Calorie deficit and exercise. Calorie deficit for weight loss

    In any sports-related business, training is only 30% of success. Another 20% of success is correct mode sleep and normalized daily routine. And what accounts for the remaining 50% of success? That’s right – it’s food, food, and more food. So, for example, for many it will become amazing fact that for weight loss it is not enough just to run or just pull the barbell. You need to create a calorie deficit the right way.

    Weight norms

  1. For an unathletic person, his height-110 is considered normal weight.
  2. For athletes, a formula is usually used in which the calculation of weight is 10 kilograms more than usual.

Note: despite the fairly closeness of these formulas, if you look at crossfit athletes, then their weight really is within the height of -100 + -5 kilograms. The same one, with a height of over 180 centimeters, at the peak of his career, weighed only 85 kilograms.

Naturally, this approach is not completely correct, since it does not take into account many factors, including:

  • Initial .
  • The weight and thickness of the bones, which can adjust the weight by 8 kilograms in any direction.
  • The amount of muscle mass.
  • The amount of glycogen in the blood.
  • Percentage of fat.

In particular, we can see two people of the same weight who will look completely different. Therefore, when calculating the optimal weight, we will use more advanced statistical formulas.

For men

How to calculate the normal weight for a man, and determine whether it is necessary to make a calorie deficit for weight loss? On average, for a mobile man, a weight of 75-80 kilograms is considered the norm. No matter how strange it may be, but this figure practically does not depend on the height of a person. On average, people who are shorter have a thicker bone structure, which aligns them with tall and thin people. The norm of adipose tissue for a non-athlete is considered to be up to 22% with its uniform distribution throughout the body. In the presence of a large muscle mass (for mesomorphs), the value of adipose tissue can be up to 30%, and at the same time the person will still not be considered fat, or having overweight. In general, it is necessary to measure exactly the percentage of adipose tissue, and its ratio to muscle volume.

Interesting fact: Ronnie Coleman, at the peak of his career, could not pass the exam for the police service for the reason that his weight was considered excessive, and was indicated as being of the last degree obese. At the same time, this fact was recorded almost immediately after Olympia, when the total body fat barely reached 10%.

For women

In the case of women, two factors must be used at once.

  1. The ratio of height / weight. It should be standard (height -110).
  2. Percentage of adipose tissue.

In the case of his calculations, certain concessions are created for women. Since their body is set up to store energy in case of childbirth or hunger, the normal distribution for a non-athlete woman is considered to be 23-24% of the tissue.

For athletes

The calculation of normal weight for athletes is complicated by many features:

  1. Type of sports discipline.
  2. Body type.
  3. Determination of the level of glycogen.

So, for example, serious bodybuilders need to maintain a high percentage of fat in the offseason (up to 30%), as it allows:

  1. Increase the synthesis of testosterone hormone.
  2. It is a shock absorber and lubricant for ligaments and tendons.

At the same time, in the period before the competition, they dry their body to 4-8% adipose tissue. Such fluctuations in weight and percentage of adipose tissue are unhealthy, and are achieved solely by a set of extreme fat loss during a cutting course (6-10 weeks), after which they return part of the mass. For athletes of other specialties, the weight norm is calculated in such a way that the total percentage of body fat is less than 16%.

Before you go on any specific diet and make a calorie deficit, you need to understand what types of deficits exist. This will allow you to lose weight correctly without nerves, kickbacks, and stress for the body.

  • Nutritional deficiency. Usually it is the result of diets, due to which an insufficient amount of nutrients and enters the blood.
  • Increase in activity. It allows you to increase energy consumption, which also leads to a calorie deficit.
  • Extreme decrease in sleep and rest. In the case when you need to lose 10 kilograms in 3 days, you can reduce the amount of sleep. Already on the third day, the body, in an attempt to get enough energy, will double the energy consumption.

In addition, the artificially created deficit can be divided by intensity.

Stable

A sustained calorie deficit is perfect solution for those who are not in a hurry. You can start it from September, and stay on this diet until May. A properly enriched diet with proteins and vitamins will ensure a sufficient level of satiety. At the same time, the body will lose up to 1-2 kilograms per week.

But the most important thing with such a diet, you won’t even notice how overweight leave your body. In addition, this approach avoids skin stretch marks and other unpleasant side effects. Well, and most importantly - with such a deficit, it is not necessary to limit yourself to one type of food, you can eat exactly the same as before - only less.

A stable caloric deficit that allows the use of adipose tissue without losing metabolic rate is considered to be 10-17% of the total calorie content.

Increased

An increased caloric deficit is based on several other principles of nutrition. In particular, this is the first approach in which the deficit is not defined as total caloric intake minus expenditure, but rather a nutritional deficit is created.

Accelerated deficit nutrition has the following features:

  • Significant predominance of protein products.
  • Almost complete absence of carbohydrates.
  • Low fat content.
  • Giant fiber.
  • The total disadvantage should reach 50% of the energy consumed.

The increased calorie deficit is intended solely for short-term weight loss. The target audience are athletes who can calculate the basic calorie content, BJU, glycemic index, etc. When using an increased deficit, it can be noted that already 2-3 weeks after the start of the diet, the body begins to adapt to such a lack of nutrients, which leads to a decrease in metabolism, as well as the destruction of energy consumers in the body. In particular, from such diets it is already possible to lose part of the muscle tissue. At the same time, with a properly composed accelerated calorie deficit in nutrition, you can absolutely safely get rid of up to 10% of the mass in a short time.

