Continually lowering calories to lose weight gets to the point of diminishing returns.
The problem with low calorie diets for starters is that they are unsustainable long term, then, if or when you’re successful at weight loss, the challenge is maintaining that loss.
Although it’s true that fat loss requires a calorie deficit, there are a number of creative ways to create that deficit that will save your metabolism and your sanity.
In this video, I share how I’m manipulating the calories of one of my clients, Kim, who has lost 10+ pounds and would like to continue to lose weight. This is a good example of what you could also do if weight loss is your goal (although you may find it challenging to do on your own since it’s a bit counter intuitive.
Kim is a very compliant client which makes the process so much easier to monitor. She food tracks and inputs her weight daily to my coaching app, along with metrics regarding her workouts and sleep. I check in with her three times weekly to see how her energy and hunger levels are.
To begin, I set her calories based on a number of factors such as her goals, height, weight, activity, age, but also included her diet history, lifestyle, stresses, sleep habits etc.
She made steady progress with 0.5-1lb loss per week until for about a month, she ‘plateaued’ at 155lbs. I dislike the term ‘plateau’ because it connotes a lack of progress when in fact, it’s good news as it’s simply the body’s way of acclimating to the newer low weight.
It’s also an indication that we could ‘shake up the plan’ starting with a ‘diet break’.
Contrary to what Kim thought I would suggest when I suggested a ‘shake up’ (lower calories), I suggested bumping calories up for 2-3 weeks to see if she could maintain her weight on higher calories. I told her to try to maintain everything else with her lifestyle, that is similar activities, sleep, work schedule as much as possible, and just add an additional 150 calories per day.
We will continue to monitor her with the hopes that she will maintain weight within 1-2lbs of 155lbs. We will troubleshoot as we go, but since I’m monitoring her progress three times weekly, she feels confident to eat the additional calories.
Then, after a few weeks, we will reduce her intake by 150 calories, to her original intake used for her 10lb weight loss. We have just created a calorie deficit WITHOUT ACTUALLY REDUCING CALORIES beyond what she’s done in the past.
This makes dieting ‘doable’. It keeps calories high enough to maintain her energy and sanity.
When you think weight loss, remember that lower calories aren’t ‘better’.
Generally what happens is your ability to stay the course is reduced with low calorie eating.
Your goal should be to create a lifestyle of healthy eating versus maintaining a diet. Because if you can’t ‘maintain’ the diet, you certainly won’t be able to maintain any weight lost.
If you’d like to discover a ‘better way’ to modify your eating to lose the weight (and save your sanity along the way!), let’s talk.