Let's get this out of the way, being in a calorie deficit sucks.
There, I said it.
You deal with hunger.
You had to put a lot of effort and attention to your daily nutrition.
And it ends up taking more time than you’d like.
Trust me, I get it.
So, in this blog, I will share 8 tips that have worked wonders for my own transformation, and my 1:1 clients!
(see pics below)
My 1:1 Fat Loss clients (check out more Success Stories here!):
What is a Calorie Deficit?
Let me remind you of what a calorie deficit is.
A calorie deficit is eating fewer calories relative to what your body needs to maintain its current weight.
A Calorie Deficit is what you need to be in (consistently) to lose fat.
How many calories should I consume?
To calculate your daily calorie target (or how many calories you need to consume in order to lose weight), start by taking your goal body weight and multiply it by 11.5 and then again by 12.5.
For example:
Let me grab good friend, Tom.
Tom is looking to drop his weight down to 200 pounds.
So this is how we calculate his Calorie Range for his deficit:
200 x 11.5 = 2300
200 x 12.5 = 2500
Calorie Range Targets = 2300-2500
This is estimated to put Tom on a target to be in a calorie deficit.
Keep in mind that the calorie calculation I give you for your calorie target will be solid starting numbers. But no calculation is going to be 100% accurate. There are individual factors that will impact this, like your activity levels and general lifestyle. So there is no way I can find your exact target, but this calculation has worked really well for my clients.
I talk about this more in The Ultimate Guide for Fat Loss, so be sure to go check that out!
How to Make a Calorie Deficit Easier
Now it’s time to get into the tips.
Like I said, being in a calorie deficit is already a challenge, so let's not make it harder than it needs to be.
Let’s get into it!
1. Take Daily Strolls (Walk)
Increase your daily activity by getting in your steps.
Walking is the most underrated (and under utilized) form of exercise, not only for weight loss but for your health in general.
You put so much emphasis on your 2, 3, 4, or 5 workout sessions each week, but what is happening the other 163 - 166 hours of the week?
If you look at how your calories are burned each day, about 5% are from workouts (Exercises Activity Thermogenesis, aka EAT), and about 15% are from your daily activity (Nonexercise Activity Thermogenesis, aka NEAT).
(Side note: about 70% of calories are burned through your Basal Metabolic Rate, BMR, which is the calories you burn to keep your body functioning. So if you laid in bed all day, yes, you still are burning calories. And 10% of calories are burned through the Thermic Effect of Food, TEF, or the calories you burn during digestion.)
Now, this isn’t to say you shouldn't workout and train, but you can make a huge impact on your weight loss journey by just increasing your steps and daily activity.
Taking more walks throughout the day will make being and staying in a calorie deficit easier, without having to overrestrict your diet or go overkill trying to burn as many calories as you can in the gym. Also, it is simple. You don't need any gym equipment and can do it anywhere.
AND it's an excellent opportunity to catch up on podcasts or audiobooks!
I suggest taking your current daily step count average and increasing it by 1,000 - 2,000 steps.
A great end goal is to be consistently getting 7,000+ steps a day on average!
2. Eat Similar Foods
I know how fun it can be to come up with new dishes to give you variety.
But that can be exhausting to keep up with on a day-to-day basis.
Now, I’m not saying you can’t do that or you shouldn’t have variety, but when it comes to eating, keep it simple for yourself.
Eat similar foods each day.
This not only makes meal prep easier but helps keep you on track when counting calories.
Create a menu for your breakfast and lunch of 1-3 options to make grocery shopping and meal prep easier. From there, you can add some variety, but it helps to have a few staples or go-to options that you know you enjoy and can whip up quickly if you are short on time!
3. Sleep
Sleep is truly the number 1 supplement you should be prioritizing, especially when it comes to optimizing your weight loss (and training performance).
It impacts our decision-making, hunger levels, and training and movement.
Sleep is your free recovery tool. It helps you recharge your batteries.
It gives you more mental and physical energy. That mental and physical POWER!
When you are tired and having cranky temper tantrums, you tend to lean towards the more convenient and easy decisions, like ordering DoorDash vs preparing a nutritious meal. Or skipping a workout and deciding to watch tv.
When you lack sleep, you will notice that your cravings and hunger increase. You will feel hunger signals more often.
When your sleep sucks, your ghrelin levels increase, and leptin levels decrease. Causing you to feel hungrier and more often.
Ghrelin are messages that signal your hunger.
Leptin are messages that signal your fullness.