Prominent representatives of professional diets designed for an increased calorie deficit are:

  • Carbohydrate alternation.

And any other forms in which calories and nutrients are considered on an individual basis.

Extreme

Unfortunately, among all the ways proper weight loss and drying, the most harmful have become the most popular. In particular, this is modern dietology, which is published in magazines and on the Internet.

In order not to fall into the list of victims of the newfangled "apple and corn" diets, you need to understand how such diets work correctly, what they are fraught with, and why they are so popular. Any mono diet involves extreme calorie reduction. Very often on the Internet you can see very specific recommendations for "dumpling diets", where it is recommended to eat no more than 900 kcal per day. With an average consumption of 2000-3000 kcal per day, 900 kcal is more than 60% of the deficit. And very often, they significantly exceed this threshold.

What happens to the body?

In the first days - overclocked metabolism, produces a huge amount of adrenaline, which allows the use of adipose tissue (just intended for hunger strikes) to maintain strength. All this is done so that a person finds a source of food, and can restore the balance of calories.

All this can take up to a week. During this time, the body leaves the lion's share of salt, fat and muscle tissue. The body optimizes all resources. And yes, you can really lose weight up to 15 kilograms in a week. In return, you have to pay with your health. After all, the body burns out the main energy consumer “muscle tissue”, which leads to dystrophy.

The actual loss of body fat is limited to 25% of the total weight lost, which means that immediately after the normalization of nutrition, the weight will increase by at least ¾ of the lost.

In addition, when trying to optimize the resources of the body, the work is disrupted:

  • Gastrointestinal tract.
  • Of cardio-vascular system.
  • Ligament apparatus.
  • endocrine system.

Each time, the diet can lead to irreversible changes.

Nutritional Deficiency Calculation

How to correctly calculate nutritional deficit. Everything is very simple, even if you decide to create an extreme deficit, remember the simple rules:

  1. Calculate calorie consumption.
  2. Subtract a percentage for your goals (between 10 and 75).
  3. Break the resulting calorie content into 5-7 meals.
  4. Select products with minimum glycemic index, and high digestion time.
  5. Use an abundance of proteins and fiber to maintain the basic functions of the body.

life hacks

One of the main life hacks that will allow you to painlessly create a calorie deficit for weight loss is the consumption of caffeine-containing drugs. It can be:

  • Actually coffee.
  • Strong tea without sugar.
  • Energy drinks.
  • Root decoctions.
  • Pre-workout complexes.

Note: green coffee is no different increased efficiency as part of fat burning, as well as other very specific products.

Why does coffee consumption increase fat burning? Everything is very simple. Drinking in large doses (no more than 2 cups per 2 hours), caffeine affects the body as follows:

  1. Increases heart rate. This increases the passive consumption of kcal.
  2. Opens the fat depot, the excess energy of which goes into the general bloodstream. Such an excess of energy, the body strives to spend as quickly as possible.
  3. Creates an insulin surge in the absence of sugar.
  4. Increases energy, and therefore calorie consumption in certain cases.

Another interesting life hack is to increase the number of meals, which allows you to fool the body for a short time. As a result, even with a strong caloric deficit (up to 80% of the norm), the body does not slow down metabolism, but with the help of insulin releases it opens a fat depot, from where excess energy goes directly into the blood, accelerating weight loss.

Calorie Intake Calculation

For many, the calculation of caloric intake is carried out exclusively experimentally. In particular, someone uses the formulas how to calculate calorie deficit. Someone selects the calorie content of food individually according to performance. However, the general schemes that are used in bodybuilding do not work, since the following factors must be taken into account:

  1. Daily activity during the day.
  2. Consumption of caffeine carriers.
  3. The amount of sleep per day.
  4. The presence of mental activity.
  5. The presence of glycogen in the muscles and blood sugar.

All this is quite complicated, and, usually, if you are not a competitive athlete, it is not necessary to take everything into account, it is enough to have a plate of calorie consumption on hand for a particular type of activity.

Note: The table shows values ​​per net kilogram of body weight, excluding adipose tissue. Even if you are a rather athletic person, remember that you are not on a cut, the percentage of adipose tissue in your body is up to 25% of the total mass.

Kind of activity Calorie consumption per kilogram of body weight kcal/hour
Dream1.5 kcal/hour
Walking5 kcal/hour
Digestion of food0.5 kcal/hour
Low Intensity Workout12 kcal/hour
25 kcal/hour
Mental activity30 kcal/hour
Sitting at the computer0.07 kcal/hour
Reading6 kcal/hour
Writing texts by hand4 kcal/hour
Writing texts using the keyboard3 kcal/hour
Gaming0.9 kcal/hour
Office work1.2 kcal/hour
Cybergaming (adrenaline high)Up to 50 kcal/hour
Going to the grocery store3.5 kcal/hour
Squats25 kcal/hour
Push ups27 kcal/hour
Pull-ups32 kcal/hour
Playing a musical instrument1.9 kcal/hour
Remembering information7.9 kcal/hour
Long discussions3.5 kcal/hour
Passive consumption0.5 kcal/hour
High Intensity Workout18 kcal/hour
Climbing stairs16kcal/hour
Cleaning in the apartment9 kcal/hour
washing dishes6 kcal/hour

Based on these data, it is possible to calculate the required daily consumption base. Recall that for a normal deficit (with fat burning up to 1.5% of the total mass) per month, it is enough to create a 10% calorie deficit in the diet.

