How to Get Into a Calorie Deficit

What Can You Do to Help Yourself Get Into a Calorie Deficit?

So, first let’s define what a calorie deficit is.  A calorie deficit is when your body burns more calories than you take in in a day.  There are lots of ways to help you get into a calorie deficit.  I will explain a few ways

Know Your TDEE and Track Calorie Intake - The Best Way

The best way to do this is to find out what your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) which is also known as Maintenance Calories because this is the amount of calories it takes just to maintain your weight +/- 5 pounds.  There are several calculators online.  These are estimates.  

To truly find your TDEE you will need to start with the estimate then track your weight for a couple of weeks to determine if it is staying within +/- 5 pounds where you started.  Once you determine your TDEE, then you can subtract calories from that number to get into a calorie deficit.  I suggest 250-500 calories depending on how aggressive you want to be.  Of course a 250 deficit will take longer to lose weight, but it is also more sustainable and more likely you will stick to it long enough to lose the fat you want to lose.  Now with this, you want to make sure you are getting that .8-1g of protein per pound of body weight and you are strength training at least 3 times a week to keep from losing muscle mass along with the body fat.  There are tracking apps that will help you keep up with calorie and protein intake.  I like Cronometer.  It is free and easy to set up.  This is the very best way to get into a calorie deficit, that being said, not everyone is cut out for this kind of commitment.  I did a whole blog on TDEE.  Go find it and read it.  Good info.

If You know You are not going to Track your calorie intake for whatever reason, here are few tips to help you get into a calorie deficit.  These ways are not a sure thing like the one above, but lots of people are successful in achieving weigh loss using these methods.  These are more trial and error type things.

1. Eat your meals and snacks slowly - Take at least 20 minutes to eat your meals and snacks and sit down at a table and don’t do anything but focus on your meal.  It takes 20 minutes for your body to produce leptin which is the hormone that tells your body that you are full and to stop eating.  So slowing down your eating can help you eat less.
2. Get at least .8-1g of protein per day per pound of body weight. Divide that number into 3 meals and 2 snacks.  For instance.  A 150 pound person needs about 150g protein per day.  So 40g per meal and 15g per snack would get that person to enough protein for the day.  Protein is very satiating.  It will keep you full.  And it has a higher TEF than Carbs or Fats which basically means that you burn more of the protein calories you consume just by digesting it than you do carbs or fats.  
3. Get some plants on your plate.  Fruits and Vegetables are high in fiber and low in calories, you can eat more of them and they fill you up faster.  
4. Eat your protein first, then your vegetable or fruit, then whatever else you are having.  Eat the most satiating things first.
5. Drink your water.  Get at least 80-100 oz of water a day. This is so important and will help keep you hydrated.  Sometimes dehydration comes across as hunger.  If you find yourself hungry, drink some water first, then wait 10 minutes.  If you are still hungry, then eat something.
6. Get enough sleep.  Sleep deprivation is a big thief of calorie burning.  You burn most of your calories just being alive, and a lot of that happens during sleep.  If you are not getting enough sleep, you are not optimizing your calorie burn.
7. Manage your stress.  High stress can inhibit calorie burn as well, so keep tabs on it!!
8. Get 6000-10,000 steps a day.  Increasing your daily movement is a great way to increase your TDEE
9. Decrease alcohol consumption.  Alcohol is really calorie dense and the way it is metabolized will slow your calorie burn.