Calorie deficit for weight loss I How to calculate in 3 steps?

To lose weight, overweight people use various methods - mainly diets and fasting systems. However, experts recommend simply adjusting your diet and increasing physical activity. The diet must be designed in such a way that it includes the required amount of fats, proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, in addition, when calculating it, it is necessary to take into account the optimal amount of calories.

A calorie is a unit of measurement of the energy the body receives when consuming food. If more calories come in from food than are consumed, the excess remains in the body as fat. And an excessive lack of calories leads to exhaustion, which is fraught with all sorts of diseases. To use up accumulated fat reserves without risk to health, you need to create a slight calorie deficit. In this article we will talk about calculating daily calorie intake. All information presented here is intended for educational purposes only and is not a guide to action. Only specialists can accurately calculate calorie intake. But this is not enough for effective weight loss. To get rid of extra pounds forever, you need to use a well-thought-out system, including diet correction, psychological support, and recommendations for physical activity. The Doctor Bormental clinic has its own patented method of losing weight and maintaining results, with the help of which more than half a million people have already lost weight. Read more about the methodology here -.

Weight standards

When starting the weight loss process, it is very important to set your goals correctly. Often people want to lose a certain amount of kilograms and become a little thinner. However, ideally, you should strive to completely bring your weight back to normal. There are many formulas that can be used to calculate normal weight for an individual person. For example, the well-known Quetelet formula allows you to determine your body mass index. You need to divide your weight by your height cubed. The result is a two-digit number. If it is more than 40, this is grade 3 obesity. From 35 to 39.9 - 2nd degree obesity. From 30 – 1st degree obesity. From 25 - overweight, pre-obese. An index value of less than 18.5 indicates underweight.

There are more complex calculation options. For example, Brocca's formula. She looks like this: (height-X)×1.15. In this case, X = 110 for women and 100 for men with an average build. These are women with a wrist girth from 15 to 17 cm and men with a girth of 18-20 cm. With a wider wrist, women have X = 100, and men have 90. If the wrist is thinner than average, then 120 should be subtracted from the weight for women, and for men 110.

There are a huge number of tables on the Internet where normal weight is already calculated in accordance with gender and age based on one or another calculation method. In addition, there are online calculators that allow you to quickly calculate your norm. In the table below you can see what weight is ideal for men and women of different ages and different body types.

For men

Ideal weight for Men (kg) for the specified body type

For women

Ideal weight for women (kg) for the given body type

Determining maintenance calories

Now let's return to the question of how to determine the required caloric intake to maintain weight. There are three ways:

1. calculate the exact figure using formulas;
2. use online calculators;
3. determine the indicators experimentally.

The first two methods are simpler - you just need to substitute the required numbers and get the finished result. However, experimental determination of calorie content is the most accurate.

Calorie norm - calculation using gadgets

Today, many people use modern gadgets for calculations. Fitness bracelets have the corresponding functions; you can download and install the counter application for free on Android. For example, the Kaloriyka smartphone program is now very popular. However, the results of such calculations are not the most accurate. It is better to go to an appointment with a nutritionist who will take into account all your individual lifestyle characteristics, health status, genetic predisposition to various diseases and much more.

Making allowances for physical activity

The process of losing weight involves not only changing your diet, but also increasing your physical activity. You need to calculate your calorie intake taking into account which training option you have chosen. During a normal walk, a light gentle warm-up, and training, for example, on a stepper, energy consumption is different.

It is very important to take into account how much energy is burned during a particular type of exercise. During intense physical activity, energy consumption is higher, but in order to make the body strong and beautiful, static or power loads are also needed. When doing them, calories are also consumed, although not as quickly as when working on cardio equipment. Thus, the now popular plank exercise burns from 5 to 12 calories per minute.

Heavy training, which involves a high loss of energy, allows you to quickly lose weight and gain muscle mass. But an intense training regimen requires special nutrition. Some people use factory-made or homemade protein shakes, which provide maximum energy, reduce appetite, and speed up metabolism.

Reducing calorie intake

An overweight person probably exceeds his daily calorie intake. After calculating the norm, you need to calculate how many calories are currently consumed. It is recommended to write down everything you eat and drink in a diary over a certain period. Then, based on the calorie tables, the average calorie consumption per day is calculated. The difference between real data and the norm can be impressive. But you shouldn’t drastically reduce your diet. We need to do this gradually.