Example of calorie consumption

Based on the tabular data, we calculate the approximate consumption for an athletic person (up to 20% of adipose tissue) weighing 75 kilograms. The net weight of such a person is 60 kilograms.

  1. Sleep 8 hours - up to 720 kcal. Why so much? Everything is very simple. During sleep, the body rebuilds all functions, launches intense anabolism, and in some phases of sleep, on the contrary, catabolic processes begin.
  2. High intensity workout - 1 hour - 1080 kcal.
  3. Office work - 8 hours - 576 kcal.
  4. Meals (5 pieces) for 15-20 minutes. -60-80 kcal.
  5. Hike to work and back - 1 hour 210 kcal.
  6. Gaming - 2 hours a day - 100 kcal.
  7. Passive consumption - 720 kcal.

The total consumption, not counting small activities, is 3500-3700 kcal. To create the correct deficit, it is necessary to limit nutrition to 3000-2800 kcal. In the absence of training, the consumption per day is 2500-2700. Accordingly, nutrition on days without training is 2000-2200 kcal.

Outcome

Unfortunately, any weight loss or cutting can only be created by using the principles of energy scarcity. And, no matter what a sparing diet is used for weight loss, sooner or later it will cause a slowdown in metabolism and a lack of vital energy. Therefore, use periodization, so you can significantly increase the costs of the body and facilitate weight loss. Let's say 5 days of an intensive diet for 2 days of unloading, or 2 days of an extreme diet for 1 day of unloading. But remember that in order to lose 1 kilogram of adipose tissue, you need to create a 7000 kcal deficit, and in order to gain a kilogram of fat, you again need to eat 7000 kcal. Therefore, calculate your unloading and loading with this calculation.

Fat will not burn itself, as it is a huge energy reservoir that can help a person survive a long hunger strike. As practice shows, a fat person on water alone can live up to 35 days. In 35 days of a complete hunger strike, his body will lose 80% of adipose tissue, however, after this, it will take a long time to recover, and it is far from a fact that it will be possible to restore health without medication and hospitalization.

Probably everyone already knows that running is the best type of physical activity that helps to get rid of extra pounds. And if someone else does not know, then we will tell you about it again, only this time in more detail.

In previous articles, we have already looked at the target heart rate zone, used a special calorie calculator for runners and swimmers, and briefly got acquainted with the eating habits of famous marathon and ultramarathon runners. Their diet is dominated by plant food, proteins and fats make up only a small part, the food is fractional and the daily calorie intake is not so big (from 3000 kcal to 5000 kcal).

If you decide to lose weight through running, you need to do it right: take your time, do not starve, and calculate the correct calorie deficit. A calorie deficit is when you spend more than you consume. Everything is very simple! But, in fact, most do it wrong, because they believe that if you immediately start actively exercising and significantly cut your diet, the results will become noticeable in just a week.

First of all, let's not forget that as soon as we start to starve, the body turns on defense mechanism, developed over the centuries: there is little food, which means we are starving, which means that we need to save as many calories as possible in reserve. As a result, our body begins to store in the form of fat reserves even those calories that used to go for energy needs, and not in pantries. And as soon as we start eating more actively, our thrifty body continues to actively create reserves. That is why people who give at least a little slack after a strict diet so quickly return the lost kilograms.

Secondly, a sharp reduction in the daily diet is fraught with the fact that, as a result of intense training, our body will not receive the energy it needs, and then it will begin to borrow necessary material, taking it away from our muscles and bones. That is, of course, you can cut the diet, but you need to do it wisely so that the body continues to receive the products necessary for life and more intense training.

Thirdly, a sharp transition from the usual daily diet will be a difficult test not only for the physical, but also for the emotional state. If you are accustomed to a certain way of life, abruptly switch to full healthy eating will be very difficult and most likely lead to a breakdown.

How to calculate the correct calorie deficit? To do this, you need to use the Harris-Benedict or Muffin-Jeor formula to calculate metabolism (how many calories the body spends at rest to maintain body temperature, blood flow, respiration, cell renewal). Then the resulting figure will need to be multiplied by the coefficient of physical activity.

In past articles, trainer Irina Ryzhikova has already calculated 4 nutritional options using the example of specific people (and).

In these calculations, the Harris-Benedict formula was used:

  • for men: 66 + (13.8 × weight (in kg)) + (5 × height (in cm)) - (6.8 × age);
  • for women: 655 + (9.5 × weight (in kg)) + (1.9 × height (in cm)) - (4.7 × age).

Muffin-Jeor Formula:

  • For men: (9.99 x weight (kg)) + (6.25 x height (cm)) - (4.92 x age) + 5.
  • For women: (9.99 x weight (kg)) + (6.25 x height (cm)) - (4.92 x age) - 161.

Activity coefficients:

  • The minimum level (bed rest) is 1.2.
  • Short ( sedentary image life) -1.3.
  • Medium (light exercise 1-3 times a week) - 1.5.
  • High (high-intensity training 3-5 times a week) - 1.7.
  • Very high (high-intensity classes 7 times a week) - 1.9.

