True: you need to be in calorie deficit to lose weight
Also true: you can increase the amount of food you eat and still lose weight..
Hear me out.
The magnitude of the deficit dictates the sustainability of the diet
… therefore, providing you are still in a calorie deficit, having some extra food will not stop weight loss.
Here’s the all too familiar scenario…
If you are in a daily deficit of 800 kcal you will lose weight at a certain rate. Happy days. But if you are constantly feeling hungry, the following things can happen…
- You consciously or subconsciously eat more. How many times have you weighed out peanut butter to the exact amount but then dipped the spoon back in for a bit more? How many times have you gone out to a restaurant and picked the “sensible option” knowing full well it was not the “sensible option”? (side note: food should be enjoyed, so pick what you want, just be true to yourself if you are actively trying to lose weight).
- You consciously or subconsciously move less. Your workouts start to lose some intensity, you sit more and move slower. The shop you would normally walk to now seems very far away and you only have time to drive.
That 800 kcal deficit is starting to look a bit less impressive. It might not even be a deficit any more.
So, why not add in a few extra calories – say 300kcal?
You’re still in a deficit by 500kcal per day. That’s 3500kcal per week. 1lb fat = 3500kcal.
The rate of weight loss at the start might not be as quick, but it will be more sustainable. You might still get hungry, but not all the time. You’ll feel more satisfied after your eating occasions so you are more likely to…
- Make a conscious decision not to re-dip the peanut butter spoon.
- Make a conscious effort to put your everything into your workout & to keep moving as much as usual.
Drastic deficits are rarely a sustainable approach. They are one of the reasons that “fad dieting” doesn’t work (but is a great business model). The fad diet creates a significant deficit for rapid weight loss. You post your 4 week transformation on social media & everyone cheers asking what’s your secret? You are tired & miserable.
You eat a bit more here and there. You do a bit less now and again. What you don’t post on social media is, over the next 6 weeks, you put all that weight back on. So now you turn back to the fad diet. They take your money and watch the process happen again from the side line. Sound familiar?
Whereas if you took a steady approach, your rate of loss might not be as instantly impressive, but you will feel better, have more energy, and consequently stick to it longer. And voila, more total weight loss, maintained.
Be the tortoise.
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