Experts recommend reducing the nutritional value of the daily diet by 100-300 kcal per week. In pursuit of a quick effect, many people who are losing weight reduce the nutritional value of their diet by 600 or even 700 calories at once, but such sudden changes can lead not to weight loss, but to a slowdown in metabolism. In fact, the process of reducing calories requires an individual approach. It is better to go this route under the supervision of a nutritionist who is ready to adjust your diet at different stages of weight loss.

It is important not just to reduce the calorie intake, but to completely switch to healthy foods and dishes, giving up what is harmful to health and brings extra pounds. You also need to gradually give up your favorite junk food. The first step is to remove sausages, fatty fried meats, confectionery, and sweet carbonated drinks from your diet. It is necessary to think about replacing the usual dishes. Fried pork should be replaced with boiled or baked chicken, turkey, and veal. Regular bread should be replaced with yeast-free or bran bread. Rice flour is used instead of wheat flour. Instead of carbonated drinks, drink black or green tea with lemon, cinnamon, and ginger.

When reducing calories, you need to pay special attention to the content of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates in the new diet. The content of sugar in 100 grams of product is indicated in the calorie tables. We must not forget about the existence of healthy foods with high calorie content. It is impossible to abandon them completely. For example, hard cheese or fetax is a high-calorie product, but even a small piece of this product contains a lot of proteins, vitamins, and minerals. Cheese of various types is introduced in small portions into a healthy diet.

Studying the reviews of those losing weight, you can come to the conclusion that it is much easier to lose weight with a varied menu. You can prepare healthy food using special dietary recipes.

Fats

Fats are an essential component of a rational, balanced diet. It is fat deposits that are the body's energy reserve. Thus, the oxidation of 1 g of fat releases 9 kcal of energy. Fat is part of cell membranes and nerve fiber sheaths, and is involved in the synthesis of vitamins, hormones, and bile acids.

Fats are divided into saturated (in animal products) and unsaturated (in plant products). The nutritional value of fats is associated with the presence of unsaturated fatty acids and vitamins A. E, D.

The average daily requirement is 80-100 g of fat, of which 30% should be vegetable oils.

How to monitor your diet

To switch to proper nutrition and not consume calories in excess of what the body requires, you need to constantly count calories. Some people trying to lose weight use tables, special apps, calorie calculators and count everything they eat during the day. Others schedule the menu a week or two in advance. This is a more convenient option that allows you not to think about kilocalories every hour. You can entrust the preparation of a weekly menu to a specialist, and then just stick to it and not be tricky with constant calculations. But for those who spend a lot of time outside the home, often eat in restaurants and do not have the opportunity to eat only personally prepared food, it is easier to keep calculations throughout the day. The main thing is not to lose vigilance and adhere to the established norm.

Switching to a lower calorie diet is usually accompanied by a persistent feeling of hunger. In this state, a person constantly thinks about food, which further stimulates the appetite. Nutritionists advise sticking to fractional meals, which allows you to reduce your daily caloric intake with minimal discomfort. The simplest option for fractional nutrition is to distribute all daily calories into 5 meals. The portions will be smaller, but the time interval between meals will also be reduced.

For breakfast, you should choose foods with “slow” carbohydrates. They will be digested longer, maintaining a feeling of fullness. For dinner, it is recommended to eat quickly digestible food.

It is quite difficult to monitor your diet all the time. This can get boring quickly. But to lose weight and maintain an ideal figure, it is not more important to control your diet, but to develop the right eating habits. You need to gradually learn to eat less, according to a schedule, using healthy foods. In order to stimulate metabolism, you should start the day with a glass of lemon water and prepare oatmeal for breakfast. Make it a habit to drink plenty of fluids frequently and exercise regularly.

Carbohydrates

The main function of carbohydrates is energy - supplying the cells and tissues of the body with energy. When 1 g of carbohydrates is utilized, 4 kcal of energy is generated. In addition, carbohydrates (glucose) are constantly present in the blood, and in the liver and muscles in the form of glycogen. In combination with proteins and lipids, they form part of enzymes, hormones and other structures.

Great importance is attached to fiber, pectin, cellulose, which, being an integral part of dietary fiber, are almost not digested, but are required by the body for normal intestinal function.

Depending on the structure of the molecule, carbohydrates are divided into:

1. Simple or monosaccharides (glucose, fructose), which are quickly absorbed by the body.
2. Complex sugars or disaccharides (sucrose, lactose), when broken down, break down into monosaccharides.
3. Polysaccharides (starch, fiber, pectin) or “slow” carbohydrates, which require several hours to digest.