For example, you are a man, you are 32 years old, your height is 176 cm, your weight is 78 kg, you want to get rid of extra pounds and you can set aside time for 3 workouts per week.

We perform calculations using the Harris-Benedict formula: 66 + 13.8 x 78 + 5 x 176 - 6.8 x 32 \u003d 1,804.8 kcal.

Now we multiply the result by the activity coefficient (in our case - 1.5), add another 10%, which are spent on the intake, digestion and assimilation of food, and we get our standard daily calorie intake: 1,804.8 kcal x 1.5 + 270.7 = 2,997.9 kcal.

Next, remember that our goal is to get rid of excess weight! As we have already said, you need to lose weight correctly! The best option It is considered getting rid of 2-3 kg within a month. If you start losing weight at a rate of 3 kg per week, weight loss will not occur due to burning fat, but due to muscle and water.

In order to burn 1 kg of fat, a person spends on average about 8,000 kcal, which means that in order to lose 3 kg per month, you need to burn 24,000 kcal. Knowing these numbers, you can calculate your daily calorie deficit: 24,000/30 = 800 kcal or 24,000/31 = 774 kcal.

Now you can remember your target heart rate, insert it into ours, and see how long you will need to run in order to burn the calculated number of calories. And on the days when you don't have training, you just have to eat less. And don't forget to keep track of your calories!

To lose weight, you need to spend more energy than you get from food. This is done in two ways - for a few hundred calories and through training and mobility at home. It's time to understand the nuances of creating a calorie deficit for weight loss.

The most interesting work on your diet begins after calculating how many calories you need to consume in order to lose weight. Dietary restrictions are a huge stress for the body, which can be mitigated with good nutrition and.

Proteins, carbohydrates and fats are absorbed by the body in different ways. There is a concept of the thermal effect of food (TEP), which means the consumption of calories during the digestion of the food eaten. That is, you spend calories while eating. When you eat chicken or fish, the calorie expenditure is higher - protein TEP is on average 25% of the protein portion eaten, when you eat cereals and vegetables, you spend less - carbohydrates have a TEP of up to 15%, and when eating fat, you can spend a maximum of 5% in low thermal effect. Therefore, balanced diets are always, whole carbohydrates and.

Quality in this case is determined not by price or brand, but by nutritional value. Take, for example, sausage and chicken meat. As part of the most expensive sausage, at best, 75% of meat, and everything else is a mixture of fats and nutritional supplements. This does not give any useful substances, but a huge amount of fat and more than 300 calories per 100 g - protein rich in all essential amino acids, vitamins, minerals and only 113 calories per 100 g.

Fresh fish is more nutritious than salted fish, meat is better than sausages, real cottage cheese is healthier than cottage cheese, and natural yogurt will bring more benefits to the body than sweet. Similarly, cereals - the less processed they have been, the more nutrients they have retained and the longer your body will absorb them. Ditch white bread, white rice, premium pasta in favor of brown rice, whole grain bread, and durum wheat pasta. Choose a grain that has retained its shell. Eat seasonal vegetables, fruits and berries.

Remember, even the most. Avoid frying in oil. Fry in a non-stick pan, boil, stew, bake, grill, in a slow cooker or double boiler.

Scientists have confirmed that a comfortable diet gives the best result. In many ways, comfort depends on the frequency of power supply. You can argue for a long time which is more correct - a day or. The fact is, you have to be comfortable.

Fractional meals will be convenient for those who have just started to lose weight. The calorie content of the diet of beginners is quite high. It will not be easy to distribute 2000 calories of real food for three meals a day. Relatively slender people who need to lose only 5 kg, on the contrary, will not be easy to distribute 1400 kcal for 6 meals.

In addition, people with diabetes, gastritis, obesity, or people with high insulin secretion may experience additional benefits of split meals.

Of course, you can lose weight without physical exertion, but the result will be slow, and the reflection in the mirror will not please. It is important to understand that nutrition makes us slim, and physical activity makes us athletic. Sport makes the body toned, elastic and improves the proportions of the figure by strengthening muscle tissue. Without muscles, the body looks loose and flabby. Physical activity also contributes significantly to calorie expenditure.

The most important rule in creating scarcity through activity is to act gradually. People who have not previously trained can, with each week increasing the speed and duration. Similarly with training - it is necessary and every time to try to surpass yourself.

Ideally, you should lift weights 2-4 times a week, do at least 150 minutes of cardio, and walk 10,000 steps daily, but this should be done gradually. So your body will adapt to the loads and it will be comfortable for you to maintain the rhythm taken. Activity will become a part of your life, not a punishment.

In matters of activity, it is important to find a balance between and mobility in everyday life. As you know, the latter helps than even the most intense workouts.

I discovered the secret why you are not losing weight: you eat too much. Today we will take the next step and analyze why you are not losing weight even with a calorie deficit.

Calorie intake is one part of the equation. The other is expense.

And if everything is very simple with the receipt (eat food and that's it), then with the expense it is more difficult.

Our body is perfectly able to hold weight and rejoices when we get fat. And vice versa, he does not like to get rid of valuable reserves of fat. Here are 8 reasons why we don’t lose weight even on a deficit (and what to do about it all).

