Caloric Deficit: How to Lose Weight and Have a Life?

Caloric deficit is a basic requirement for successful weight loss. Although unfortunately many people focus on cutting down on gluten, dairy products or eating only “permitted foods” within their diet, but the relentless law of thermodynamics expressed by the energy balance cannot be fooled. A caloric deficit can be like extraterrestrial life. Everyone believes in one way or another that it exists, but no one has actually seen it with their own eyes yet. Of course, if you are keeping an eye on your macronutrients, you can sort of indirectly see it in a nutritional app. In today’s article, we will show you what that infamous caloric deficit actually is, how to recognize if you are in a caloric deficit and, most importantly, how to manage it without becoming a slave to counting calories. 

Even when in a caloric deficit, you can eat surprisingly more and lose weight with confidence

It’s not rocket science or black magic. When you replace highly industrially processed foods, which typically have a large amount of energy in a small volume, with as many fresh and minimally processed foods as possible, you will, almost without noticing, reduce your energy intake while improving your diet. In general, people are quite surprised by how much food they can eat while still losing weight.

What does it look like in reality? Peter and Paul are two friends who go out for a meal on a regular basis. Peter usually doesn’t care about his diet that much, so he usually ends up in fast food eating a calorie bomb, while Paul thinks about what he eats, and thanks to that he is able to make healthy choices even in a fast food restaurant.

• Peter orders some food at McDonald’s: Double Big Tasty Bacon (1022 kcal) with large fries (434 kcal) and 0.5 l of Coca-Cola (208 kcal). That is 1,684 kcal for Peter and an almost depleted caloric intake for the whole day on top of that.
• Paul orders some food at McDonald’s: McWrap with grilled chicken (363 kcal) and Caesar salad with grilled chicken (209 kcal), 0.5 l Coca-Cola Zero (0 kcal) and espresso (0) for lunch. That is 572 kcal for Paul and a ”Correct Meal Choice” award.

Where is the difference? Mainly in 1,112 kcal, the content of individual nutrients and also the feeling achieved after the meal. After lunch, Peter is quite tired and without energy, while Paul feels good and can continue working. And if you think that you can just exercise off your bad diet decisions, forget about it right away. For the average 65-kilogram (143 lbs) woman and the 80-kilogram (176 lbs) man to burn the energy hidden in Peter’s meal, the woman would have to run at an average speed of 10 km/h for about 2.5 hours and the man a little over 2 hours. It is much better to learn to eat according to your needs rather than try to do an extra exercise to get rid of the gained energy excess.

How to successfully handle a caloric deficit and weight loss?

When in a caloric deficiency, the body reaches for the energy reserves it has at its disposal. The goal of weight loss is to activate adipose tissue, burn it for energy and get rid of it. There are several ways to support this, which will help you with consistency and perseverance. Keep in mind that caloric deficit which is too high is as detrimental as if it’s too small. A caloric deficit of about 15-20% of your current energy intake is considered sustainable in the long run. [4]

If you want to calculate your energy intake for weight loss, the online calculator in our article Online Energy Intake and Macronutrient Calculator will serve you well.

2. Try low-calorie ZERO side dishes

Why should you do it and what is it exactly? The secret of the almost calorie-free side dishes lies in the raw material in the form of gluten-free konjac flour from the plant of Amorphophallus konjac. As a result, ZERO side dishes contain the soluble fiber glucomannan, which, like other types of soluble fiber, binds water in the digestive system and thus increases the volume of digestion. Again, glucomannan helps you to feel more satisfied after a meal because it can bind up to 50 times more water than its weight. [10–11]

You can try, for example, ZERO Noodles, ZERO Rice or ZERO Spaghetti. But keep in mind that these products have a specific taste and need to be properly prepared and seasoned. And if it still isn’t “your cup of tea,” don’t try to push it and choose a different approach.

3. Focus on protein

In short, protein is an essential macronutrient in many areas of the human body’s functioning. When losing weight, you will appreciate the increased protein intake, especially thanks to its positive effect on the feeling of satiety after a meal, and it can also help you manage your uncontrollable cravings. Adequate protein intake when losing weight will also protect your muscles from turning into energy and will also contribute to the body’s optimal defence. [1] [12–14]

Of all nutrients, protein has the greatest thermic effect. This means that the body consumes about 20-30% of their energy content for its metabolism, depending on the type of protein. From 100 kcal, you will in reality receive about 70-80 kcal. This way optimal protein intake can speed up metabolism. Your daily protein intake should be in the wide range of 1.2-2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight, depending on your physical activity. You can support your protein intake with quality whey or vegetable protein and protein bars. With the opportunities of the modern Western world, it is not necessary to rely only on animal sources of protein. By at least partially replacing animal sources with plant ones, you will benefit yourself, thanks to the higher fiber content, and the planet, thanks to the smaller carbon footprint you leave behind.

If you are interested in protein food sources, read our article 20 Foods Which Can Easily Add Protein to Your Diet.

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4. Partially replace the side dishes with vegetable alternatives

In case you need to reduce the energy content of your larger daily meals, once again, you can use vegetables. This time we will introduce food with which you can at least partially reduce or completely replace your side dishes. Once more, this means that you can eat more with fewer calories.

