The calorie deficit diet is a popular diet plan that’s been around for ages.
You can’t eat everything in the diet. Your body releases energy when it breaks down food, which is what calories are. Jessica Cording, R.D., author, explains that more calories mean more power. Cording says your body stores excess calories as fat when you consume more calories than it needs to function normally.
Here comes the calorie deficit diet. What is a calorie deficit diet, and how does it work? Here’s what nutritionists say.
What Is A Calorie Deficit Diet?
canva.com
It’s pretty simple: You eat fewer calories than you burn. Dana Ellis Hunnes, adjunct assistant professor, says, “A calorie deficit is when we consume fewer calories than our bodies burn in a day, both in terms of our natural resting energy expenditure. Your natural metabolic rate—and any exercise or physical activity we engage in on top of that.”
Is A Calorie Deficit Diet Effective?
Losing weight should be easy with a calorie deficit diet. Cording says, “Calories are one of the primary factors in weight gain or loss. If somebody consumes fewer calories than they burn, that can result in weight loss.” If you eat 2,200 calories daily on a calorie deficit diet, cutting that down to 2,000 calories should lose weight.
Calorie Deficit Diet: What To Eat?
Cording says there are no food restrictions on calorie deficit diets because they “are deficit diets.” She says, “But, whatever you’re eating needs to end up being less than the energy you expend.”
canva.com
What’s The Healthiest Way To Lose Weight?
Experts say some other tips can help you do a calorie deficit diet in a healthy way besides not restricting yourself too much:
- Make sure you’re adding healthy foods
- Consume foods that are rich in nutrients.
- Consume fewer processed foods
- Don’t overeat
- Keep an eye on your macronutrients
Is It Hard To Follow A Calorie Deficit Diet?
Cording says it depends on your past dietary habits. She says cutting excess calories from your life may not be that difficult if you weren’t the healthiest eater.
Consider consulting a registered dietitian or your primary healthcare provider if you’re unclear where to start with a calorie deficit diet.