping meals may help some people, and could end up making them hungrier and more likely to overeat later in the day.
“Weight loss is a matter of willpower.”
Many different things affect how much/what type of weight you lose, including sleep, stress, hormones, and genetics, mental health, environmental factors, and access to exercise/healthy food.
The Role of Sleep and Stress
Both sleep and stress are often overlooked as important factors when it comes to weight loss, yet they both play an important role.
Insufficient sleep can disrupt hormones controlling appetite and feelings of fullness. Sleep deprivation can lead to increased cravings and decreased energy levels.
Also, stress affects how someone eats. When people are stressed out, some will feel like they cannot eat while others will turn to food for comfort.
To develop the healthy habits necessary for maintaining a caloric deficit in their diet, people should:
- Get sufficient amounts of sleep
- Drink enough water
- Control their level of stress
- Eat well-balanced meals
- Exercise on a regular basis
- Avoid diets that restrict calories too severely
Conclusion
Overall, a caloric deficit is one of the most important scientific factors in weight loss. When the body burns more calories than it takes in, it will begin using stored fat for energy. However, there are many areas to consider beyond quantity when trying to achieve successful weight management.
Although calorie quantity will play a role, quality of nutrition, exercise, sleep, stress management and sustainability also contribute significantly to successful long-term weight loss. Extreme dietary restrictions may appear popular right now with all the readily available online resources; however, to obtain long-term health, lifestyle changes must be sustainable and balanced.
By understanding caloric deficits and how they apply to nutrition choices, students can better evaluate and understand misleading information about dieting and weight loss. While science-based habits are often more gradual than “miracle” weight-loss methods, they are far more effective over time.
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References
- CVS Health. (n.d.). What is a calorie deficit? https://www.cvs.com/learn/health/weight-management/calorie-deficit
- Healthline. (2023). What is a calorie deficit, and how much of one is healthy? https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/calorie-deficit
- WebMD. (n.d.). What to know about calorie deficit. https://www.webmd.com/diet/calorie-deficit
- Cleveland Clinic. (2023). What is a calorie deficit? https://health.clevelandclinic.org/calorie-deficit
- Mayo Clinic. (n.d.). Weight loss: 6 strategies for success. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/weight-loss/in-depth/weight-loss/art-20044318
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