5 signs you have to go away from calorie deficit

Hey, and welcome to this fit meter fitness podcast, today's topic is five signs, you must stop trying to be in a calorie deficit. So this is I recently have worked with a couple clients of mine who are having these signs. And this came to my mind that I probably should talk a little bit more about it as it's very, very common, especially not only with women, but even it's more popular on women, but what I have seen very often, especially women over 40s, or, or even older women, which I who I have been able to help, that is something that they have been dieting, their almost entire life, or at least several years, and or that and that is so hard to realize that when it's when it's enough that you are you might have some goals, like being as skinny as possible or, or reaching some visible apps or, or having some kind of being in a vacation and it's it feels never that you are never in your goal and you are never exceeding it. So in this episode, I'm talking about this, this little bit about my current clients and also what I have worked in the past and just the internal signs that you should be looking at yourself course this or something like that, because what is really hard to understand without actually knowing when it's enough, because what often happens is that you are you are kind of trying to lose weight you you are not in your goal weight, if you are not happy with yourself, you are not as skinny as possible, you are not where you want to be, and then you know that to be able to lose more weight, you need to be in a calorie deficit, but then it feels so frustrating because it's it might not be working, you are not going to be there very want. And then at some point, you must stop trying to be in a calorie deficit. And this is something would have been a game changer for so many of my clients. And if I asked you that calorie deficit, it's it's a face, it's a fat losing face, it's not the lifestyle, it's not the thing, what you should be aiming for being all the time. So, it's like it just in short, what is calorie deficit it means that that you are trying to lose body fat in a purpose and it means that you are trying to eat less calories than your body consumes, then what is the like kind of what you should be spending majority of the time is maintenance, and that is something where you try to maintain your current bodyweight, and then if your goal is to do like some body recomposition or gaining muscle mass, then you should be eating in a calorie surplus we that we will talk a little bit about later how you can actually combine those and get kind of all results. But so, this is this is goes if you want what are the things like if you are trying to be in a calorie deficit so, so all the time so how you are probably going to feel you are going to feel all the time that you are never you you might have be you are hungry all the time you are you feel like that if you are as soon as you are especially this happens often with the older women, if you feel like that if you are on spot on with your nutrition, you are able to maintain your weight but as soon as you go overboard, you eat a little bit more, you go for vacation, you gain some weight, and you are not it takes months or at least weeks to get rid of that weight, what you gained. And, and these are these are already first signs that that now it might be something that you should try to go away or you must stop trying to be in a calorie deficit and then get in a different different way. So so it's a face and just in short, that calorie deficit is a face and it should it depends, of course, how much you have weight to lose how long you have been a calorie deficit, but in general rule is that calorie deficit should not be longer than let's say 12 to 16 weeks. And as I mentioned, I have worked with many people who have been 40 years or even longer trying to be in not maybe all the time but at least that mindset is that I need to lose weight. I'm dieting and that is something what you must change and these are signs. So number one a number sign number one is that you are consistently hungry. or you have obsessive thoughts about food. So, what is that what it actually means. So, first, the first sign is that, that when you are you are feeling hungry all the time. So it might be and this is something what those hunger cues, if you have been like you have been under eating for a long time, you might not not actually feel hungry, and you might be I unfortunately have worked with people who have, who don't, who are not hungry, who are simply not hungry, they are eating maybe 1000 calories, maybe 800, maybe even less, and datas don't need more. And this is this is not a good thing, it means that your hormones are most likely imbalanced. And you need more food, your energy levels are very low. And it can it can lead to all kinds of eating disorders. And not actually your body can't work with the best possible way if you are not giving enough energy and enough foods. So so this is this is something what what you have to be careful if you are all the time if you find yourself that you are a kind of thinking all the time, food like that, when it's going to be my next food can I eat if you have foods like that, these foods I can eat these are good, kind of like good and bad foods, what you are allowed to eat what you are not allowed to eat. And then what happens when you eat those kinds of bad foods what you are trying to eat. So if you are feeling kind of killed because of this kind of already disordered eating habit, if you are having good bad foods, and then it comes from you are taking it like how long you can take, it's always that you are trying to resist, resist, resist, and then at some point, you are telling yourself that fuck it, I'm going to have it and then often when you do it, then you can stop eating