4 common misconceptions and misunderstandings about calorie deficit. Part 1

Why does everyone recommend a 20% calorie deficit and what will happen if you make the deficit larger – 50% or 100%? Is it true that fat loss can be predicted by the formula 1 gram of fat for every 9 kg of deficit? Is it true that with a greater deficit, less fat is burned? And is there a difference between deficient by reducing consumption or by increasing activity?

A reader asked me these very cool and correct questions. And as it turns out, these questions haunt many people, so I will be happy to answer. What’s cool about these questions is that they reflect the very essence of myths about calories. A simple theory has become overgrown with many misunderstandings. Now we will decide everything.

Why is a deficit of 10-20% of the norm usually recommended?

There is no clear justification for this recommendation and it grew purely from practice. And the most common explanations are: “eating less will be harmful, it will cause severe hunger, as well as metabolic adaptation and slow down weight loss, because the body will begin to accumulate more and release less.”

The first thing you should consider when choosing your deficit level is the degree of excess weight.

Prescribing a 10-20% deficit to a person with 1-3 degrees of obesity means dooming him to a long-term Iliad, with its tragedies, betrayals, Trojan horses in the form of unexpected weekend friends, Achilles heel and meaningless heroism.

To combat obesity, many scientific medical guidelines suggest consuming 1000-1500 calories per day, which for some may be 30-50% of the norm. This is more than 20% and nothing, they become healthier.

There are even diets with less than 800 kk per day, which are not recommended as a regular strategy and only with medical support. Although, how found out in this study, these very low-calorie diets combined with behavioral programs to change eating habits resulted in better long-term weight loss than behavioral programs alone. And no side effects were observed.

And it will not cause severe hunger

There is a surprisingly very successful medical practice for obese people – modified fasting with adequate protein intake. This is when the usual diet is maintained with several meals and compliance with the protein norm, with the addition of a small amount of calories on top (the total calorie intake does not exceed 1000 kcal). These diets appear to be very effective, with few complications that one might intuitively expect.

For example, in this study The modified fasting group was more likely to report constipation, cold extremities, and dry skin. Unpleasant, but not scary. Moreover, all the side effects disappeared as soon as their calorie intake was increased to 1200 per day.

All the side effects pale in comparison to the main benefits of these diets. You will be surprised now, but people feel less hunger on them.

In the study that I have already cited above, this was the case. The 1200 kcal group was hungrier than the lower intake group. It was the same in this study. And here's another in that.

Now you know that very low-calorie diets can make you feel less hungry than moderate-deficit strategies. Put a plus sign +.

The disadvantage of this approach is that the choice of products is narrowed down to a few options, against the background of which it becomes difficult to build eating habits and correct behavior. It is necessary to learn how to interact with delicious high-calorie food and create nourishing, balanced diets. Therefore, after significant weight loss, people usually switch to a moderate deficit to adjust their eating behavior.

Benefits of a 20% Deficit

If you are not obese, slightly overweight, but the trend is obvious and from year to year you buy clothes a size larger, then a moderate deficit looks more attractive. Mainly due to the same opportunity in changing eating habits.

At first, such a diet may be very similar to what you followed before, only less high in calories. You have more flexibility, more options for creating a menu, more time to introduce new products and experiments. Such conditions for following a diet can be called comfortable. But you will also lose weight more slowly.

Although in your case, the aggressive deficit method may also work.

Typically we (and I) recommend starting small. Smoothly start a diet and gradually increase the deficit, gradually start training with a gradual increase in training volume. But the reverse approach often works!

Here this meta-analysis showsthat aiming for small and gradual changes does not lead to significant fat loss, and works better to prevent weight gain.

If you've started a diet, you should be very motivated, so you can use this motivation to your advantage.

People who lose a lot of fat at the beginning of a diet often lose more fat and maintain their weight loss better than those who use a more gradual diet, these studies found.1, 2, 3) research.

Quick first results strengthen faith in the approach, in your own strengths and self-esteem, which has a positive effect on the entire weight loss process.

When dieting aggressively, it is important to maintain adequate protein in your diet and be sure to do strength training to minimize muscle loss. Losing muscle is not good for your health or for your weight loss.

What will happen if you don’t eat at all? 100% deficit.

There is not a lot of data and controlled studies on this matter. This is unlikely to be approved by any ethical commission, because starving people for a long time is not right. But some data is still available.

Angus Barbieri is the man who holds the record for the longest fast. During the 382 days in which Angus lost 125 kg, he consumed only electrolytes, vitamins, yeast (as a source of amino acids) and no-calorie drinks. Although this is not a 100% deficit, it is very close to it, which tells us that this is possible. After which the patient left the hospital without any side effects.

Energy is the most important thing for survival and maintenance of all biochemical processes. With obesity, there is a lot of this energy in the body. It can be easily used and function normally, provided that other nutrients are also supplied.

It turns out to be a lot, but we still have something to discuss. Therefore, there will be a second part in which:

1. Why a stronger deficit does not slow down or stop fat burning. And let’s touch on the main myth about metabolic adaptation.
2. Is it true that fat loss can be predicted by the formula 1 gram of fat for every 9 kg of deficit?
3. And is there a difference between deficient by reducing consumption or by increasing activity?

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