We often heard that if we want to lose weight all we have to do is eat less and exercise more. It is basically all about less calories in and more calories out. So how is it that people eat less, and exercise more without getting any results? Is there more to weight-loss than just calories in and calories out?
what is a calorie?
The definition for calories is “the energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water through 1 °C, often used to measure the energy in foods.” If we put more calories in than we calories out, we will gain weight. If we put less calories in than calorie out, we lose weight. Easy, right?
That means that regardless if we eat 1,200 calories at McDonalds or 1,200 calories of vegetables, if we burn 2,000 calories per day, we will lose weight. What we eat doesn’t really matter as long as we eat less than we burn.
why do people gain weight or plateaued when they are consistently in calorie deficit?
When you are in a calorie deficit that is too high or you aren’t getting the nutrients that you need, your body won’t get what it needs to function efficiently. If it doesn’t have enough calories to function, it will automatically decrease the calories out. You will then have to put even less calories in since your body will burn less calories to keep losing weight. You will also be more tired as your body will try to save more energy.
That means, less calories in, your body burns less calories. You’ll need even less calories in to keep losing weight. Your body will burn even less calories, you will need even less calories. See the vicious cycle?
Your body’s goal is to survive, and eating less means that you don’t have enough food around. Your body doesn’t know you want to lose weight. If you’re consuming less calories than it needs, it will do whatever it takes to get enough calories in. If it thinks there is no food around, it will do everything it can to survive as long as possible which means saving energy and making you think more about food.
your hormones are playing a role in it too.
There is also a lot of things going on with your hormones when you eat less calories than you need, especially empty calories. If your body fat goes down while on a calorie deficit, your brain will automatically decrease the energy your burn on a daily basis while increasing your appetite. Your body fat will then increase, but it will be higher than when you started to have some extra fat next time you eat less than you need.
The reason why your body does that is because we all have a set point weight. It is a weight in which your body thinks it is healthy, so whatever you do, it will make sure to go back at this set point weight. It is like your thermostat at home, if it gets hotter, your A/C will turn on to go back to 68F because that’s how you set it up. If it gets colder, it will turn the heater on to go back to 68F.
If your set point weight is 170 lbs. and you eat more, your body will burn more energy and make you eat less until you get back to 170. If the opposite happens, your body will burn less energy and will make you eat more to go back to 170. Unfortunately, if your weight isn’t healthy or ideal, your body will still act the same way and the more you go on a diet, the higher your set point weight will be.
Anyone who tells you that it is all about calories in and calories out and that if you aren’t losing weight it is because you are eating too much or not burning enough calories doesn’t know it all. They might also don’t even know what it is as they are naturally skinny.
my experience with calories in vs. calories out.
I tried lowering my calories by eating less and burning more through exercise. I did see some results at first, but then I was starving all the time, I was exhausted, and I wasn’t even losing weight despite adding more exercise.
According to popular belief, you would think that on the right I was eating less calories and exercising more and then on the left I “left myself go” and started eating more and exercising less.
❌ Wrong ❌
Currently, I am actually way more active than I was when I took the picture on the right. At that time, I was doing BBG, and I was a nanny. I was purposely walking while at work to hit my 10k steps per day. I wasn’t eating a lot less than now. However, I was about 25 lbs. lighter than I currently am.
Now, I am working about 40-60 hrs per week. My current jobs require me to be pretty active (preschool teacher and Instacart shopper). I am eating way more vegetables than I used to, so foods naturally lower in calories. I don’t eat more than what I need and I am working out 4-5 times per week and I do longer workouts.
So how is it that I gained weight?
You see, that’s where calories in vs. calories out doesn’t work anymore. There is so much more to it than just calories. You have hormones, stress, sleep, nutrients, malabsorption etc. And most of them always brings us back to hormones.
Your thyroid could be the reason why you aren’t losing weight anymore. You probably overworked your thyroid by eating less than you need.
Your cortisol could also be an issue. Did you know that eating too little is affecting your stress hormones? You could end up gaining weight even though you keep eating less. And you will keep gaining weight if you don’t eat more.
what to do to lose weight then?
If you want to lose weight, a calorie deficit will help you do that. It isn’t the only factor though and you have to be careful with how you approach it. You have to make sure that you are eating whole-foods because eating a calorie deficit of a processed foods diet isn’t going to help you. You want to lose weight, but be healthier as well so your body can get everything it needs. It will also lower your set point if your hormones are balanced which can only happen with a whole-foods diet.
Instead of going into a big calorie deficit to lose more weight which won’t be sustainable. You can start by making sure you are eating enough calories by looking at how much calories you need for maintenance. After you stayed in maintenance for severals weeks to let your body know that you are safe, you can start doing a calorie deficit without overdoing it. Remember that more isn’t always better.
If you need 2,300 calories per day for maintenance then start by eating 2,100-2,000 calories per day. Then a few weeks later, go back to 2,300 to remind your body you are still safe. Then go back to a calorie deficit again. You will be able to lose fat while keeping your body happy :).
the big takeaway
Remember that eating less and exercising more isn’t as simple as it seems if you want to lose weight. You cannot go too low or your body will fight back to survive. You also want to keep your hormones balanced by eating enough calories and whole-foods. Sorry, you won’t be able to lose weight sustainably by lowering your calories and still eating processed foods.
Hopefully this helps. Fat loss isn’t as easy as it seems because I have tried for many years. I didn’t always lose fat by eating less, and I have actually lost weight by eating more. Stress, burning myself out at work and lack of sleep didn’t help regardless of how much or how little I was eating. If you eat higher quality food in the right amount, take care of your stress, and sleep, you will keep your body happy and at a healthy weight.
Any question or comments? Let me know and I will be happy to help.
Need more help to lose fat? See above to contact me for a free discovery call to see if we would be a good match for 1:1 coaching.