anymore and this is already kind of binge eating overeating habits. And that is something that often you have to it's a sign that you have to stop trying to beat be in a calorie deficit. So, so and also understanding that what is what is because there is obviously there is a difference being like having a physical hunger or having some emotional craving. So, those are two different things. So, physical hunger is something that that you are your body your stomach is calling you are you have probably like lower energy levels, or if you are emotional, you having some emotional cravings, it means that you have a stressful day and then you are thinking like no I need it, I need some food or you are sad, you are happy, whatever emotional you are suppressing your emotions with food. And that is called Emotional craving. So So those are kind of different, different things. And they are they are you have to learn what is the what is the difference between those behaviors. So how to how to actually how to actually go like, how to improve it. And it's what I what I'm big believer and big fan is like practicing kind of mindful eating techniques, sets like eating slowly, paying attention, hunger, fullness, huge, and kind of trying to savor every bite what you are eating, and obviously, that kind of like trying to focus on eating mostly nutrient dense foods like that promote that kind of satiety. So like lean proteins, fiber rich fruits, vegetables, healthy fats, that kind of stuff. So when most of the foods are that kind of like healthy, healthy foods, that is going to help you already alone. And then sign number two, it's it's if you are having fatigue and low energy levels, so this is something what is what is often as a as a result being calorie deficit so if you feel like that you don't have you are all the time divert, you are not that you don't have any energy, your energy you don't have energy that every time when you have a something that you have, you just want to lay you don't want to move around and that has often it has something to do with your calorie intake energy levels and metabolic function. So so when you if that is something what you're experiencing, you must stop it time to be in a calorie deficit. So So I Uh, when it's when it's like that, it kind of like somebody, somebody said it like that. It's like a car car can't go if you don't have oil in it, I don't like comparing your body with a car. But it's kind of true that if there is no, if there is no fuel in your body, there is no chance that your car would be carried scrolling or your body's working on functional, you can't have low, you have low energy levels. And obviously what how that is then affecting often when you are too long in a calorie deficit, your sleep suffers, you are sleeping worse, you are moving less than usually, because you don't have energy, you sleep bad. So it's kind of creating that circle all the time. It's our it's, it's a vicious circle, danger circle, where you are going going through. So what, three, it's a simple fix, it's again, going away from calorie deficit, trying to prioritize those nutrient dense foods, like a complex carbs, lean proteins, healthy fats, I know I'm going to mention these things. Often. They are simple things, but they are the best things, what's still the verb. And obviously other thing, what helps, is just trying to drink plenty of water throughout the day. So these kinds of blood plus that what is what is actually helping to boost your energy levels is to try to incorporate like physical activity, it might be something that it's the last thing you want to do, but it's actually helping boosting your especially mental energy. If you have tennis to go outside to outside. Like for me, it's walking outside, I love outside. But it's it's if you look just how you are sleeping, how what kind of mood you have, if you have possibility to be outside, go for outside fresh air, or doing some kind of physical activity. Obviously, if you have low energy levels, it don't have to be anything crazy. But something what makes you feel good. And it's, it's still a long term strategy. In the short term, I know you don't want to do anything but but that movement workout, it helps with reducing stress. And also, for stress management techniques, I'm not going to go through any deeper, but like some breathing exercises, meditation, those are obviously helping with distress or simply test if you have what I love, using myself and for my clients is simply journaling, whatever you have, if you have stressful situations, putting it out from your brain, either writing in notes, talking it to someone, but once it's away from your brain, it's it's you don't need to think about it, it often helps you to improve the quality of sleep and reducing stress. So then sign number three is that if you have been plateauing with your weight loss, so what is called plateau first of all definition is that it has to be at least four weeks, I would say that, usually it's at least six weeks or eight weeks, depending like on your situation. But at least if there is if you are not losing weight in a month, that's still totally normal if you are not making progress or depending how you are measuring your progress. But if there is no progress within four to six weeks, it's called Khan, it's considered as a plateau. If you are not losing weight every single day or every single week, that is still not a plateau. But if you let's say that you are how to know if you are in plateau, if you are at least 80% consistent. Let's say that you have your calorie goal, you have your workout call, you have your step goal, you have been accomplishing them 80% In the past 30 days, but you are still not seeing progress. That's a sign of plateau. And if that is the case, then you must do something else, you must change it. So how to get out of weight loss