Once you’re finished reading this short article, you will understand exactly how to create a caloric deficit to lose weight by understanding your BMR (basal metabolic rate), your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) and NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis).
Every so often, we get some questions here that deserve a short explanation for everyone to benefit. The question email to me was the following…
“How do you burn more calories than what you consume? I eat about 1200 calories per day. To create a deficit, I have to burn more than 1200. How can I do that? I go to the gym, workout for an hour or so, and burn about 500-600 calories. After that, my activity level drops because I have a desk job. So how do I burn another 700-800 calories?”
To put this in perspective, the person writing this email was a smaller woman with a sedentary job who is exercising 3 times per week at the gym. So her overall expenditure is going to be lower than someone with an active job and training weekly at the gym.