1. You lack patience

It's the same all the time:

- I went on a diet, but it does not help.
How long have you been on this diet?
- Four whole days!
- Four days?
Yes, four days! Diet doesn't work! (Adam shoots himself)

Yes, yes, most people cannot lose weight for this simple reason: being too impatient. I'll explain it on a chart:

When you start a diet and see the first changes for the better, dizziness begins with success. You think that it will continue to be just as simple, the motivation through the roof. But this is a misconception: soon move into the next phase, which I call "Sucks" - doing everything right, but no more changes.

Here, for many, patience ends, the diet fails. But if you had held out longer, progress would have resumed:

Solution: weight loss should NOT be forced. You can only keep a deficit, train and wait.

So, first of all, calm down and be patient. You didn't gain weight in a week, and you won't lose weight in a week either. I will say more, people who are counting on help " fast diet”, most often they gain everything lost back. They simply can't endure too severe restrictions for long enough and don't develop healthy habits to help maintain a normal weight in the future.

What rate of weight loss to expect? Depends on the amount of excess fat: the more, the faster it will go away. However, if you are already relatively lean when you start the diet, you should lose weight more slowly to maintain muscle and strength.

So that aim for a loss of 0.5-1% (of total weight) per week. A person weighing 110 kg can lose 0.55-1.1 kg per week, and a person weighing 70 kg is better off losing 350-700 grams.

1b. You compare yourself to others

One friend lost weight - what kind of diet does he have? Another one was shaped - what is his program?

I can't stop you from looking at others and being jealous (we all do), but here's an important thing: the more you try others' diets and programs, the less likely you are to succeed yourself. They may have completely different conditions, such as having better genetics, or using illegal drugs, or training every day for the last 20 years.

Solution: Seek information and ask questions. Don't be afraid to try new things, but once you've chosen one, dedicate enough time to it.

2. Metabolic adaptation

But the main biological reason -. Although we usually think of metabolism as a single concept, it has four separate components: basal metabolism (BMR), non-training thermogenesis (NEAT), training thermogenesis (EAT), and thermic effect of food (TEF).

BMR: while you are sitting and reading this magnificent text, a lot of different processes are going on in your body. The brain processes information, the eyes, running across the screen, jump to the beauty sitting opposite, and the heart beats faster when she also looks at you. All of this, believe it or not, burns calories and is called basal metabolism. This is the main item of expenditure, reaching 60-70% for most people.

NEAT: any physical activity that is not related to training. Fiddling in a chair, walking, walking the dog, etc. Burns about 30% of calories, but can be higher if, for example, you have to move a lot at work.

EAT: just workout. The number of calories burned depends on the type and duration of exercise. For example, short power training consumes less than an hour of running. For most of us, this component accounts for only 10-15% of calories consumed. That's why it's almost impossible to burn out a bad diet with exercise.

TEF: the number of calories it takes to digest food. Although this is only 5-10%, it must also be taken into account.

Losing weight affects all four components.

  • BMR: The smaller the body, the less it spends

Basal metabolism is determined by dimensions: height, weight, muscle volume, fat percentage, etc. When you lose weight, your body weight decreases and it requires fewer calories.

Solution: The deficit needs to be adjusted from time to time to the changed weight.

First of all, track weight changes.

Weigh yourself daily, in the morning, after leaving the toilet and before reaching the kitchen. This way you will collect the most accurate data. After receiving the measurements for the week, calculate the average value. Why average per week? Because weight due to a variety of factors floats day by day:

As you can see, although the weight may increase on some days, the average value over the week is slowly but surely decreasing.

  • Volumes

The numbers on the scales are not everything. Also fix the main volumes of the body, they will help to better understand whether there is progress and whether it is necessary to adjust the diet. Measure once a week (at the same time, under the same conditions).

  • A photo

Photos will help you look at your progress from the outside. Here is mine and video where I discuss the above three points in more detail.

Secondly, starting a diet, do not change anything for the first 4 weeks.

The body needs a little time to get used to the deficit. During this period, it will become clear to you whether it is necessary to recalculate calories.

Let's say you endured 4 weeks on your original deficit and the weight loss stopped. What to do? Just reduce calories by 5-10%. If you started at 2500, subtract 125-250 calories.

Here, many are baffled by the question of what to cut - proteins, fats or carbohydrates? Don't touch the protein or you'll die! Joke, don't die, but leave the proportion of protein unchanged.

If you're on a high carb diet, cut them down: cut them down by 30-60 grams (~125-250 calories). If you are on a diet with large quantity fats, then cut them: since there are 9 calories in a gram of fat, then reduce by 13-27 grams.

Let me remind you that in the most carbohydrate-precarbohydrate diet of the total number of calories. Because #health.

With each calorie change, continue to take all measurements for 2-3 weeks, then, if necessary, reduce by another 5-10%.

  • NEAT: those who lose weight move less

Solution: choose for yourself, time or number of steps. "40 minutes walk every day" or"10,000 steps daily."

This will help you maintain approximately the same calorie expenditure. And pushes for the concept "eat more - move more" which I am a fan of. And even studies (here and there) say that such a strategy is much more effective than the popular "eat less - move more."

  • TEF: The less you eat, the fewer calories are used for digestion.

  • EAT: The lighter the weight, the less you burn in training.