plateau, I have several podcast episodes about it going deeper. But basically, in short, you have two options either it's that traditional what everybody knows, move more, eat less variation and eat but for most people who are being who have been in a calorie deficit for weeks, years, months, or even decades, that's not going to be sustainably possible. So you have to find something else and often in this case, it's again taking diet break, eating more and because if you if you keep repeating same things, your body's getting used to it so it's Sir, it's kind of same thing, if you do same verticals, if you go, I use the example with the running, if you, if I would go to run now, for the first time in three, four years, I'm sure it would be very, very effective, I would be very sore, I would need probably longer, I don't know how long I would need, but let's say that I would go to run for five 5k For the first time, maybe I would need to 30 minutes to do it. And that would be a very good workout for me. But let's say that I would start doing it more often. And I would go three times a week, trying aiming for that 5k for 30 minutes, I'm pretty sure in a month in a two, if you like, if I think it in the six months, if I repeat, to keep doing the same things I've done would be become already pretty easy work out pretty easy run 30 minutes, it wouldn't be that effective anymore. So it's the same, like obviously, you know that okay, then you have to, you have to run longer or run faster to get to make that effective. But that's the same thing with nutrition. So, you have to if you keep repeating keep doing eating exactly the same way, but you don't like the results what you are getting, you must change something you have to change something. So, it might be eating more, eating less or or chasing something because if if you repeat the same things, you will repeat the same results. And and that is that is the best way to go out of plateau. And often if that option, what is what is that move more eating less option is not feeling sustainably, then it's taking days break. And basically you raise your calories, either by using reverse dieting, it means adding calories week by week. So it's kind of taking a little bit more time or 10 test overnight you call whatever your maintenance calories should be and start eating more. And this is this is when I do this with the people this is the scariest thing they have probably done ever in their life, especially for someone who have been dieting for years, it is so scary to start dating more because there is coming that fear that they might go into gain especially for some people who have lost significant significant amount of weight, then you are scared am I going to gain everything back or if someone is adding a relatively lean and then they are like suddenly that now if I start eating more am I going to gain like 3040 kilos more or even then or whatever, whatever but there is always that fear of becoming either what you have been the past or becoming a lot fatter than he would like to be. So but honestly, it's it's in your head and you can be expecting what when most people they are quitting if they are trying to do this alone you but what happens when you start eating with the purpose more. So you are you are going to gain scale weight but when you are gaining it's often it's usually it's I would say from experience for most people it's 10 to 14 days when you are gaining a little bit scaly bead when you are racing your calories. So this is very simply if you didn't get like why it's happening, why am I gaining weight so of course if you happen to eat more for example, carbohydrates you incorporate to get more energy so every gram of carbohydrates holds three grams of water so let's say that you are adding to 300 calories more of carbohydrates. So or let's say let's keep it simple it's that if you add 50 grams of carbohydrates per day so that is that is around 200 calories only form of carbohydrate so that is a source of energy that you have carbohydrates are a source of energy not making you fat, unless you have some medical reason to avoid them use not avoid them but let's say you have 50 grams of carbohydrates more so it might be only 200 calories in form of carbohydrates but what it causes that every gram of carbohydrates when needs three grams of water, storing it into your body. So you use 50 grams more 200 calories more per day carbohydrates and but that needs another 150 grams of water just storing it into your body so so it holds your body holds more water do you eat 50 grams more of carbs, you have 200 grams of weight more already in your body and you can imagine you have more foods in your stomach in your system. So of course, it would be miracle that you wouldn't gain scale weight but that is not fat. because the only way still to gain fat is to eat in a calorie surplus and you are still if you have been drained to be in a calorie deficit, you are going to be in a maintenance or even if it's a slight surplus, one kilogram of fat is around around 7000 calories. So it won't happen, you won't gain fat by eating, adding 234 or 500 calories a day. And doing that for a month. So it doesn't happen. So don't be afraid of it, it's totally normal to gain scale weight, especially in the beginning when you are starting it. But then when your body starts to understand that there is more energy available, you start to feel more energized, you are moving more so and with moving, I don't mean that you don't need to make more steps. But you are, you're using your body's like it's often like a small things, but you don't even recognize like how you are talking if you are like using your hands or how your facial impressions are. And those are things that requires energy also. And then when you have more energy, you are doing those things automatically more. So you need more energy, even