• Spaghetti → Zucchini spaghetti. In addition to the replacement of classic spaghetti, you can also use zucchini to increase the volume of oat porridge or as an ingredient in baking. Typically, for example, in brownies. There is an average of 18 kcal in 100 grams of zucchini.
• Rice → cauliflower rice. All you have to do is chop the cauliflower to achieve the desired consistency, and then you can fry it, for example, dry or on a small portion of oil with spices to make the taste somewhat special. There is about 27 kcal in 100 grams of cauliflower.
• French fries → celery fries. If you are a French fries lover, and you can’t resist them, try baking celery fries in oven at home. Simply French fry size and mix them in a bowl with a minimum of oil and spices, spread them on a baking sheet and just put them in the oven. There is an average of 35 kcal in 100 grams of celery. If you don’t like celery, just bake home-made French fries at home from regular potatoes with a minimum of oil and spices according to your taste.

If for any reason you exclude pastries from your diet, you can prepare “hamburger buns” from portobello mushrooms or a few leaves of iceberg lettuce. There is no limit to culinary art, and it’s up to you how you cook your food.

5. Ensure adequate fiber intake

Adequate fiber intake promotes healthy digestion, microbiome, and also weight loss. In particular, soluble fiber generally promotes satiety, slows digestion, so you can feel more satisfied after eating and eat less food. It is generally recommended to have about 30 grams of fiber per day for its health benefits. [10]

• Therefore, focus on whole grains, legumes, unpeeled vegetables and fruits (cucumber, apple or home-grown carrot), nuts and seeds. You can also use chicory syrup to sweeten foods as it contains about 70% soluble fiber called inulin. As a result, it contains about 5 grams of sugar in 100 grams.
• You can also reach for dietary supplements containing fiber. Among the most popular is the fiber of Sand plantain, better known as psyllium. Apple fiber is also beneficial. Both these sources of fiber can be added, for example, to dairy products, oat porridge or breakfast cereals with milk.   
• Remember glucomannan? This is the type of fiber that can bind up to 50 times more water than its weight, and thus increase the volume in your digestive tract. As a result, it is one of the increasingly popular dietary supplements to support weight loss. If you don’t like its taste, you can try glucomannan capsules.

Even EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) has approved following nutrition claims about glucomannan:

• Glucomannan in the context of an energy-restricted diet contributes to weight loss. With a daily intake of at least 3 grams of glucomannan.
• Glucomannan helps maintain normal blood cholesterol levels. With a daily intake of at least 4 grams of glucomannan.

6. Don’t drink empty calories and learn how to cut lots of calories using sweeteners.

It is okay to have protein to replenish nutrients or meal replacement to replace one daily meal. But regularly drinking a litre of Coca-Cola or other sweetened soda is not okay. Unnecessarily, you get the same amount of energy that an average lunch contains. Build your drinking schedule on water and limit liquid calories as much as possible.

You can’t imagine your life without sweet foods? Then learn to sweeten smartly and even without calories. All you need to do is at least partially replace sugar with, for example, the calorie-free sweetener erythritol, which has almost the same sweetness as sugar and can be found naturally in some fruits. You can also try xylitol, chicory syrup, stevia or calorie-free syrups to decorate pancakes or other sweet desserts. If you are interested in more tips on how to enjoy sweet treats and not gain weight, read our article 7 Tips on How to Eat What You Like and Not Gaining Weight.

8. Use cooking oil wisely and try low-calorie sauces

You can literally kill any low-calorie diet food by using excessive amounts of oil or mayonnaise. An example for all of them is Caesar salad, which can even have as many calories as a good hamburger. But in this case, will you feel more satisfied after a burger or salad?

Use a minimum amount of oil to prepare meals, spray oil is an ideal option for this. And instead of various high-calorie sauces, give calorie-free sauces and syrups a chance.

10. Sleep more

Here we go with the sleep again. But in fact, it is really important. Otherwise, we wouldn’t spend about a third of our lives sleeping. It could be said that sleep is one of the most effective refreshers and also fat burners. Lack of sleep is closely linked to increased weight and obesity. It affects the hormones of hunger and satiety (leptin & ghrelin), which makes you crave more food and feel less satisfied after eating. And when you don’t get enough sleep, you don’t even think about working out, do you? These are just a few of the many reasons why you should sleep more. [19–21]

Therefore, treat yourself to about 7-9 hours of undisturbed and high-quality sleep every night. You will see that you will feel much more energetic. [22]

What is the lesson?

Food is not just an ordinary fuel for you to think well, do sports and make whole organism function optimally. It’s much more. Therefore, the caloric deficit cannot be understood as “you can eat anything as long as it fits your macros”. Each nutrient has a predestined metabolic fate and an ideal diet plan should contain enough of all macronutrients, vitamins, minerals, trace elements, phytochemicals, probiotics, prebiotics and other biologically active substances that have a positive effect on human health. 

You can easily support weight loss and caloric deficit by consuming enough protein and fiber from various sources, controlling your portions or by not drinking extra calories. Physical activity is basically a must, while sufficient sleep is a key to maintaining good health and successful weight loss.

And how do you deal with caloric deficit? Share your advice and tips in the comments. If you liked the article, support it by sharing, so that your friends can also learn how to promote weight loss and caloric deficit.

Sources:

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