The body should receive most of the carbohydrates (up to 45%) in the form of complex sugars. Their absorption is carried out according to a scheme that ensures long-term and uniform saturation of cells with energy.

Simple monosaccharides in the total amount of carbohydrates should make up no more than 20%, since their excessive consumption provokes obesity. The rest of the daily carbohydrate requirement comes from fiber and pectin.

Carbohydrates are found mainly in plant foods: vegetables, fruits, grains, legumes, nuts.

Experts' opinion

Proponents of extreme weight loss methods argue that the most important thing for weight loss is to create a calorie deficit in the body and start the process of consuming internal reserves (fat). In fact, using strict diets in which the body does not receive enough nutrients does more harm than good. As a result of such activities, weight can be significantly reduced, but it usually quickly returns with excess.

To completely get your body in good shape, you need to eat a diet with a slight calorie deficit, but at the same time provide the body with the substances necessary for its functioning. The diet of a person losing weight should be balanced and complete. It should remain the same after losing weight.

Squirrels

Protein as a plastic material is necessary for the construction of cells and tissues of the body. It actively participates in all vital processes (digestion, growth, development, immunity), is part of enzymes, hormones, antibodies.

Protein in the intestines is broken down into free amino acids, which are used by the body to synthesize its own protein molecules. Based on their biological value, amino acids are divided into essential and non-essential. Essential amino acids are not synthesized in the body, but enter the body only with food. Nonessential ones can be formed in the body from other amino acids.

The biological value of protein is determined by the amount of essential amino acids. Proteins that contain all eight essential amino acids are considered complete. These are products of animal origin: milk, meat, fish, poultry, eggs. The source of non-essential amino acids is plant products: bread, cereals, vegetables, fruits.

The average daily protein intake for an adult is 0.75-1.5 g per kg of body weight, and 55% of this should come from animal proteins.

Is it possible to speed up metabolism?

It is almost impossible to change your basal metabolic rate. But the general metabolism (metabolism) is different for all people. In such cases, they usually say “fast” and “slow” metabolism. Many people believe that it is impossible to speed up metabolism. And those who are sure that it is possible recommend magic products, juices, tea and tablets. But that won't help.

How can you influence your overall metabolism? It is necessary to influence its components, which we described above. Here's what can significantly increase your body's calorie intake:

• Increased muscle mass. Muscles increase energy consumption. BMR increases .
• Eat more protein. Protein uses more energy when digested. TEF increases.
• Exercise more. Energy consumption increases, both during training and after - for muscle recovery. EAT and EPOC increases .
• Move more in everyday life. Such activities can be more enjoyable and more energy-consuming. NEAT increases .

But the number of meals does not affect the metabolic rate. So “eat more often to speed up your metabolism” is a myth. If you maintain a calorie deficit, it doesn’t matter how many times you eat – at least once, the effect is the same.

Thus, the difference between the food received and the total daily metabolism affects weight loss. If you compensated for your total daily metabolism with the food you received, then you remain at your weight. When the body does not have enough food to maintain metabolism, it begins to use up reserves. And when you have eaten more than your body needs, it begins to make reserves.

That is, saying “I eat a lot and lose weight” or “I don’t eat anything and gain weight” makes no sense from a scientific point of view. It just seems so to you, but if you start looking at your diet and activity in detail, then everything will fall into place.

What happens to the body?

In the first days, metabolism is accelerated, producing a huge amount of adrenaline, which allows you to use fatty tissue (precisely intended for a hunger strike) to maintain strength. All this is done so that a person finds a source of food and is able to restore the calorie balance.

All this can last up to a week. During this time, the body leaves the lion's share of salt, fat and muscle tissue. The body optimizes all resources. And yes, you can really lose up to 15 kilograms in a week. In return you have to pay with your health. After all, the body burns out the main energy consumer, “muscle tissue,” which leads to dystrophy.

Actual fat loss is limited to 25% of the total weight lost, which means that immediately after normalization of nutrition, the weight will increase by at least ¾ of what was lost.

In addition, when trying to optimize the body’s resources, the work is disrupted:

• Gastrointestinal tract.
• Of cardio-vascular system.
• Ligamentous apparatus.
• Endocrine system.

Each time, diet can lead to irreversible changes.

Standardized tables

Approximate daily calorie intake can be found in standardized tables.

Standards for men

Norms for women

Types of Deficiency

Before you go on any specific diet and create a calorie deficit, you need to understand what types of deficits exist. This will allow you to lose weight correctly without nerves, setbacks, and stress for the body.