you don't be the purpose, you don't trace your steps amount. So these are very, very small things. But usually those are things that happen and and when you start adding calories, it's often like I said 10 to 14 days, and most people they at least they lose that weight, they might not be starting to lose weight. But they lose that weight that initial what they have gained in the beginning. And, and often it happens also later, like, let's say I had clients who were eating like 1000 to 300 calories and their maintenance should be 2000. And when we started to add calories, we added 100 150 calories per week. And it took obviously in the beginning they gained scale weight. But then you can imagine when we kept moving like let's put it at 150 calories per week, we edit that for week one, another 150 week to another 150 week drug week three, and let's say after three weeks doing this, you start from 1002 You have been adding 450 400 calories. So you are 1000 6700 calories, when your maintenance calories should be 2000 You are still in a calorie deficit. So that is that is why some people are telling that you start to lose weight when you are eating more. Now, the reason was that everything started to work a little bit better. And you were still in a deficit when you were eating. Because often when I hear that people are telling that they are not losing weight eating little, that they start to lose weight when they add more weight. But what often happens if your maintenance is 2000, you try to eat 1200 And you might be doing it for Monday to Friday, and then we can relate it Okay, now it's my cheat day or whatever and then that is that or you have some snacks or cocktails or whatever and then you know 123 days time you eat a lot more than your body needs. And that is that is then what is actually causing it that you are not actually in a calorie deficit or eating as little calories as you think. So adding it more it gives you first of all, mental freedom that you are, you are actually it's not forbidden to eat more, you must eat more. And that is that something like that it gives so much freedom, so much more like things that you can enjoy, start to enjoy life and also it affects into your workouts into your energy levels, your sleep. So it's kind of a win win situation, even it's a scariest thing what you could be doing. So then it's moved to sign number four and that is decreased performance in your workouts or physical activity. So I already touched a little bit. So it's, it's often especially physical activities, you just feel like that you don't have energy, you don't want to move around. You just want to lay you don't want to or you are not even if you if you you might must be moving, but you don't really enjoy so but especially in in a workouts if you are if you are working out and you are not you, you don't need progress. Let's say that you are doing strength training or you are doing some cardio workouts and you don't you don't feel like you are all the time insert or you are all the time you don't. You don't recover you are you don't. You don't make any string progress. It feels like that. Nothing happens. You work. Maybe hard but it's not getting any Think so this is the kind of same example that I used earlier that if you don't give right fuel for your car, it won't drive along. So same thing with diesel with the nutrition and your workout. So think it like, this way, like if you're what is the what is the hardest thing to understand for someone who let's say, women have they have a weight loss goals they have a cold weight, or do you want to be like, let's put it it's like a 65 kilos or, or 140 pounds, whatever, or 130 pounds, whatever that number is. But then they also want to look better, feel sexier, feel more confident, and how you get all those results, the answer is very simple. It's strength training, and how you get the strength results, then women are often that I don't want to do I don't want to lift heavy weights, I don't want to lift weights, because I don't want to get too bulky, I just want to get more defined muscles. And but the honest truth is, that's how you get more defined muscles how you get more toned muscle is by getting stronger is by doing strength training. So, this is this is something what you what you must think it keep it in, in mind that the only way to get muscle definition more don't muscles is by doing strength training. And that is that is what you must be on a sticky, and what is what it all has to do with the calorie deficit. So if you are eating in a calorie deficit, let's say that muscle is a tissue like fatty tissue, and if your goal is to lose body fat, so we talked about calorie deficit, so you know, you must be in a calorie deficit. But if you want to build muscle, muscle is a tissue like fat it needs requires more energy than then your body naturally needs. And plus it needs to science that you are sending to resistance training that I am doing this, these push ups or bench presses or squats and there is coming kind of progressive overload. So I need to do all the time something more. So your buddy must think it like that I need to respond for this, like I that that idiot there is making me to do push ups even I hate them. But they are so hard. So now you your body's responding it that I need to build stronger body that I'm able to do it because I need to do it all the time and there is coming even more. And then if the nutrition is not in a line aligned with with your what you are trying to tell with your workouts to your body, your body won't be able to respond, your body doesn't know what will teach should be doing. So, so keep it in mind that that nutrition is a very important part of of workouts or or progress in your physical activity. So, so this is it affects the most optimal way is not only to be like what often people are doing is that you