Most people still don’t understand that you can’t lose fat without a calorie deficit.
So I’ll break it down…
CALORIE DEFICIT/FAT LOSS EXPLAINED:
Your body burns a certain number of calories daily.
This is defined as TDEE (total daily energy expenditure).
Your TDEE is broken out into:
BMR - basal metabolic rate (70% of total), calories burned at rest
TEF - thermic effect of food (10%), calories burned through digestion
EAT - exercise activity thermogenesis (5%), calories burned through exercise (cardio, lifting, etc.)
NEAT - non exercise activity thermogenesis (15%), calories burned through unplanned activity (twitching, pacing, cleaning, etc.)
For every calorie you eat less than the total of these factors across 24hrs you lose a certain amount of tissue.
This is called being in a calorie deficit.
You won’t lose weight, no matter how much you move, if your TDEE across 24 hours is less than the calories you consume.
This is how we map out losing 1 pound per week:
There are 3500 calories in 1 pound of fat.
3500 calories/7 days per week = 500 calories
So if you eat 500 calories less than your TDEE daily you will lose 1lb per week.
A simple way to estimate this:
Take your bodyweight in lbs x 10-12. (Higher number if you’re more active, lower if you’re less)
This will set you up to lose around 1-2lbs of fat per week which is a sustainable rate of loss.
Weigh out & track your food in an app - stick to eating the estimated number of calories daily.
Weigh yourself and average your weekly weight to determine if this estimation is correct.
We lift weights with a focus on getting stronger over time and eat a high protein diet alongside this to make sure we lose fat and maintain or build muscle.
Apply this process properly & consistently and you’ll guarantee yourself a leaner physique over time.