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What is a Calorie Deficit?

 When people first start working out, they might look up "How do I lose Weight" or "How do I lose Body Fat", they will see something like they will need to be in a calorie deficit.  However, what exactly does this mean?  This is a term that will be very crucial in losing weight.  You can run 5 miles and work out for two hours in a day, but if you consume more calories than you burned from those workouts you will not lose weight.  So in the simplest terms, a calorie deficit is consuming fewer calories than needed for your body to maintain its same body weight.  Another way to describe this is your body burns a certain number of calories per day from just being alive.  You also burn calories from exercise.  So to enter a calorie deficit, you need to eat fewer calories in a day than the two of those things (calories burned from being alive and exercise) added together.  This is also not a one-day fix. Entering a calorie deficit might only cause you to lose one pound a week, but do not get discouraged.   

I think it is also important to mention that a calorie deficit is not the same amount of calories for every person.  A 6'5" 230-pound male and a 5'9" 160-pound male require different amounts of calories to maintain body weight.  So, I cannot sit at the other end of this computer and tell you to eat 1800 calories a day and you will lose weight.  For one person, a calorie deficit could be consuming 1500 calories and for a different person it could be 2500 calories and both will lose weight.  The key is finding out the right amount of calories for you.  Some other factors that can affect the number of calories needed are:

  • Weight
  • Age
  • Sex
  • Height
  • How active you are
There are also many ways to track the number of calories burned and consumed during a day.  However, I think the easiest way would be to go to the google play store or apple store and look up something like a calorie tracker.  This is a simple way to chart your calories and understand what you are putting into your body at a closer level.

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