are eating all the time trying to be in a calorie deficit you are doing Yes, you are doing some strength training. And you are you are trying to lose fat, build muscle all everything at the same time. When it's if you are completely new in strength training, it works, it's the best way to do it. But as soon as you have experience, I will say that from three to nine months with the strength training, that's not the most optimal way what you should be doing. So it's always at least going in the maintenance even in a slight calorie surplus and focusing only on eating gain of your workouts getting stronger on your main priority. And then using those calorie deficits kind of in a phases like a short period of time. Like, like I said, it's a face what should not be, let's say it's 12 weeks is already pretty long. 16 weeks, I would not recommend to keep it longer than 60 weeks or so using that kind of deficit in order to to get leaner body but still, if you your goal is to build muscle you need to align that goal with your nutrition. So otherwise your body won't be able to conceive and if you sent that signal get stronger you might see small improvements, but it would be a lot better if you change and since your nutrition changed your workouts obviously workouts also you need to keep telling like different kinds of things, some times it means that using heavier weights doing lower amount of reps, sometimes it's doing lower rates, more repetitions. And so but just basically changing things around. And this is why you if you it's very complicated topic trying to cover in a sort of period of time. But if you have a proper strength training program, having a hiring a coach buying a proper strength training program, or to follow who knows from people like what they are doing, that is the best investment you can make, obviously, my membership coaching, there are there are my, if you think that I'm that person, my membership coaching, or one on one, coaching is the thing, what I do, that's what I do for living, people love those workouts results, what they have been getting, how much more confident how much more progress they have been making, simply by following a proper strength training program. So this is all available in my members coaching, and I will put links to the show notes, if you want to join. Then same number five, it's mood swings. And if you have if you feel changes in your mental health, so this is something if you often calorie deficit, it's, it's mentally, it's exhausting, because you it feels like that you are never in your goal. And you you seems kind of like your mood is mood swings all the time. And, and that is something what is also a sign off of like, how your mood is how your cognition, emotional will be. And if you if you if you have recognized or because these are, these are often things that they might be hard to recognize by yourself. But if you have a partner or some friend is telling the what is wrong with you today, are you all the way you are always like where your mouth is swinging so much. And please, please, please pay attention. Listen carefully, even if it's I know if it's if you are a woman, and your husband is telling this often, it might be like that not what is he complaining again, or if you are a male and your wife is telling you something, it might be like that, why stealing it. But trust me, these are the kinds of things that pay attention. If somebody's telling those ghosts, especially if you are dieting, which I know, I know, I know many people who have been over telling that my spouse is I can't take it, when they are trying to lose weight that they are kind of all the time getting the mood is suffering from some of them being angry, being happy all the time. So pay attention goes this, these are for mental health, it's very, very important to understand and also for if you are living in, in a relationship, just for your own and your partner's could be hurting. So these are these for all saints, what I had today for being in a calorie deficit or what signs you have, if you if you want when you have to go away, I hope if you recognize yourself that you had at least one of these signs, you must go away from calorie deficit. And like I said, there are two options, the diet break, it doesn't mean it can be controlled diet break, you can be if you are tracking your calories, you can be tracking aiming for maintenance calories you could be doing using reverse dieting, or you could simply practicing mindful eating or kind of intentional like eating without tracking, but just it's intentionally eating, or no you knew initially like just aiming to eat in a maintenance budget because it doesn't mean that you're free doesn't mean that you can eat whatever you want. It means that you are with the purpose aiming to eat more calories. And often in these phases, it's very beneficial trying to track your food intake, at least for a week or so that you have if you are eating mostly same kind of food so you know you learn from foods what you're currently eating, and then it helps you to make better decisions next time and ultimately, following your progress. weighing yourself I recommend to bake my clients every single day, but using only average rate per week. So, this is something what helps you to understand that there will be always those fluctuations but then also at the same time. It It gives you kind of possibilities to see trends where your weight is going, what is happening, measuring your progress, taking pictures following your breathing now and what kind of weights you have been using in your workout. So these are all more kinds of data you have better chances are that you are recognizing the right trends. So thank you for listening. And I would appreciate if you could leave a five star review if you haven't done it. Thank you for those who have done it and talk to you soon.