Too loose weight healthily in a sustainable way we need to achieve a calorie deficit, that supports weight loss. A deficit of just 500 calories a day will support this without experiencing hunger of fatigue.
Calories are the units of energy we get from the food and drink we consume. When we eat fewer calories than we burn, we achieve a calorie deficit.
To create a deficit, we need to recognise what our maintenance calories are. There are lots of calculators online that can advise us of this; i.e. TDEE Calculator - https//tdeecalculator.net/ which requires your;
Age
Gender
Weight
Height
Activity Level
For example my maintenance calories per day are 1,658 and my deficit calories a day are 1200. We are more likely to sustain weight loss through a healthy deficit that doesn't leave us feeling hungry or tired.
To support our deficit if we can avoid drinking high calorie sugary and alcoholic drinks. Foods high in sugar, fat and salt or highly processed foods this will also support our deficit.
Being active also supports our deficit as we burn more calories by being active which increases the number of calories we need, which makes creating a deficit easier.
It is important that we do not create too much of a deficit as eating too few calories, means we don't get the necessary nutrients we need to be healthy, creating health issues.
Decreases metabolism
Increase risk of developing gall stones
Preventing the necessary energy getting to the brain
Impeding with gaining or maintaining bone mass
Some symptoms we can suffer when not eating enough calories are;
Fatigue
Becoming sick regularly
Hindering weight loss
Adverse mood or behaviour changes
Impedes sleep
Suffering constipation
One of the main reasons that we can gain weight when eating too much of a deficit is that it can cause our resting metabolic rate to slow down. This means we may burn fewer calories throughout the day making it more difficult to lose weight.
We must always remember when trying to achieve a deficit that its not always about the physical amount of food we eat, but also the type/quality of foods we eat. We must always prioritise health and well-being by balancing our healthy eating to achieve nutritional balance.
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