• Nutritional deficiency. Usually the result of diets that cause insufficient amounts of nutrients and nutrients to enter the bloodstream.
• Increased activity. Allows you to increase energy expenditure, which also leads to a calorie deficit.
• Extreme decrease in sleep and rest. If you need to lose 10 kilograms in 3 days, you can reduce the amount of sleep. Already on the third day, the body, in an attempt to obtain a sufficient amount of energy, will double its energy consumption.

In addition, artificially created deficits can be divided by intensity.

Stable

A stable calorie deficit is an ideal solution for those who are not in a hurry. You can start it in September and stay on this diet until May. A diet properly enriched with proteins and vitamins will provide an adequate level of satiety. At the same time, the body will lose up to 1-2 kilograms per week.

But the most important thing with this diet is that you won’t even notice how the extra pounds leave your body. In addition, this approach allows you to avoid skin stretch marks and other unpleasant side effects. Well, and the most important thing is that with such a deficiency, you don’t have to limit yourself to any one type of food; you can eat exactly the same as before – only less.

A stable calorie deficit, which allows the use of adipose tissue without loss of metabolic rate, is considered to be 10-17% of the total calorie content.

Increased

An increased calorie deficit is based on slightly different nutritional principles. In particular, this is the first approach in which the deficit is defined not as total calories minus expenses, but rather a nutritional deficit is created.

Accelerated deficiency nutrition has the following features:

• Significant predominance of protein products.
• Almost complete absence of carbohydrates.
• Low fat content.
• Huge amount of fiber.
• The total deficiency should reach 50% of the energy consumed.

An increased calorie deficit is intended solely for short-term weight loss. The target audience is athletes who know how to calculate basic calorie content, BJU, glycemic index, etc. When using an increased deficit, it can be noted that already 2-3 weeks after starting the diet, the body begins to adapt to such a lack of nutrients, which leads to reduction of metabolism, as well as destruction of energy consumers in the body. In particular, from such diets you can already lose some muscle tissue. At the same time, with a properly designed accelerated calorie deficit in the diet, you can absolutely safely get rid of up to 10% of your weight in a short time.

Prominent representatives of professional diets designed for an increased caloric deficit are:

• Low carbohydrate diet.
• Carbohydrate rotation.
• Keto diet.
• High protein diet.

And any other forms in which calories and nutrients are calculated on an individual basis.

Extreme

Unfortunately, among all the methods of proper weight loss and cutting, the most harmful ones have become the most popular. In particular, this is modern dietetics, which is published in magazines and on the Internet.

In order not to be included in the list of victims of the newfangled “apple and corn” diets, you need to understand how such diets work correctly, what they are fraught with, and why they are so popular. Any mono diet involves extreme calorie cutting. Very often on the Internet you can see very specific recommendations for “dumpling diets”, where it is recommended to eat no more than 900 kcal per day. With an average consumption of 2000-3000 kcal per day, 900 kcal is more than 60% of the deficit. And very often, they significantly exceed this threshold.

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Dry and raw foods

When performing calculations, the question often arises: when to weigh food? Before or after cooking? Raw and cooked foods have the same calorie content, but different weights. If you cook cereal, it will expand in volume and gain weight by absorbing water. The same buckwheat, after cooking, increases its volume by 3 times compared to dry cereal. A difficult situation arises - if dry buckwheat has a nutritional value of 330 kcal / 100 g, then in the form of a finished product it loses its nutritional value - now 100 g contains 3 times less calories - 330: 3 = 110 kcal. Meat, on the contrary, gives up moisture and decreases in size. If you take a 200 gram piece of meat and fry it, you will get approximately a 100 gram piece of the finished product. That is, the nutritional value of meat increases. It is necessary to understand that there are no fundamental changes in the quality of products, only their weight changes, but not calorie content. However, when calculating, it is the weight of the food eaten that is taken into account. Therefore, you can get the correct result only after making the necessary adjustments - the calorie content of the porridge must be taken into account, reducing the initial value by 3 times. The calorie content of meat is calculated by increasing the value by 2-2.5 times. In addition, different cooking techniques must be taken into account. Everyone has their own secrets and rules that produce their own results. Therefore, it is recommended to experiment and weigh the products in raw and cooked form. Before each preparation of the next dish, weigh the raw food and record the resulting values. Then weigh the finished dish and divide the second result by the first. This allows you to obtain the most accurate, proprietary data. You may have to adjust the meat or grain indicators differently. This will take very little time, but will provide the most accurate correction factors for calculations.