3. Fluid retention

Dieting (and training) is stressful. And stress raises cortisol. And cortisol retains water. This is usually more noticeable in women, for example, my client. Only a week passed between the two shots:

Water retention “masks” weight loss: fat goes away, but it seems to you that nothing is happening.

The red line is the constant numbers when weighed, and the green line is the REAL fat reduction.

Solution: calm down.

Do not go on a diet during a difficult period of life. If there is too much stress, then you will not lose weight, and you will be crippled in the gym. Choose a relatively quiet time for the diet.

Here's what will help reduce stress:

  • Meditation: Here I'm just imagining a guru who knows how to relax. In fact, I hate meditation! I tried. Nothing works. BUT. The benefits are scientifically proven, and some even know how to enjoy the process. I don't know my experience.
  • Walking: that's my meditation - I love to walk. Every morning I walk for half an hour, thinking about the good (and leaving the phone at home).
  • Massage: Even one treatment a month can significantly reduce stress.
  • Sex.
  • Keeping a diary: transfer thoughts from your head to paper. At least kalyakayte.
  • Don't write 3000+ word articles. Don't be like me.

And be sure to add a phase.

I have detailed the phase diet, here is the twitter-style:

For 1-2 weeks, step back from your diet, adding calories (mostly carbohydrates) to a maintenance level or a little more. This will reduce stress and drain water.

4. Health problems

Many things can affect your weight, such as hypothyroidism, polycystic disease, or menopause. From certain drugs (such as antidepressants or oral contraceptives) can even get fat.

Solution: If you are following a strict diet and exercising hard, but the weight does not change, then go to the doctor and check your health.

Regarding medication and weight gain, I consulted Dr. Spencer Nadolsky aka The Doc Who Lifts:

  • Check with your doctor if there are alternatives. Sometimes yes, sometimes no.
  • If not, then accept the need to be treated with the same drugs. Work on what you can control.
  • There are also drugs that help, for example, metformin or antipsychotics. Appetite suppressants may be useful if the main drug increases it.

But remember, I'm not a doctor. All I can say is "see a professional".

5. You're losing weight the wrong way.

It is necessary to get rid of not WEIGHT, but FAT. These are different things. On the left is weight loss, on the right is fat loss:

In addition to fat, there are many useful things in our body: the skeleton, muscles, organs, water, etc. All this adds up to a common mass. : Eliminate Carbohydrates… What’s There – Stop Eating! You will definitely lose weight. And then you'll probably die.

Solution: like I already said this, but I repeat: the numbers on the scales are not everything. Measuring and photographing (and working weights in the gym) will say a lot more about your fitness.

Volumes: if arms, chest and quadriceps increase, and the waist decreases, then congratulations, you have added muscles.

A photo: look bigger than before? Lines were drawn on the body that you had not seen before? Congratulations, you have added muscle.

Force: if the strength did not fall on the deficit (or even slightly increased), then congratulations, you have added muscles.

7. You don't need to lose body fat just yet.

It's not what you WANT to hear, but what you NEED to hear. If you lack muscle mass and are trying to lose fat, the result will be disastrous. Let's get back to our Bales:

In both photos, the "relief" indicates a reduced percentage of fat, but how do you want to look yourself? Personally, I prefer to be Batman with muscles.

The more muscle mass you have, the better you will look after the diet. If the muscles are clearly not enough, then you should not burn fat, but build muscles.

If you are not yet twenty, then do not go on a diet (). Now you are in a golden period of growth. Eat your fill and train hard to get the most out of this great time. For boring diets, you will have the rest of your adult life.

8. You need to STOP dieting.

Are you suffering from a chronic diet? Well, you know: one week is massaging, the other is drying, and so on:

If you, getting off one diet, start the next one in a week, then this will not improve either your health or your figure. But here's what it will lead to:

  • Muscle Loss: The longer you are in a calorie deficit, the more muscle you lose. That is why I recommend a phase diet with periods of calorie maintenance or even a small surplus.
  • Eating disorders: you can live on a limited calorie,. When you go over the duration, deviations can also develop: breakdowns, feelings of guilt for breakdowns, new fasting - and everything in a spiral, getting worse and worse.
  • Zero: If you do the above, then you are just wasting your time and achieving nothing.

Solution: if you recognized yourself in the description of the last item, then it's time to give up diets for a while.

Get your calories up to maintenance levels and focus on your workouts while rejuvenating your mind. During this period, you may add some fat, but you need to recover in order to achieve your goal in the future.

To understand what a calorie deficit is and how you can lose weight with it, let's remember the basic dietetics course. A person receives from food the energy that he needs for life: the work of organs, movement and mental activity.

Energy sources are proteins, fats and carbohydrates (BJU), which are found in various dishes and products. Everything contains calories, even alcohol.

Everything else that we eat turns into energy that we spend on various activities and life in general.

Get fat

Now imagine that calories are a salary. Every day you spend money on food, transportation, housing, public utilities etc. In reality, this is the energy consumption for walking, thinking, digesting food, and much more.

So if your salary exceeds expenses, you accumulate financial resources - calories. And where to put the accumulated funds? That's right - they need to be put aside in reserve.

losing weight

Everything is pretty simple. Now imagine that you are not being paid as much as you would like. There is not enough money for your daily expenses, and therefore you have to spend your stash. In our case, its role is played by fat on the abdomen, waist, hips. If you continue to get less, you will begin to waste the stash, that is, the stored fat.

