Weight Loss, Part 2: It's about the deficit

Yesterday, I talked about getting the data as a first step toward weight loss.  The next step is creating a plan.

For most of us, a healthy rate of weight loss is one to two pounds per week.  Again, for most of us, this translates into a daily calorie deficit of about 500 calories—we need to burn 500 calories more than we eat.  This deficit can be created by eating less, moving more, or some combination of the two.  (Please note:  deficits that are a lot greater than 500 calories per day tend to mess with metabolism, interfere with getting essential nutrients, and create crabbiness.  Certain medically supervised diets do have larger deficits, but that is why they are medically supervised.  Don’t try this at home!)

My preference is for the combination approach.  I like to see people focus on getting in the habit of doing cardio while cutting out the garbage calories.  Most of the weight loss is going to come from the dietary changes, but the cardio is going to help to keep mood positive while using calories.  However, just because it’s my preference does not mean that it is the right choice for any particular human.  Some of us find the whole idea of changing what we eat so stressful that we can’t change anything else at the same time.  Others of us may find that we need the spur of success from cardio before we can attack the food issues.

Tomorrow, I’ll talk about what weight lifting does to the whole equation.