Arj Thiruchelvam – Performance Coach
If you’re looking to lose weight, you’ve probably heard about the importance of creating a calorie deficit. This means consuming fewer calories than your body burns in a day, resulting in weight loss. However, tracking your calorie intake can be daunting and time-consuming. Fortunately, calorie counting doesn’t have to be a difficult task.
Too many people focus on a daily calorie deficit. This isn’t incorrect but I founded the www.WeeklyCalorieDeficit.com in order to develop a more sustainable, more effective and more enjoyable process to dieting.
WHY
By spreading your calories out across a week rather than per day, it gives you room to have higher and lower calorie days.
You can allocate calories towards days when you’re more hungry, seeing friends, having family around. Anytime where you need more calories to enjoy your life.
On the other days, we account for this and simply reduce our calories by that small amount.
IT WORKS!
With a few simple tricks and tips, you can easily achieve your weekly calorie deficit goals without feeling overwhelmed. In this article, we’ll share some effective strategies to help you make calorie counting a breeze. From understanding portion sizes to making smart food choices, we’ll cover everything you need to know to achieve your weight loss goals. So, let’s get started and discover the secrets to calorie counting made easy!
Understanding calorie counting and its importance
Calorie counting is the process of tracking the number of calories you consume in a day. It is an effective way to lose weight, as it helps you to stay within your daily calorie limit. When you consume fewer calories than your body burns, it creates a calorie deficit, which results in weight loss. Understanding calorie counting and its importance is the first step towards achieving your weight loss goals.
This is known as the energy balance equation.
In order to lose weight, you need to create a calorie deficit with the average deficit being around 500 calories per day. This means that you need to burn 500 more calories than you consume in a day. By doing this over a week, you can achieve a weekly calorie deficit of 3500 calories, which is equivalent to one pound of weight loss.
The research on calorie deficit’s is very thorough and in fact if you work with a health professional 1-2-1 you can determine a specific calorie deficit, this is something we cover in 4 Weeks 4 Kilos.
Calculating your daily calorie needs
Before you start tracking your calorie intake, it’s important to calculate your calorie needs. This will help you to determine how many calories you need to consume in a day and across the week to maintain your current weight. There are several factors that affect your daily calorie needs, including your age, sex, height, weight, and your non-exercise activity level.
One way to calculate your daily calorie needs is to use an online calorie calculator. These calculators take into account your age, gender, height, weight, and activity level to determine your daily calorie needs. Another way to calculate your daily calorie needs is to use the Harris-Benedict Equation, which takes into account your basal metabolic rate (BMR). Your BMR is the number of calories your body burns at rest. This equation can be used to estimate your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE), which is the number of calories you burn in a day.
With our extensive experience within the industry we built our own calculator, which took this a step further and you don’t even need to enter height!
You can try it our HERE.
Setting achievable weekly calorie deficit goals
Once you have calculated your daily calorie needs, you can set achievable weekly calorie deficit goals. It’s important to set realistic goals that you can achieve without feeling overwhelmed. A weekly calorie deficit of 3500 calories is equivalent to one pound of weight loss. To achieve this, you need to create an average daily calorie deficit of 500 calories. This can be achieved by reducing your calorie intake or increasing your calorie burn through exercise.
It’s important to note that weight loss is not a linear process. Your weight can fluctuate from day to day due to factors such as water retention and hormonal changes. To track your progress accurately, it’s often recommended that you weigh yourself once a week at the same time of day and under the same conditions.
When I am coaching the 4 Weeks 4 Kilos programme I actually tell people to ignore the calories they burn from exercise and simply focus on creating a deficit from their nutrition. It is so much more accurate.
Tracking your calorie intake and expenditure
Tracking your calorie intake and expenditure is essential for achieving your weight loss goals. There are several ways to track your calorie intake, including using a food diary or a calorie tracking app. These tools can help you to monitor your calorie intake and make adjustments as needed.
In addition to tracking your calorie intake, it’s important to track your movement habits. This can be done by using a fitness tracker or a pedometer but rather than thinking I want to know how many calories I’ve burnt (because everything over-estimates our work) instead just track the number of steps you do each day.
