Calories are energy units that one gets from food and beverage consumption. A calorie deficit is achieved when one consumes fewer calories than they burn. The process of expending or burning calories is also known as calorie expenditure.
If you need to lose weight, you can create a calorie deficit by consuming less calories than your body requires to maintain its body weight. The number of calories a person requires per day is dependent on their sex, weight, age, height, body composition and physical activity levels.
Calorie expenditure has three components, and they include
- Resting Energy Expenditure (REE): The REE calories are the calories the body uses while at rest with functions such as blood circulation and breathing to keep a person alive.
- Activity energy expenditure: these are calories used up while performing household chores, sports, and other non-exercise-related activities such as fidgeting.
- Thermic effect of food: these are calories used up by the body during digestion, absorption, and other metabolic functions of the body
Every time a person consumes fewer calories than the body requires to support these three calorie expenditure components, the body goes into a calorie deficit.
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Calorie Deficit in Relation to Losing Weight
Calories are not the primary thing that affects weight but maintaining a calorie deficit can help weight loss. To lose at least 2 pounds a week, a person needs to have a calorie deficit of 500-1000 calories.
To lose weight, one needs to calculate how many calories the body needs to burn in a day. Multiplying your current body weight with 15 will estimate how many calories your body requires per day. To maintain a healthy calorie deficit, one needs to subtract 500 calories from the total required. Activity levels and Basal metabolic rate are also good measures of a body’s calorie needs.
Different Ways of Creating A Calorie Deficit
A lb of body fat is equivalent to 3500 calories; therefore, to lose 1lb of fat in a week, one requires a 500 calories deficit each day. To lose 2lb, one needs a 700 calories deficit a day. There are different ways one can create a calorie deficit. They include
Diet
Changing what you eat or drink can easily create a calorie deficit. In trying to create a calorie deficit, one must focus on foods that are very rich in nutrients and very low in calories. Creating an eating pattern is critical and must include vegetables, grains, proteins, healthy oils, fruits, and fat-free/low-fat dairy products.
Increasing water intake will leave you hydrated and reduce the consumption of sugary drinks and trans fats.
Exercise
Exercise increases calories expenditure, thus creating a calorie deficits. The best exercises include hiking, walking, recreational sports, biking, and going up the stairs.
Risks Associated with The Calorie Deficit
Cutting too many calories leads to health problems because the body requires a certain number of calories to function correctly. The risks include
- decreased metabolism
- lack of enough nutrients that help in the maintenance of bone mass
- increased risk of gallstones
- brain deprivation of the necessary energy.
All these symptoms may lead to
- constipation
- difficulty sleeping
- an abnormal change in mood and behavior
- weight stagnation
- frequent sickness.
For Effective Yet Fast Results
In the effort to create a calorie deficits and ultimately lose weight, many people choose to use the stimulant free fat burner, effective in speeding up the fat-burning process while at the same time reducing cravings and hunger. According to Legion Athletics, “a natural and stimulant-free fat burner speeds up your metabolism, enhances fat burning, and reduces hunger and cravings.”
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