A Guide to Your Calorie Deficit

Are you ready to start your calorie deficit? Or maybe you’ve been on this path for a while and suddenly hit a plateau. Don’t worry—you’re not alone! 

Hitting a plateau in your weight loss journey is more common than you might think. 

Understanding how your body works and the concept of a calorie deficit will help you move past this hurdle and continue making progress.

Let’s dive in to learn what a calorie deficit is, how to approach it, and what to do if you feel stuck!

What is a Calorie Deficit?

Let’s start with the basics. A calorie deficit occurs when you consume fewer calories than your body needs to maintain your current weight. 

Think of your body like a car with a fuel tank. If you need to drive 20 km and have 20 km worth of fuel, you have just enough to complete the trip. 

Now, imagine your body is the tank and your food is the fuel. If you eat 1700 calories a day and your weight stays the same for 3-4 weeks, 1700 calories is your maintenance level—you are neither using reserves nor storing extra.

Simple, right? 

In order to lose weight, you need to be in a calorie deficit. This means consuming fewer calories than your maintenance level or increasing your activity level to burn more calories so your body is in a negative energy balance.

Let’s explore how to make this process easier and more enjoyable!

Easy Steps to a Calorie Deficit

Managing a calorie deficit doesn’t have to be a struggle. With the right approach, you can support your weight loss goals while keeping you satisfied and energised at the same time! Here’s how:

Focus on High-Volume, Low-Density Foods

These foods can help keep you full and satisfied whilst sticking to your calorie goal. Examples include:

• Non-starchy vegetables: kale, spinach, lettuce, bok choy, broccoli, cauliflower, celery, cabbage, capsicum, cucumber, zucchini, etc.
• Plain popcorn
• Fresh fruit: berries, apples, pear, citrus fruits, grapes, bananas, melons, etc.
• Egg whites
• Lean meat and poultry sources, fish and shellfish, tofu and tempeh 
• Legumes, beans and lentils
• Low-fat or fat-free dairy products: milk, yoghurt and cheese
• Sugar-free beverages 

Meal Planning and Prepping

By preparing meals and snacks in advance, you can avoid the temptation of high-calorie, less nutritious options when you're hungry and in a hurry! 

Your MWU App is the perfect tool, allowing you to customise your own personalised Meal Guide to your exact calories and macros, making your calorie deficit both easier and more enjoyable. 

Staying hydrated with water and other low-calorie beverages is also essential.

The 12 Week Limit!

It’s important to be mindful of how long you stay in a calorie deficit. 

To avoid metabolic adaptations, it’s recommended to maintain a calorie deficit for no more than 12 weeks at a time. After this period, take a break and jump back to your maintenance level of calories to allow your metabolism to re-adjust. 

This helps prevent your body from getting too comfortable with the lower calorie intake, which could otherwise make future weight loss more difficult.

Troubleshooting Your Deficit

If you find that your calorie deficit isn’t leading to weight loss, don’t panic! First, check if you’ve slipped back into old habits and do a quick audit:

Back to Basics: As we become more confident with weighing foods, we often start "guesstimating" and become less accurate. Start weighing all your ingredients and track your intake closely.

Optimise Sleep: Ensure you’re getting 7-9 hours of quality sleep per night. Good sleep affects weight fluctuations and overall recovery.

Increase Steps: Try to increase your daily steps. Opt for stairs, park further away, or add an extra walk at lunchtime. Set a daily step goal that’s achievable for you and your lifestyle.

Intentional Training: Push yourself in your workouts. Increase weights or, if training at home, add more sets or reps. At the end of each session, ask yourself if you could have pushed harder?

If you are doing everything right and still not achieving weight loss - it might mean you are not in a true calorie deficit. This is when we often recommend a reverse dieting protocol and you may need some more personalised advice!

Beyond 12 Weeks: Next Steps

If you still have more weight to lose after your initial 12 weeks in a deficit, it’s important to still take a break and allow your metabolism to re-adjust before going back into a deficit again. As a guide:

Gradually Increase Calories: After 12 weeks, gradually increase your calorie intake back to maintenance level over a few weeks - or longer to minimise weight fluctuations. Once you reach your maintenance level, stay here for 3-4 weeks. This helps your metabolism re-adjust and prevents it from adapting to the lower calories.

Cycle Your Deficits: After a period of 3-4 weeks in maintenance, you can return to a calorie deficit. This cycling approach helps keep your metabolism working as it should.

In Conclusion

Navigating a calorie deficit can be difficult and everyone’s journey is unique! 

By understanding how to maintain a deficit effectively and knowing how to adjust your approach if things aren’t working, you can achieve the goals you are after. 

Remember, your health and fitness journey is a personal one and at Move With Us, we're here to support you every step of the way. If you’re still not sure on your next steps from here and need some help navigating your deficit journey, please reach out to our team of dietitian’s who are always happy to help ❤️