At Levity, our experts recommend eating in a calorie deficit during your weight loss journey. Here, we’ll unpack what a calorie deficit is, how to calculate your calorie deficit as well as some practical tips about how to track your caloric intake for weight loss.
To understand why a calorie deficit is important for weight loss, we first need to unpack what a calorie is. A calorie is a unit of measurement that is used to measure the amount of energy in food or drink. [1]
A calorie deficit occurs when you consume fewer calories than your body needs to maintain its current weight. The imbalance between the calories you consume and the calories you burn forces your body to tap into its fat stores for energy, ultimately resulting in weight loss. [2]
To calculate what a healthy calorie deficit looks like, the first thing we recommend doing is working out how many calories you need to maintain your current weight using the BBC calorie calculator. Then, reduce that figure by up to 600 calories a day to start losing weight safely, this new number is the daily calorie intake you should aim for during your weight loss journey. [3]
Once you know how many calories you should be consuming each day you can start tracking how many you are consuming.
One of the most important concepts to understand is that different food groups provide different amounts of energy which means that 1 gram of carbohydrates has fewer calories than 1 gram of fat. Below we’ve listed how many calories each nutrient contains. [4]
The good news is that most of the time you don’t need to calculate how many calories are in something in your head because you can usually find the information on food labels, broken down per portion, per 100g and per pack. The per portion information is normally the most useful especially if you are diligent about eating the recommended serving size.
If there is no recommended serving size, we recommend weighing the portion you plan to consume before eating to give you an idea of how many calories a meal contains and whether you need to adjust your portion size. Remember to weigh all of your ingredients separately to accurately determine the amount of calories they contain.
What you eat during a calorie deficit can actually make it easier to maintain a calorie deficit which is why we recommend eating a diet containing plenty of fibre and protein to keep you fuller for longer.
So, once you’ve calculated your calorie intake for weight loss, we recommend using the NHS Eatwell Guide to help you figure out which food groups your calories should be coming from and where you can cut back. Most people find that the majority of their calorie reduction comes from starchy carbohydrates, fruits and vegetables, and dairy alternatives, with protein staying the same. You can find out more about how much protein you should be consuming here.
It’s important to remember that a calorie deficit is not about cutting as many calories as you can in an effort to see quick results, it’s about losing weight in a sustainable way.
Your body needs a certain amount of calories to receive essential nutrients, and restricting your calorie intake too much can result in deficiencies that can negatively impact your overall health.
Not eating enough calories can also slow down your metabolism, when your body senses that food is in short supply, it will slow down your metabolic rate in an effort to conserve energy. This can make weight loss slower and more difficult, as a slower metabolism means a slower calorie burn.
If you need help calculating your calorie deficit, Levity's clinical team is here to support you. You should be able to see the impact of eating in a calorie deficit in just a few weeks and the best way to track your progress is by weighing yourself and measuring your waist weekly. If you have any questions or concerns don’t hesitate to contact us.
[1]NHS. Understanding Calories [Internet]. nhs.uk. 2021. Available from: https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-weight/managing-your-weight/understanding-calories/
[2] What Is Calorie Deficit? [Internet]. Cleveland Clinic. 2021. Available from: https://health.clevelandclinic.org/calorie-deficit
[3] NHS. Calorie counting - Better Health [Internet]. nhs.uk. 2022. Available from: https://www.nhs.uk/better-health/lose-weight/calorie-counting/
[4] BBC. Recommended energy values of protein, fat and carbohydrates - Energy and nutrients – CCEA - GCSE Home Economics: Food and Nutrition (CCEA) Revision [Internet]. BBC Bitesize. Available from: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zqj66yc/revision/4
[5] NHS. The Eatwell Guide [Internet]. NHS. 2022. Available from: https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/food-guidelines-and-food-labels/the-eatwell-guide/
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