General background Information
What are Calories?
Before we discuss what a calorie deficit is and how it works, it is important that we go over some background information on how our food intake and energy expenditure are linked to weight loss, maintenance and weight gain.
So what are calories?
- All the food and liquids that we eat and drink will contain 'calories'.
- Our body needs calories for energy, to fuel all it's bodily functions, like breathing and brain function, but also for any additional activity we do on top, like walking, house work or physical activity.
- So we call the amount of food we consume vs the energy we use a 'Energy Balance'.
- This can be either a Positive, Negative or Neutral 'Energy Balance'
Positive Energy Balance:
- Eating more than the energy we are using = calorie surplus = gaining weight/fat
Negative Energy Balance:
- Eating less than the energy we are using = calorie deficit = losing weight/fat
Neutral Energy Balance:
- Eating the same amount as the energy we are using = calorie maintenance = no real change in weight
The average person puts on 5kg of weight per decade - equal to an extra 15 calories per day, or 1 teaspoon of sugar daily.
There are a few reasons why it is so easy to gain weight:
- Busy working lives
- Being less active
- Eating processed or calorie-dense foods
- Not controlling our portions
As a result, we find ourselves putting on weight, without realising - if left unchecked, this leads to further weight gain, increasing our BMI to overweight and obese, furthering our risk of developing T2DM.
Self-Imposed Calorie Deficit
What is a Self-Imposed Calorie Deficit?
So as we've discussed above: A calorie deficit is when you are eating less food than the energy you are using (a negative energy balance) on a daily basis, leading to:
- A decrease in body-weight/fat
Because:
- Your body begins to use it's long-term store of energy (fat) after using up it's short-term stores (glucose).
A self-imposed calorie deficit can be a great option for those who would like a more gradual weight-loss approach, however this can also act as a drawback.
What are the benefits of a Self-Imposed calorie deficit?
It will help reverse your Prediabetes/Type 2 Diabetes
The most obvious benefit is losing weight which in turn will help:
- Reverse Prediabetes/Type 2 Diabetes
- Reduce your risk of Type 2 Diabetes complications (see our 'T2 Diabetes Progression' page for more info)
- More mobility
- More energy (less fatigue)
- Less sleep apnoea (breathing issues when sleeping)
- Improving general quality of life, health and wellbeing
What are the drawbacks of a Self-Imposed Calorie Deficit?
It takes longer than a VLCD (Very Low-Carbohydrate Diet
The biggest drawback is that this approach will take longer than the VLCD, however it may be more suitable and sustainable for some people.
While VLCDs can lead to weight decreases of 10-20kg+ in a around 3 months, a Self-Imposed Calorie Deficit may take over a year to have the same results.
Other drawbacks include:
- Feeling slightly hungry, some of the time
- Not getting enough nutrients (vitamins and minerals), so it is imperative that you increase your fruit and vegetable intake, to prevent this from happening.
However, as your body becomes accustomed to tapping into its fat stores for energy and you become comfortable with this slight hunger, it is no longer a drawback.
How can you start a Self-Imposed calorie deficit
You can start today!
The first step to starting a calorie deficit is working out how many calories you need to consume, so that you are in a deficit.
Using a 'calorie counter', where you'll be asked for your age, height, weight and activity level, will provide you with the number of calories you require to be eating at weight maintenance, a calorie surplus and most importantly, in a calorie deficit.
There are various 'calorie calculators' that can be found across the internet, such as Calculator.net Calorie Calculator and TDEEcalculator.net - TDEE Calculator: Learn Your Total Daily Energy Expenditure.
The recommended daily calorie intake for men and women from the NHS are:
2500 kcal for men
2000 kcal for women
The recommended daily calorie intake to cause weight loss from the NHS are:
1900 kcal for men
1400 kcal for women
These numbers are averages and will not be applicable to everyone - it is important to use the calorie counters listed above to establish what your daily intake should be, based on your age, gender, height, weight and activity level.
Some useful tips for being successful on a calorie deficit:
- Tracking your intake- this can be done generally (through portion sizes) or very specifically (through tracking specific calories per food) - ensures you are getting enough vitamins and minerals, as well as helping you maintain your deficit and weight loss.
- Weighing yourself - weighing yourself in the morning, on the same day, every week, ensures that you are accurately tracking your progress.
- Setting goals - setting specific, achievable, measurable, realistic and time bound goals can help you stay motivated during the entire process.
To help track your daily calorie intake, using a calorie tracking app, such as MyFitnessPal https://www.myfitnesspal.com/ or NHS Weight Loss Plan https://www.nhs.uk/better-health/lose-weight/ can be useful. These are free apps that will ask for your existing weight, goal weight, and a time frame. You would be able to enter every quantity of food you eat, into the app, and it will tell you how many calories you have had for each meal, as well as how many you have remaining in the day.
If you would like further information on how to be in a calorie deficit and lose weight, please see the links below, which will take you to the British Dietician's Association Weight Loss (bda.uk.com) and the NHS - Calorie counting - Better Health - NHS www.nhs.uk
Useful tips for feeling full and controlling portions
- Eating fibrous foods - eating foods that are higher in fibre, such as fruit, vegetables and whole-wheat starchy foods such as whole-wheat pasta and rice, which will help keep you feeling fuller for longer. To learn more about how you can fit fibre into your diet, please click on the following NHS link - How to get more fibre into your diet - NHS www.nhs.uk
- Drinking enough water and drinking a glass of water before a meal - this will help to fill up your stomach, meaning you need less food to fill it up.
- Waiting 20 minutes before going for seconds - it takes your brain 20 minutes, from when you've finished your food, to register how full it is.
- Using 'simple' portion control tips - filling up a quarter of your plate with carbohydrates (starchy foods - rice, pasta, bread), instead of half and filling up more of your plate with fibrous vegetables.
Important things to remember when on a calorie deficit
- Reduce processed food intake (cakes, crisps, sweets, chocolates, ice cream, fizzy drinks and squash) - these foods are calorie dense, high in processed sugar and saturated fat, eliminating these will get you closer to being in a deficit.
- Eat an adequate amount of calories (don't decrease it too much) - it is important that you do not reduce your calories and food to extremely low amounts, as this can lead to you eating less nutrient rich food.
- Increase intake of vitamins and minerals (fruits and vegetables) - this increases your vitamin and mineral intake, whilst also increasing your fibre intake, helping you feel fuller for longer.