Essential tips for Calorie Deficits
It’s commonly known that to lose weight, you eat LESS calories. But that doesn’t mean you need to starve yourself. Even though calorie deficit is a common practice in losing that unwanted weight, people tend to forget that there is a proper and safe way to execute it. Becoming malnourished does more harm than good. Our bodies recognize when we aren’t getting the essential nutrients and enzymes to power, repair and build muscle growth.
Our bodies require a certain amount of amino acids from protein to repair and replace muscle fibers that are damaged through physical activity and weight training. Carbs fuel our bodies with the energy we need to accomplish daily tasks and training. Fats or fatty acids are essential because the body cannot produce them. They help the body absorb fat-soluble vitamins A, D and E.
Restricting ourselves to certain foods isn’t a bad thing, but over doing it causes our bodies to store fat and sugar as a fail safe to ensure that it will have energy to use up later. When there isn’t much consistency with our food and calorie intake, the body wont know the next time it will have the chance to store nutrients it needs. In turn, it will automatically store what it can; resulting to weight gain.
So what can we do to ensure that we are following safe and effective practices for calorie deficits?
Know your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) and Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) - The difference between the two will determine the remaining amount of calories that is required to maintain daily.
Start with a minimum deficit of 250 and maximum of 750 for an easier transition for the body - Instead of shocking your body and delaying results by putting your body in a defensive mode, give it a chance to recognize and allow a proper homeostasis to occur.
Know your Macro count and stay within each percentage of Protein, Carbs, and Fats for your set daily calories. - Track your meals daily and get into the groove of understanding the amount of essential nutrients needed to fuel your body.
