The path to healthy, sustainable weight loss is often shrouded in mystery and misinformation. The truth is, weight loss isn’t about radical diet plans, fad diets, cleanses or gimmicks; it’s about understanding how many calories your body needs to function and how to create a healthy caloric deficit to lose weight while still nourishing your body well. Put simply, to lose weight you have to burn more calories than you take in, most people know that already, and while that sounds simple, this simple calorie equation is actually multifactorial and complex. Weight loss is not as simple as calories in vs. calories out because so many factors impact the amount of calories you consume (habits, emotional eating, mindless eating, access to food, etc.) and the amount of calories you burn (stress, sleep, hydration, muscle mass, hormones, etc). If you’re interested in understanding more about the complexities of the energy balance equation and understanding why weight loss isn’t always quite as simple as reducing calories in and increasing calories out, read this post about the ultimate weight loss blueprint.
Continue reading here for help with navigating the path to healthy and sustainable weight loss by understanding calories and their role in your weight loss journey.
Understanding Calories and Energy Balance
Calories serve as a measurement of energy that our bodies use to carry out daily functions, from the simple act of breathing or digesting food to more strenuous activities like running a marathon. The energy balance equation takes into account the balance between the number of calories you take in when you eat and the number of calories you expend through functions of daily living (breathing, heart beating, digesting etc.), movement and exercise. If you’re consuming more calories than you’re burning, you’ll see an increase in weight. Conversely, if you’re burning more calories than you’re consuming, the result is weight loss. There are some helpful terms to be familiar with as you begin to understand energy balance as it pertains to weight loss:
Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR): This is the number of calories your body burns just by keeping itself alive and usually accounts for 60 and 70% of the calories you burn each day. Some examples of basal functions are breathing, your brain thinking and instructing other parts of your body, your heart beating, maintaining your body temperature, your cells dividing and so on.
Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT): This is the number of calories your body burns through all activity and movement besides basal activities and exercise. This includes walking from room to room, fidgeting, “talking” with your hands, etc.
Thermic Effect of Food (TEF): This is the number of calories that you burn from digesting food.
Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE): This is the total number of calories your body burns each day. In other words, it is the sum of BMR + NEAT + TEF + Any exercise calories you burn. Your TDEE is also referred to as your “maintenance” calories which means that if you eat the number of calories equal to your TDEE, you will maintain your weight. For example, if your TDEE is 2300 cals and you eat around 2300 calories per day, you will maintain the same weight.
For weight loss to occur, you have to create a calorie deficit by eating less than your TDEE, but it’s important to create only a slight deficit for multiple reasons that I’ll address later in this article.
Calculating Your Caloric Needs
Preparation for a weight loss journey should include a general understanding of your personal TDEE. Various elements influence this number, including your genetics, age, sex, current weight, level of physical activity, body composition, diet, hydration and hormones. Your TDEE can change over time, especially with changes in body composition or increases/decreases in physical activity, so it’s important to re-estimate caloric needs with major physical changes- i.e, if you lose weight, the number of calories you need also decreases. Figuring out your TDEE and caloric needs for weight loss is relatively simple.
Step 1: Determine Your BMR.
To estimate your TDEE, you first need to identify your BMR. There are a few ways you can pinpoint this number. Many dietitians, nutritionists, gyms or other wellness professionals offer metabolic testing. A metabolic test requires breathing into a tube that is attached to a machine measuring the amount of oxygen your body consumes, and the software connected to the machine provides data on the number of calories your body burns when it is completely at rest (your BMR). For those seeking a more immediate or convenient route, a multitude of online tools and applications exist that provide estimates based on simple input data.
One of my favorites is the BMR calculator at this site.
Step 2: Calculate Your TDEE.
This website linked above calculates your BMR and provides a chart that predicts your TDEE based on how active you are. Is it perfect? No. But it’s a great starting point. Ultimately, the best way to confirm your TDEE is to track your calories and determine if you are maintaining, losing or gaining weight when you consistently eat at that caloric level. The calculator at the referenced website provides a predicted TDEE. If your goal is to lose weight, aim to consume fewer calories than your estimated TDEE. If your goal is to gain weight, aim to eat more calories than your estimated TDEE.
Step 3: Determine Your Calorie Deficit.
Once you have a predicted TDEE, the next step is to determine an approximate number of calories you need to eat each day to reach your goal. If weight loss is your goal, you already know that severe calorie restriction does not work long term. Instead, I recommend a moderate caloric deficit of between 10 and 20%. For example, if your TDEE is 1700 calories and you want to create a 15% deficit, multiply 1700 by .85 to get 1,445 calories. This means that eating about 1400 calories per day should result in weight loss over time. Here are some other examples:
TDEE is 1800; I want to create a 10% deficit: .9 X 1800 = 1620 calories
TDEE is 2000; I want to create a 20% deficit: .8 x 2000 =1600 calories
Unraveling this number lays the groundwork for weight loss. With this knowledge in hand, you can then move forward in devising a plan that strategically reduces your caloric intake, setting the stage for effective and sustainable weight loss. It’s important to note that while this number is a guide, it may require some adjustments as you progress on your weight loss journey. Remember, it’s just an estimate and a good starting point. Once you’ve set a caloric goal for yourself, tracking your calories becomes the crucial next step so that you have data to determine if your calorie goal is right for you or if you need to make adjustments. If you want to learn about my favorite tracking app, checkout this link : https://cronometer.com/. It’s important to mention that tracking calories is simply a means to gather data, it’s not meant as a tool for deciding if you can or can’t eat something. You’re simply collecting data and using that information to make adjustments to your overall eating pattern. When you track your food, you collect data on more than just calories. You get a glimpse at protein, fiber, sugar, and other data points that you can use to make shifts to a healthier eating style.
