If you’ve been researching the best way to lose weight, you’re sure to have heard the term ‘calorie deficit’ thrown around. Counting calories as part of an effort to lose weight is nothing new, but why is there a sudden fixation on calorie deficits in the weight loss world, and what does it do for weight loss?
Here at Bodyline, we aim to help explain the world of weight loss to make it more accessible and easier to understand, without making unfounded promises of miracle cures or overnight weight loss. That’s why we’ll be explaining why calorie deficits are oh so important for sustained and effective weight loss, and how medical weight loss treatments may be able to pull you out of the toxic cycle of fad diets and binging.
What Are Calories?
Before we delve into the importance of a calorie deficit for weight loss, let’s first understand what calories are. Calories are a unit of measurement used to quantify the energy content in food and beverages.
When we consume food, our bodies break down the nutrients and convert them into energy to fuel various bodily functions. When we eat too many calories, more than our body needs to fuel its functions, we store excess energy as fat, leading to weight gain; this is called a calorie surplus. Ideally, if we are at a healthy weight and want to remain that way, we should be consuming a number of calories equal to the number of calories we burn, which is called calorie maintenance.
When we want to begin to burn the energy stored in the body as fat, this is where calorie deficits come in.
Contact Bodyline today to find out more about our safe and effective weight loss programmes and range of treatment options.
How Do Calorie Deficits Work?
A calorie deficit occurs when you consume fewer calories than your body needs to maintain its current weight. This creates an energy imbalance, prompting your body to tap into its fat stores for additional energy. In other words, when you consistently maintain a calorie deficit, your body starts burning stored fat for fuel, leading to weight loss.
You’ll be surprised to know that pretty much all fad diets, diet plans, and weight loss advice are forms of calorie deficits as it is the only way to effectively lose fat. The issue in weight loss stems from how sustainable the calorie deficit route you take is.
If you’re skipping meals, restricting yourself to minimal foods, or attempting an extreme fad diet, it is likely you will lose a bit of weight, burn out from the restrictive lifestyle, and end up binging and piling the weight back on. And so, the cycle continues, as we try other fad diets that promise to transform our bodies and lead to miraculous weight loss. Polls have shown that brits are likely to try around 126 fad diets across the course of our lives, going to show how ineffective and unsustainable they are for weight loss.
That’s why so many diet and weight loss attempts fail, which begs the question, how do you actually stay in a calorie deficit and lose weight?
How Do You Remain in a Calorie Deficit?
To achieve a calorie deficit, you need to carefully monitor your calorie intake and ensure it is lower than your body’s energy expenditure.
Katie Illingsworth, a member of Bodyline’s team of registered nurse prescribers and a trained nutritional therapist has some tips.
““There is a common misconception that when you’re significantly overweight, if you go into a dramatic calorie deficit, you will lose more weight. Now, you will lose weight within the first two months, and you’ll think it’s working. However, you are impacting your hormones because your body isn’t designed to do that. It thinks it’s gone into starvation mode. It’s thinking you are in hibernation, so after a period of time you stop losing weight and start to store the fat, while burning your muscle. That leaves us not losing weight and feeling weak and tired, unable to continue.
“What you have to do is work out something called your TDEE, or ‘Total Daily Energy Expenditure.’ You can find a calculator online; the handiest one is fatcalc.com. The total TDEE, and therefore your calorie deficit, is based on your height, weight, age, gender, and activity levels. For example, mine might be 2,500 calories. If I want to lose a pound a week, I will have to take off 500 calories, or if I wanted to lose two pounds a week, I’d take off 1,000 calories. But when you say to someone, you’re in a calorie deficit of 2,000, they might assume that’s not calorie deficit. Well, it is for my body type.”
Once you have worked out your calorie deficit using the online calendar, you must only eat food and drinks within that calorie budget. The more you exercise, the more of a deficit you may create.
What If Calorie Deficits Don’t Work for Me?
While calorie deficits are a widely recognised method for weight loss, individual responses may vary. Some people may find it challenging to sustain a calorie deficit or experience slower progress. If traditional methods of calorie deficit aren’t working for you, it’s essential to explore alternative approaches that can help you reach your weight loss goals.
You may have heard about the medical weight loss injections and oral treatments sweeping the world right now due to their ‘game-changing’ results. Treatments including GLP-1 receptor agonists and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) work by helping you to remain in a calorie deficit, thus burning your fat stores and leading to weight loss.
GLP-1 and GIP injectable therapies mimic the effects of the hormone glucagon-like peptide-1, which is naturally produced in the intestines upon finishing a meal, signalling to the brain that the meal is finished and promoting the feeling of fullness. GLP-1 plays a role in regulating blood sugar levels and appetite. When mimicked with the help of weight loss injections, users consume less food, therefore less calories, allowing them to lose weight much easier.
