How many diets have you tried in your lifetime? There are a mind-boggling number of named diets out there, all claiming to have found the silver bullet for weight loss.
But the truth is, only one thing actually works when it comes to losing weight or dropping body fat. Every successful diet must contain this one thing – that’s how it works.
The only thing that matters is a calorie deficit
The thing that unites any successful diet strategy is a calorie deficit. It doesn’t matter how you achieve it: you could fast, go vegan, cut carbs… If your chosen strategy puts you in a calorie deficit, you will lose weight.
By far the simplest way to get into a calorie deficit is to understand your calorie output, and to track your food and drink intake to “balance the books”. You really don’t need to cut out food groups, stop eating after a certain time, or eat any weird foods.
The only thing that works is a calorie deficit
What is a calorie deficit?
A calorie deficit refers to the “gap” you create between calories in (from food and drink) and calories out (from metabolic rate, daily movement, digestion, and exercise). Create a gap, and your body has to fill it by finding extra energy from your stores (aka your body fat). It’s simple maths.
But what about insulin?
People often ask me if losing weight can really be as simple as this calorie equation. Isn’t it abut hormones? What about insulin? Isn’t it harder to lose weight when you get older?
The bottom line is: no. In healthy individuals, nothing matters for weight loss except a calorie deficit. Hormones play a part in that they can make you hungrier, or less able to feel full. It can be harder to lose wight when you get older because you might be less active or have less muscle mass. But all things being equal, it’s still about calories.
How to be in a calorie deficit to lose weight
As I’ve said, any successful diet strategy must by definition include a calorie deficit. You could be in a calorie deficit by cutting sugar, fasting, or eliminating carbohydrates (although I don’t recommend it).
If your chosen diet strategy gets you in a calorie deficit and helps you stay there consistently, you will lose weight.
My preferred method of achieving a calorie deficit (and the one I recommend to the majority of my clients) is tracking food. You won’t need to do this forever, but it’s a really great way to understand what you’re currently eating and how to adjust it to achieve your goals.
3 steps to a calorie deficit
1) Calculate the number of calories you burn in a day (use a calculator like https://tdeecalculator.net/ which will give you a good estimate)
2) Decide what size calorie deficit you want to sustain (10-20% of your TDEE or total daily energy expenditure is reasonable for most)
3) Track your food to make sure you are achieving the deficit (use an app like MyFitnessPal)
How to choose the best diet for you
So if all successful diet methods achieve that important calorie deficit, does it matter which diet you do? Once you’ve established a calorie deficit, you can choose an approach that works for your lifestyle. Sustainability is key to long term success, and sustainability means something different for everyone. That’s why so many diets exist!
5 questions to ask before you decide on a diet
1) Can I see myself eating this way for 12 weeks (or however long it will take me to reach my goal)?
2) Will this way of dieting teach me useful knowledge that I can carry forward into maintenance?
3) Will this diet alienate me from friends, family, and social situations?
4) Is this way of eating likely to trigger any difficult food behaviours like overeating, bingeing, or judging myself?
5) Does this diet have arbitrary rules or insist on me using meal replacements, tablets or other fads?
Losing weight really doesn’t have to be complicated. If you want to transform your body and learn some life-long tools for managing your weight, get in touch to talk about my VIP coaching.
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