10,000 steps isn’t a rule, it was just a marketing campaign but it still has the right intention, move more.
Tips for reducing calorie intake without sacrificing nutrition
Reducing your calorie intake doesn’t mean sacrificing nutrition. There are several tips and tricks that you can use to reduce your calorie intake without sacrificing nutrition. One way to do this is to focus on nutrient-dense foods that are low in calories. These include fruits, vegetables, lean protein, and whole grains.
Another way to reduce your calorie intake is to practice portion control. Use smaller plates and bowls to help you control your portions. You can also use measuring cups and spoons to measure your food accurately. Be mindful of calorie-dense foods such as fried foods, sugary drinks, and snacks. These should be consumed in moderation but don’t need to be dropped out.
During 4 Weeks 4 Kilos, I teach my methods of how you can incorporate, cake, chocolate and alcohol into your weight-loss mission and I’ve found this helps people succeed in the long-run.
What if I exercise?
Yes, you should exercise for your health but remember it’s not the best thing to focus on to lose weight, we need to form healthy habits and hit a calorie deficit. Most exercise trackers over-estimate the number of calories you’ve burnt and this can lead to you ruining your calorie deficit.
That being said, exercise not only burns calories, but it also helps to build muscle, which can increase your metabolism and help you to burn more calories at rest.
There are several types of exercise that you can do to increase your calorie burn, including cardio and strength training. Cardio exercises such as running, cycling, and swimming can help you to burn calories quickly. Strength training exercises such as weightlifting can help you to build muscle and increase your metabolism.
It’s best to build your week of these exercise habits as well for weight maintenance and long-term success, in fact studies have found weight training has a slight advantage for this and something referred to body re-compensation.
Common calorie counting mistakes to avoid
When it comes to calorie counting, there are several common mistakes that people make. One of the most common mistakes is not tracking everything you eat. It’s important to track everything you eat, including snacks and drinks. Another common mistake is underestimating portion sizes. Use measuring scales and spoons to measure your food accurately.
Another mistake is relying too heavily on calorie counting apps. While these apps can be helpful, they are not always accurate. It’s important to use your own judgment and make adjustments as needed. Finally, it’s important to avoid obsessing over calorie counting. While calorie counting is important for weight loss, it’s not the only factor. Focus on making healthy choices and being active.
You should only count calories for a short period of time, it sucks and therefore we use it as a food audit in-frequently.
Tools and apps to help with calorie counting
There are several tools and apps that can help you with calorie counting. MyFitnessPal is a popular app that allows you to track your calorie intake and expenditure. It also has a large database of foods and exercises, making it easy to track your progress.
Other apps that can help with calorie counting include our very own app that we use with our private clients. These apps allow you to track your calorie intake as well as your weight and other health metrics.
Staying motivated and accountable
Staying motivated and accountable is essential for achieving your weight loss goals. One way to stay motivated is to set short-term and long-term goals. Short-term goals can help you to stay focused on your progress, while long-term goals can help you to stay motivated over the long term.
Another way to stay motivated is to find a support system. This can be a friend, family member, or online community. Having someone to share your progress with can help you to stay accountable and motivated.
This is just one of the key successes of the 4 Weeks 4 Kilos online weight management group, you gain access to the Performance Physique Training Hub which is an online community to keep you accountable, ask questions of the expert when you need help and a place to reach out for support and motivation when you need it.
Accountability is the key to success, you cannot underestimate this framework to provide you with your success.
Conclusion
Calorie counting doesn’t have to be a difficult task. With a few simple tricks and tips, you can easily achieve your weekly calorie deficit goals without feeling overwhelmed. From understanding portion sizes to making smart food choices, we’ve covered everything you need to know to achieve your weight loss goals. Remember to set realistic goals, track your calorie intake and expenditure, and stay motivated and accountable. With these strategies, you’ll be well on your way to achieving your weight loss goals.
If you need support, I cannot recommend our 4 Weeks 4 Kilos programme enough. We literally support every single problem related to weight-loss. Our members on average have lost 5.1kg and 10cm off their waist in just 4 Weeks through our unique nutritional coaching that is underpinned in science and eating behaviour psychology.
Find out more HERE.
You’ve got this!
Arj Thiruchelvam