When you eat fewer calories than you need to cover your energy expenditure, your body creates calorie deficit, and the body makes up for the lack of energy from its fat reserves. This is how you lose weight.

Starting to lose weight the right way

To lose weight you need to create a calorie deficit - this is the main rule of losing weight. It would seem that you need to start restricting yourself in nutrition, and the problem is solved. Alas, not everything is so simple.

First of all, we recall that there are two ways to create a calorie deficit:

  • Eat less - cut calories from food (BJU balance is not so important)
  • Spending more – exercising, being active, not sitting still, moving a lot (you can still eat the same as before)

Ideal weight loss is a sensible combination of both, but often people choose one or the other, like exercising a lot and eating very little. Especially those who want to lose weight urgently for last week before a vacation or wedding.

Under no circumstances should this be done. You can not immediately load yourself with a large amount of physical activity and at the same time eat little. A huge energy deficit will not accelerate weight loss, because when your spending exceeds twice your stash, you will begin to experience serious stress.

There is no universal advice on how to properly create a calorie deficit. Someone does not like sports at all, and it is more comfortable for him to eat less, someone vice versa.

However, as a trainer, I want to note that the transition to gives more significant results, according to many years of practice and research in different countries.

How many calories did you eat?

So, now you know if there is a lack of calories, you will lose weight. And no matter what foods are included in your diet, even if they are sweet and high glycemic index. If you receive less in total than you spend, you will begin to lose weight.

But how do you know how many calories you ate? Proteins, fats and carbohydrates have a set calorie content:

1g protein = 4 kcal
1g fat = 9 kcal
1g carbs = 4 kcal
1g ethyl alcohol = 7 kcal

To know exactly how many calories you have eaten, you need to weigh the food before eating and while cooking. Then read the label if it is a finished product, or look at the calorie content tables for the calorie content per 100 grams of the product, and use applications, programs or websites to calculate the calorie content of the piece that you are going to eat.

In dishes that are prepared from many products, the total calorie content of everything that you put in the pan is added up. Do not forget about fatty sauces and sugar, all this has a calorie content and is quite large.

Let's say you ate for lunch today:

Vermicelli soup - 270 kcal
- Two fried pork chops - 530 kcal
- French fries (140 g) - 420 kcal
- A glass of sweet compote - 170 kcal

As a result, we get as much as 1390 kcal.

Let's try to choose other dishes and create a small calorie deficit:

Borscht (250 ml) - 200 kcal
- one fried pork chop - 265 kcal
- mashed potatoes with butter 170 kcal
- a glass of dried fruit compote - 130 kcal

As a result, we get already less - 765 kcal

If you can’t lose weight, let’s try to increase the calorie deficit even more and take it for lunch:

Lean borscht (200 ml) - 100 kcal
- salad of tomatoes, cucumbers and green leaves - 50 kcal
- a little beef stew (115 gr) 210 kcal
- mashed potatoes with butter - 170 kcal
- a glass of water - 0 kcal

You will get a meal for 530 kcal

Which lunch to choose? How much do you need to reduce your calorie intake to lose weight?

How to Calculate a Calorie Deficit

With a deficit of 10%, you will lose weight slowly and smoothly, and with a shortage of 30%, quickly and rapidly. 500 kcal is the average figure.

Let's calculate how many calories you need to consume per day so that a sufficient deficit is created for weight loss.

calorie deficit calculator

How to create a calorie deficit

Let's see how the diet changes when creating a calorie deficit. I'll show you how it's done using the example of one of my clients, Misha.

Here's what Misha's current diet looked like last Monday:

Breakfast = 534 kcal

White bread (60g) - 193 kcal
- Cheese Lambert (40g) - 151 kcal
- Sugar (3 teaspoons) - 59 kcal

- Ham (40g) - 108 kcal
- Coffee (1 mug) - 0 kcal

Lunch = 759 kcal

Soup (350g) - 265 kcal
- Bread (120g) - 240 kcal
- Salad male caprice (80g) - 254 kcal

Dinner = 767 kcal


- Waffles (40g) - 212 kcal

Outcome - 2060 kcal per day.

On the rest of the days, Misha ate about the same, and received about the same number of calories, while his weight remained unchanged - 110 kg.

In order for the weight to begin to decrease, we create a calorie deficit in the range of 10-20%, we get 1724 kcal. How can Misha come to such a calorie content? Very simple. To do this, you need to replace dishes with less high-calorie ones, remove something, or reduce the amount of certain products.

In practice, it looks like this:

Misha's nutrition with a calorie deficit

Breakfast = 386 kcal (was 534)

We change white bread to regular (60g) - 120 kcal
- One slice of cheese instead of two (20g) - 75 kcal
- Sugar (3 teaspoons) - 59 kcal
- Cream (2 tea) - 24 kcal
- Ham (40g) - 108 kcal
- Coffee (1 mug) - 0 kcal

Lunch = 624 kcal (was 759)

Less lettuce (50g) - 159 kcal
- Slightly less bread (100g) - 200 kcal
- Soup (350g) - 265 kcal

Dinner = 714 kcal (was 767)

Naval pasta (300g) - 555 kcal
- A smaller portion of waffles (30g) - 159 kcal

Outcome - 1724 kcal instead - 2060 kcal. Almost 300 kcal difference. As you can see, the main abbreviation is breakfast. The replacement of high-calorie bread and a slight reduction gave a noticeable decrease in the total calorie content of breakfast.

