Understanding Caloric Deficit

A calorie deficit means eating fewer calories than your body uses. It is the basic requirement for losing body fat, whatever diet you follow.

How to set it

• Estimate your daily needs (TDEE) with the calculator on this site.
• A deficit of about 300-500 kcal per day is a sustainable start; as a rough rule it gives around 0.25-0.5 kg of loss per week.
• Do not eat below safe minimums (the calculator never goes under 1,200 kcal for women or 1,500 kcal for men).

Protect your muscle

• Keep protein high: about 1.6-2.2 g per kg of body weight.
• Keep lifting weights so your body keeps the muscle it has.
• Sleep 7-9 hours; poor sleep increases hunger and makes dieting harder.

Track and adjust

Weigh yourself under the same conditions and judge the weekly average, not single days. If your weight does not move for 2-3 weeks, lower calories slightly or add daily steps.