What is a Calorie Deficit Diet And How to Practice it?
Image Credit: How to follow a calorie deficit diet?

There is ‘N’ number of diets available for weight loss. The core of almost every diet is to create a calorie deficit through certain eating habits to shed those extra kilos. The same is the case with a calorie-deficit diet too. Here, by a calorie deficit, we mean burning more calories than you consume. You need calories to perform daily functions like breathing, walking, doing household chores, etc. The amount of calories you burn daily to do these tasks is called calorie expenditure. It consists of three components.

Resting energy expenditure (REE)

Your body performs certain functions like blood circulation, breathing, etc. that are essential to keep you alive and these functions are necessary even when you are at rest. Your body requires certain calories to do these tasks and that’s what is known as resting energy expenditure.

Thermic effect of food

This refers to the calories your body uses to digest, absorb and metabolize foods you eat.

Activity energy expenditure

This involves the calories your body expends to perform certain activities like playing sports, exercising, fidgeting, performing household chores, and other such activities.

Note: Providing fewer calories to your body than it requires to support the above three components is known as creating a calorie deficit.

How to Calculate Your Calorie Needs?


Creating a calorie deficit of 500 calories is enough for most people to lose weight without significantly affecting their energy levels. To calculate your calorie needs, you can use the Body Weight Planner from the National Institute of Health. It will tell you the calorie count based on your age, sex, height, and physical activity level. To get a more precise number, you can track your calorie intake for 10 days. You just need to maintain the same level of activity for those 10 days. On the 11th day, calculate the total number of calories you consumed during those 10 days and divide that number by 10. This will tell your average daily calorie intake. Now, subtract 500 from this number and get your new daily calorie intake for effective weight loss. You can achieve this number by having fewer calories and performing exercises. Engage in muscle-strengthening activities for better results.