Clinical trials have shown that weight loss injections can lead to significant and sustainable weight loss. For example, in trials of semaglutide known as WeGovy, individuals lost an average of 15% of their overall body weight over a 68-week period. Mounjaro is clinicall proven to support weight loss of 20-25%.
These injections, administered once daily or once weekly depending on the active ingredient, are known by their brand names: WeGovy, Saxenda, and more recently Mounjaro. Bodyline also offers incredibly effective oral treatments, Phentermine and Diethylpropion that are also effective in the maintenance of a calorie deficit.
If you think you might benefit from medical weight loss treatments like those listed above, Bodyline’s medical weight loss programmes could be perfect for you.
How Medical Weight Loss Can Help You Maintain a Calorie Deficit
Medical weight loss programs, such as those offered by Bodyline, provide a comprehensive approach to weight management, including support for maintaining a calorie deficit. These programs are designed and supervised by healthcare professionals who specialize in weight loss.
Medical weight loss programs may incorporate various strategies tailored to your individual needs, including:
Individualised weight loss plans:
A healthcare professional can create a customised plan with tips and lifestyle changes that ensure you consume an appropriate number of calories while meeting your nutritional requirements. One size does not fit all bodies, just as one weight loss plan does not fit all weight loss goals. Our experienced nurses have helped over 100,000 people reach their medical wellness goals thanks to our holistic and bespoke approach to weight loss and health optimisation. We take into account your medical history, lifestyle, fitness ability, weight loss goals, and health identifiers throughout the entire process.
We offer both monthly and three-monthly programmes to help clients lose weight based on their personal goals and upcoming plans.
Our programmes include a combination of medical treatments, nutrition counselling, lifestyle and exercise recommendations and advice to help you stick to a caloric deficit, lose weight, and keep it off for good.
Medication-assisted weight loss:
For those who struggle to stick to a diet and don’t seem to lose weight with diet and exercise alone, game-changing medical weight loss treatments are available to be prescribed to assist with weight loss. These medications can help suppress appetite, increase metabolism, and promote fullness, all of which contribute to maintaining a calorie deficit.
At Bodyline, we offer access to a range of effective and safe weight loss medications that have been scientifically proven to be effective in promoting healthy weight loss. Depending on your medical history, we could prescribe you with Phentermine, Diethylpropion, Mounjaro, Saxenda, or WeGovy, all of which have been shown to promote healthy weight loss when used as part of a comprehensive weight loss plan.
The safe supply chains of the medications we offer are of the utmost importance to us to ensure patient safety and medication quality, as such, we source all of our prescription medications from certified UK laboratories. This means we can promise our customers they will be receiving safe, effective medication with support and guidance throughout the medical weight loss programme.
Bodyline is CQC registered, meaning we are regulated by the same people who regulate your NHS surgeries and hospitals, so you can be sure that safety and security is our priority in every aspect of our medical weight loss treatments.
Ongoing support and monitoring:
Bodyline’s fully supported medical weight loss programmes provide regular check-ins with healthcare professionals who can offer guidance, track progress, and make necessary adjustments to your plan.
At Bodyline Clinic, we take pride in the overwhelmingly positive Trustpilot reviews and success stories from our clients. Our average rating is a 4.9 out of 5 stars, proving that Bodyline works and Bodyline cares throughout our medical weight loss programmes.
Our clients have achieved incredible results and are eager to share their success stories with others. You don’t have to take our word for it – see for yourself how our programs have helped others transform their lives.
By combining medical expertise with personalised support, medical weight loss programmes can help you overcome obstacles and achieve sustainable weight loss by maintaining a calorie deficit.
Calorie Deficits with Bodyline
Calorie deficit is a fundamental aspect of weight loss. By consistently consuming fewer calories than your body needs, you create an energy imbalance that leads to the utilization of stored fat for fuel. However, it’s important to approach weight loss holistically and consider individual factors that may influence your response to calorie deficits. If traditional methods prove challenging, medical weight loss programs can provide valuable support in maintaining a calorie deficit and achieving long-term weight loss success.
Remember, consulting with a specialist weight health clinician is always recommended before embarking on any weight loss journey to ensure it aligns with your specific needs and health status.
At Bodyline, we are dedicated to helping individuals achieve their weight loss goals through personalized medical weight loss programs. Contact our team today on 0800 995 6036 or complete an online enquiry to learn more about how we can support you in maintaining a calorie deficit and reaching your weight health goals.
