Understanding Calorie deficit and why you need to know your Basic Metabolic Rate (BMR)

Calorie deficit is basically a negative energy balance which is like the “magic pill” to lose weight.
Simple formula of creating energy balance looks like this:

Calories IN (energy)= Calories OUT
Food consumed = Burned calories

If you are eating more food and not burning the excess calories you will be gaining weight.

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Consequently, a common approach to reduce body weight is to establish a negative energy balance (calorie deficit). Here just like with fad diets isn’t a “one size fits all” formula. We are all different and your calorie deficit will be different to mine. There are a number of ways calorie deficit can be created:

Example 1. Eat less-move more (Reduce fast food – go for a walk)

Example 2. Eat less ( Gradually reduce fast foods, sugar, use low fat products etc.

Example 3. Move more ( It could be anything from fitness class, gym, swimming, run, walk or anything to make you sweat just a little at low- moderate peace)

First example is most effective method for achieving the desired calorie deficit for weight lose. This is because it reduces body fat whilst retaining as much fat free mass ( lean mass)as possible.

Looking at above examples we often create this deficit without even trying to hard. You don’t even need to count calories at the beginning of weight lose journey.

Important thing is, to learn about the food you are eating. We really need to know what makes our meals, ingredients and how it is cooked?
Because they all provide different energy and some of those foods might be simply not good for your weight loss, simply because it’s to high in calories.

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When we create calorie deficit we often forget that our body requires some amount of calories to manage our organs and vital life processes, this is called Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR).
BMR is usually expressed as the number of calories needed to sustain your basic functioning.
There are other 2 interacting factors which are Thermic Effect of Food ( TEF) and Thermic Effect of Activity ( TEA) but I am not going to bore you with those today😉

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To calculate your negative energy balance (calorie deficit for weight loss),first you need to know how many calories per day your body needs as a baseline- (BMR).
Basic formula to calculate this looks like this:

BMR calculation for men (metric) BMR = 66.5 + ( 13.75 x weight in kg ) + ( 5.003 x height in cm ) – ( 6.755 x age in years )

BMR calculation for men (imperial) BMR = 66 + ( 6.2 x weight in pounds ) + ( 12.7 x height in inches ) – ( 6.76 x age in years )

BMR calculation for women (metric) BMR = 655.1 + ( 9.563 x weight in kg ) + ( 1.850 x height in cm ) – ( 4.676 x age in years )

BMR calculation for women (imperial) BMR = 655.1 + ( 4.35 x weight in pounds ) + ( 4.7 x height in inches ) – ( 4.7 x age in years )

Since i hate maths I use this 👇online calculator but keep in mind this number is not 100% accurate.

https://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/bmr_calculator.htm

Why am I telling you about BMR?

It’s because I often see people eating below their minimum BMR and then within 5 weeks time they are struggling mentally and physically. Restricting calories too severely can lead to a variety of health problems, including reduced fertility and weaker bones.
Also,Very low calorie diets may not provide sufficient amounts of iron, folate or vitamin B12. This can lead to anemia and extreme fatigue.
Maintaining this calorie restriction for too long can also lead to nutrient deficiencies!

This is one of the many reasons why we need a SMALL/MODERATE calorie deficit :
-it’s safer,
-healthier,
-easier,
-more sustainable,
-less problematic,

BMR should be just your baseline not a starting point for losing weight!
If you decide to go below your BMR calories to lose last 5lb than That’s fine but remember to LISTEN TO YOUR BODY!
Doing a very low calorie diet can slow down metabolism but it’s not a big deal comparing to hormonal problems you might experience, Especially in women.
Slow metabolism it’s easy to fix just by moving more or eating more protein but hormones are much more complicated😉
Here 👇you will find out more about slow metabolism:

https://examine.com/…/is-my-slow-metabolism-stalling-my-w…/…

So the bottom line is ,don’t start calorie counting based on your BMR number because it’s a silly thing to do.
If you try to lose weight quickly, you’ll end up trying to lose it every year instead of taking a year to lose the weight once.