What Happens to Your Body When You Are In A Calorie Deficit

Believe it or not, this is actually a problem for some people out there.  For others, they approach cutting calories the right way.  I wanted to share what happens to a person when they subject themselves to a calorie deficit!  It can be a good thing or it can lead to some long term issues.  

So How Do You Avoid the Pitfalls of Being In a Calorie Deficit?

First thing would be to make sure you are getting an abundance of nutrients!  This will happen through eating nutrient dense foods, mainly vegetables!  Calorie for calorie veggies rank at the top of almost all the nutrient density scales.  We also love Shakeology for this fact too.  It is loaded with nutrition but not a lot of calories!  

Second, make sure you are doing some resistance training!  In a study published in the Journal of American College of Nutrition two groups were put on calorie deficit diets.  One group strictly did aerobic style exercise 4 times per week and one group did resistance training 3 times per week.  The aerobic group lost a total of 37 pounds of which 27 pounds was from fat and 10 pounds of muscle.  The resistance training group lost a total of 32 pounds but lost ZERO pounds of muscle.  The aerobic group's Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) decreased by 210 calories daily whereas the resistance training group increaesed their BMR by 63 calories.  Even though weight loss seemed to be more effective by doing aerobic exercise strictly by total weight loss, long term weight loss will be more difficult for that group due to their lower BMR and body composition.  LIFT WEIGHTS!!!

Lastly, manage your stress and energy!  If you have low energy levels, don't just drive through Starbucks, eat something!  This is also another reason why we love whole foods!  Quality proteins, fats and carbs will sustain your energy longer with less energy crashes than highly processed foods.  Stress Less!!!  Get adequate sleep is a great place to start here.  Also work smarter not harder when it comes to exercise.  Doing an hour plus of exercise daily causes a lot of stress, science has shown that 30 minutes 4-5 times per week is enough see substantial results.  Meditation and finding some quiet time is also a great way to recenter and slow down.  On top of cutting out stressful things, find some activities that bring you joy!  Time with family, hikes in nature, playing a sport.  Whatever it is build up your good vibes bank account to help you push through those stressful times.  

Hope those tips help!!!

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​If you want to chat about how you can specifically approach losing weight in a healthy and long term way, reach out, we would love to chat.