The Hidden Costs of The Perfect Body

Anyone who has attempted to lose body fat has probably, at some point, reached a deficit where they feel like they just can’t lose any weight. If calories in calories out is truly the mechanism that contributes to weight loss or weight gain, then why is it that when we appear to be in a significant calorie deficit we just cannot lose weight? If math is math then eating fewer calories than you burn should result in weight loss right?

Yet time and time again, we see people reduce their calorie goal and struggle to lose weight. The problem that people are consistently facing here isn’t necessarily with calories in calories out. Thermodynamics is thermodynamics; you can’t beat that law. No, the real issue here is all the other hidden cost that come with cutting calories. These unforeseen elements can thwart progress and lead to demotivation; which ultimately leads to complete abandonment of the program.

so what are these hidden costs and how can we better manage them in order to achieve the weight loss goals that we set out for ourselves?

We as humans love when things are simple. When it comes to changing our body composition we typically like to view the experience as a simple math equation. A(TDEE) - B (# Of Calories Below TDEE) = C (Dream Body).

we view the like most things in life there are tradeoffs when you want to some sort of adjustment.

I’ll give you an example of something I see on a fairly consistent basis. Lets say I have a female client that wants to lose weight. She is 5’1”, weights 160 lbs, and would like to lose 30 pounds.

look at the almighty 1200 calorie recommendation as an example. This is a commonly recommended calorie intake for females that are looking to lose body fat. At this calorie intake it makes sense mathematically that someone would lose weight. But time and time again people fail to lose the body fat that they so desperately desire to lose. How the fuck can that be when 1200 calories would clearly be enough to put just about anyone in a deficit?

Lets do the math on a hypothetical client just to break it down even further. I have a 5’1” female client that weighs 100lbs. She’s not very active but for some reason she wants to lose weight. Her calorie calculatioin would like as such:

Although these recommendations make sense mathematically, they aren’t very practical when we put them into practice. Variables such as satiety, total daily energy expenditure (tdee), overall feeling, and personal sustainability have to be taken into consideration.

You plug your numbers into any of the calorie counting apps out there, receive your recommendations, and begin the process.