Prioritizing your sleep is going to make staying in a calorie deficit much easier.
Start putting the phone away and aim to get 7-9 hours of sleep a night!
4. Pump Up Your Protein
Protein is going to be your most satiating macronutrient (compared to carbohydrates and fats), meaning it helps you feel full and more satisfied for longer.
When it comes to managing hunger, and keeping yourself in a calorie deficit, eating a sufficient amount of protein is going to help do the trick.
Not only that, but protein is going to help with you building and maintaining muscle mass which keeps you at a higher metabolic rate since muscle burns more calories than fat.
You should aim for .7 grams of protein per pound of your goal body weight at a minimum. AT MINIMUM, so you can always have more!
Make sure you go check out my blog “How to Increase Your Protein Intake”, so you can get all the tips you need to learn how to increase the amount of protein you are having daily.
5. Volume Foods For Days:
Get in your fruits, veggies, and protein! These foods, also known as Volume Foods, are your calorie-deficit superheroes.
Foods like watermelon, apples, spinach, mixed greens, asparagus, chicken, greek yogurt, and strawberries to name a couple.
They are going to be a great bang for your buck!
They fill you up, keep you satisfied, and make you feel like you're eating a ton.
Think about it.
2 Oreos are going to be 140 calories.
1 pound (yes, POUND) of Watermelon 150 calories.
Which one do you think will fill up your stomach?
Now, this doesn’t mean you can’t ever have Oreos or your favorite treats, but to make being in that calorie deficit a bit easier, start prioritizing these volume foods.
Bonus tip: Have a Big Ass Salad for one of your meals each day. Grab a bowl, fill it up with veggies (I'm personally a fan of the salad kits), add some protein, put a reasonable amount of dressing on it, and boom! You are getting a high-volume meal with a huge serving of veggies and protein that will fill you up for fewer calories!
6. Eat Bigger Meals
Do you struggle with snacking?
Here is an ultimate tip to help fix that!
Time to say goodbye to snacks (or reduce snacking) and say hello to actual big, hearty meals!
If you are tracking your calorie intake, a majority of your calories should come from meals, not your snacks.
Eating larger, more satisfying meals can help you stick to your calorie goals without feeling deprived and feeling the constant urge (especially at night) to snack.
So instead of having a grape, half an egg, and an almond for breakfast, or three slices of lettuce with one carrot stick for lunch, create each meal like this:
Grab a plate and fill it up with:
- 1/4 (or even a bit more) of that plate with your protein source
- 1/2 of that plate with fruits or vegetables
- The remainder of the plate with a starchy carb (like potatoes, rice, or pasta)
It may look something like this
7. Don't Drink Your Calories
Liquid calories can be sneaky and sneaky.
One of the simplest switches you can make is to drink 0 to low-calorie beverages like water, sparkling water, or coffee (black or with a splash of cream).
That specialty Starbucks drink, sodas, or juices can add up quickly and don’t bring much value.
Again, I am not saying you can’t consume calories through your drinks, but just be smart with managing it.
Especially if your calories are around 1500-1800. If you have a drink that is 400-600 calories that is going to be about 25% - 33% of your caloric intake, where consuming those calories through food will be a better bang for your buck!
8. Take Maintenance Pit Stops
Sustaining a calorie deficit is a challenge, so don't be afraid to take breaks or have pit stops along the way.
Taking a break for a day, a weekend or even a whole week can make the long game a lot more sustainable.
The reason most people yo-yo with their weight loss is because they go super hard out of the gate, burn out or are deprived and say “f*ck it”, go banana pants and gain all their weight back.
If you incorporate breaks, you build momentum to play the long game to keep making progress for a longer period of time.
You will have a much easier time staying in a calorie deficit over the course of months or a year by allowing yourself to chill for a bit. Eat at your maintenance calories (which will be about 500 calories added to your current calorie deficit target.
An example of a short-term break is to schedule 1-2 days of maintenance calories every 10 days or so. Even 1 day a week is a solid option!
An idea of a longer term break is after being 80% consistent for 12-16 weeks, take anywhere from 1 week to an entire month of a break before you get back into a fat loss phase.
There you have it.
8 tips on how to make a calorie deficit easier for you.
If you found this blog helpful, share it with a friend to provide them with the tips to help them out.
Or if you feel like you need someone to take the thinking out of it for you with some support, accountability, and guidance, email me KPD@kpd.fit or schedule a call and let's chat to get things started together!
- Kevin
As I Am
SUBMIT YOUR COMMENT