You can reduce each meal by 10-20%, or remove the most high-calorie dishes / products, so that the total calorie content per day is 10-20% less than before. Choose what is more convenient for you.

Why 10 to 20%?

A smaller calorie deficit simply will not work, as the body will be able to overcome such a shortage of calories. At the same time, a huge deficit of more than 20% of the norm of calories will have a negative effect in the future.

Of course, now you will lose weight on a deficit, let it be 25% and even 30% of the shortage. However, a total lack of calories will be a total stress for your body, to which you need to respond and eliminate it in a timely manner.

Appetite will increase, the risk of breakdowns will increase, mood will worsen, the balance of hormones will be disturbed, and much more. All these defense mechanisms are needed by the body from starvation. It will be extremely difficult to get out of such a diet with the preservation of results.

If we increase the deficit

But the most annoying thing is that the rate of fat loss will not differ with a deficit of 20% and with a diet with a deficit of 25-30% or more. Let me explain why: on a diet with a 20% restriction, you will spend fat, and on more severe diets with a strong calorie restriction, muscle tissue will also be consumed.

The number on the scale will go faster, but the rate of fat loss will be identical. It would seem, what's wrong with losing more weight? Even if it's due to muscle loss?

The fact that the muscles themselves spend calories and they are responsible for the so-called "tone" of the figure and smartness. Without them, you will be covered with orange peel (cellulite) and sag in the most prominent places. Therefore, no one will put you on a diet with a large calorie deficit by a high-level nutritionist.

How to spend calories more efficiently?

We figured out food and "salary", but how to find out how many calories the body spends, and most importantly - where? And scientists can easily answer this question.

During the day, a person spends energy on:

Base Exchange- these are calories that are spent on the work of internal organs, vision, breathing, and everything that you spend lying on the couch and not moving;

household activity- any activity outside of training: shopping, queuing for a new iPhone, looking for a car in the parking lot, standing by the stove while cooking, etc .;

Assimilation of food- to digest your burgers, buckwheat or breast, the body spends energy, or rather the gastrointestinal tract;

Workout- jogging gym, crossfit, football and other types of training.

So how do we create a calorie deficit by forcing our body to burn more?

Influencing the basal metabolism is problematic, despite the fact that it eats up the lion's share of the total energy costs.

Workouts are heavily overrated as a calorie-burning tool. Perhaps this will surprise someone, because we are used to repeating the word “sport” when talking about losing weight. In fact, the more physical activity, the more aggressive the reaction of the body: appetite increases, household activity decreases, adaptation mechanisms are activated.

Alas, your body will not spend much energy on physical activity, especially for a long time.

The body is an ideal mechanism that sooner or later will start saving energy. If earlier you spent 100 kcal to run 100 meters, then soon, with the same energy expenditure, you will be able to run 200. This is how the body works.

The higher the physical activity, the greater the threat of “starvation”. If before the body absorbed 70% of calories, now it will absorb all 100%.

That is, before you ate 2000 kcal, and assimilated 1700. Now you have added physical activity, and therefore allowed yourself to eat a little more, for example 2200 kcal, but now the body will absorb all 2200. The calorie deficit that you were counting on, exhausting yourself in the hall will not work.

Not to mention that training greatly increases your appetite, which means that it will be more difficult for you to follow a diet.

Note to the owner:

From 5 to 10 kcal per minute, the body spends on jogging at a slow pace + 7% of the total amount is spent due to post-workout thermogenesis and the return of oxygen debt.

Beginners in 30 minutes of such a run will spend = 30 * 5 = 150 kcal + 7% = 160 kcal. If you increase the duration of the training, fewer calories will be spent. That is, 60 minutes = this is not 320 kcal at all.

15 kcal per minute + 14% post-workout effect eats up interval cardio or high-intensity training. Example: 15 minutes of intense training = 225+31.5=256.5 kcal

The brain consumes 0.25 kcal/min for mental activity, which means that in 1 hour = 15 kcal, and in 24 hours = 360 kcal

Therefore, in total (especially in comparison with brain activity), training consumes few calories. But that doesn't mean they're useless. Just don't overestimate them, especially when choosing between diet food and an exhausting marathon on the bike path.

Assimilation of food, as well as the basic metabolism, does not lend itself to significant changes.

But we can influence household activity, and significantly. We can move more, sit less on the couch, do something around the house, spin around and so on. This does not mean training to the point of exhaustion. Walk in parks, in the city, walk more. By reducing the intake of calories from food.

Results

To lose weight, you need to spend more energy than you get from food, that is, create an energy deficit. It can be done different ways both by increasing activity and by eating fewer high-calorie foods. The choice is yours. The main thing is common sense and consistency.

To more accurately determine the number of calories eaten and spent, it is advisable to start weighing and counting food, which in our time is not so difficult with the help of special applications for smartphones.

However, if you are not ready to live with a calculator in your hands, just cut portions by eye and start moving more. There are many ways to lose weight, but they are all simple with a banal understanding of the basics of this process. Don't worry too much about exotic diets. Looking for a unique technique, you can forget about the main rule of losing weight - an energy deficit.