For some, determining a calorie goal feels daunting, so to make the calculation easy, you can download my free calorie calculator- it’s a simple spreadsheet that allows you to input a few basic data points and then predicts your TDEE for you and allows you to set a weight loss calorie goal. Get it here. If you prefer one-on-one guidance to set a healthy and sustainable calorie goal, Pure Nutrition & Wellness is here for you! You can learn more here or request a free consultation here.
Creating A Sustainable Calorie Deficit
For effective weight loss, it’s necessary to develop a calorie deficit; however, the key to success lies in ensuring this deficit is moderate and manageable, rather than severe and overly restrictive. A deficit between 10 and 20% is manageable by most people. This approach encourages a healthy rate of weight loss of no more than 1 to 2 pounds per week, and more often healthy sustainable weight loss looks like .25 – .5 pounds per week. Of course there’s always fluctuations and it’s important to note here that changes in the number on the scale does not always reflect loss or gain of fat. Often scale changes are caused by other things like a change in hydration status- if you’re more hydrated or retaining water the scale is up and if you’re less hydrated the scale is down, and this has absolutely nothing to do with a gain or loss of fat.
If weight loss is the goal, you might wonder, why create only a small deficit? Why not go big or go home? There’s a few reasons why a smaller calorie deficit is better than creating a large calorie deficit. Extreme calorie restriction can lead to a variety of health issues and often results in regaining weight because it triggers binging or causes us to obsess about food. The weight loss process should be about creating a calorie deficit that you can maintain over time, leading to gradual but lasting weight loss. You can achieve this by making small changes to your eating habits, such as eating smaller portions, choosing lower-calorie options, or reducing the amount of added sugars and fats in your diet all of which create moderate calorie reduction.
In addition, small deficits don’t trigger a major metabolic slow-down like extreme deficits. When your caloric intake is significantly below your TDEE, your body automatically slows metabolism to try to preserve calories and fat. This is an evolutionary adaptive mechanism for times when food is scarce. Slowing your metabolism is obviously counterproductive to weight loss, so it’s important to create a moderate rather than a severe deficit.
Extremely low calorie diets, besides being unhealthy, unsustainable, and metabolism-sabotaging, are also unpleasant. Your energy levels will tank, your mood will be crappy, you’ll have the hangry vibe 24-7 and that’s not a good look for most people. Most people simply can’t maintain drastic calorie reductions, and luckily no one has to in order to lose weight.
Remember, the goal isn’t just to lose weight, but to do so in a way that’s sustainable and conducive to long-term health and wellness. While calories are undoubtedly a critical factor for weight loss, it’s also essential to focus on the quality of your food. Making nutrient-dense food choices can help ensure that even with fewer calories, you’re still getting the nutrients your body needs to stay healthy and feeling satiated during and between meals.
In the end, sustainable weight loss is about balance, and creating a moderate calorie deficit is a vital piece of the puzzle. It allows you to lose weight at a steady pace, while still enjoying the foods you love and maintaining a sense of overall well-being.
Adapting Your Plan As You Lose Weight (Avoid The Plateau)
As you shed fat, your body needs fewer calories, necessitating adjustments to your caloric intake to continue making progress. Think of your body like a machine: as it becomes more efficient – in this case, reduced fat – it requires less fuel to function. Hence, your weight loss plan is not static; it must evolve with your changing body.
Regular reassessments of your nutritional needs are essential to maintain momentum in your weight loss journey. Seeking advice from a dietitian or nutritionist during these reassessment phases can be beneficial. They can provide expert guidance tailored to your current weight, helping you fine-tune your eating habits to align with your adjusted caloric needs. These professionals can also recommend specific adjustments to your diet that ensure you’re not only reducing calories, but also maintaining optimal nutrient intake. To learn more about how you can get help with caloric adjustments, reach out to schedule a free consultation with Pure Nutrition and Wellness or learn more here.
In addition to dietary modifications, adjustments to your physical activity routine may be necessary. With weight loss, you may find that you can engage in more intense or longer-duration workouts, helping to offset the decrease in caloric needs.
Embracing the dynamic nature of your weight loss journey while adapting your plan as you make progress, keeps you on a steady path towards achieving your ultimate weight loss goals. It may require some trial and error, but remember, patience and perseverance are key. You’re not only losing fat; you’re gaining a healthier and more balanced lifestyle.
Putting It Together - Creating Sustainable Weight Loss
Determining your body’s TDEE and using that information to set a calorie goal is a fantastic starting point for fat loss. Of course, your journey doesn’t end there. You’ll still want to know how many calories you’re consuming each day and that requires tracking your food or at least paying closer attention to what you are eating. As you collect data on your caloric intake and how your body is responding to the dietary changes you make, you’ll need to decide if your plan is working or if you need to make more adjustments.
Honing in on caloric intake is only one small part of this process. Nourishing your body with nutrient dense foods, managing stress, prioritizing sleep, increasing movement and exercising are all important components of a weight management plan and a healthy lifestyle. Making changes in these areas often requires shifting habits. If you’re curious about habits that aid weight loss, check out this article on how to Boost Metabolism With Simple Habits. Remember, you don’t need to make any massive changes, just focus on taking small steps in the right direction. You can do this!