Calorie Deficit Calculation Hack (No Calculator Required)
January 12, 2023
Calculating your individualized calorie deficit can seem like a difficult task, but this easy hack can get you started fast.
Using a calorie deficit calculator might make you feel unsure if you are entering the values correctly and you may feel your number is not accurate. This can cause you to second guess yourself.
You can use this simple, straight forward shortcut to calculate your calorie deficit without a calculator and then begin using the number to trial for a bit and test for accuracy.
The quick hack to calculate your calorie deficit is very simple:
Take your goal body weight and multiply it by 10= this is your daily calorie deficit intake.
For example, if your goal bodyweight is 185 pounds and you do no physical activity, you would calculate your calorie deficit the following way:
185 x 10 = 1,850 calories.
There you have it, quick and easy. Now remember, multiplying your goal weight by 10 is for someone who performs no physical activity and is mostly sedentary. If you do work out, you can adjust the calculation a bit.
Read on to learn more about how you can adjust the calculation to account for physical activity. It’s super simple.
It’s simple to calculate your calorie deficit without using a calculator, all you need to do is take your goal weight and multiply it by 10 to get started. This will give you the total number of calories you need to intake each day in order to lose weight.
Now remember, if you are someone who exercises frequently, you will need to multiply your goal weight by a higher number instead, such as 12.
This is due to the fact that this calculation uses your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) as a guide using a simple multiplier.
A person who exercises daily or even a few times a week will require a higher amount of calorie intake because their energy requirement is higher than a person who does not exercise. Exercising requires energy from calories.
You can use the simple guide below to calculate your calorie deficit based on how much exercise you perform:
No exercise (sedentary): 185 (goal weight) x 10 = 1,850 calories
Moderate activity (2-3 times per week exercise): 185 (goal weight) x 12 = 2,220 calories
Higher intensity activity (4-5 times per week exercise): 185 (goal weight) x 13 = 2,405 calories
This calorie deficit hack should work for everyone, but remember it may take some trial and error.
No matter which way to choose to calculate your own individualized calorie deficit, you must remember that it is only an estimation.
While it may be a good estimation, everyone is different and you may need to test your calorie intake amount for a week or two to see if you lose body fat.
Once you have calculated your calorie deficit using the hack method, you will need to test your results first.
If you do not lose any body fat, you might need to decrease your calories just slightly to put yourself in your deficit range.
Once you find your own sweet spot, you are ready to go.
While you can use a scale, it is always not the most reliable method as there are many factors that can determine a change on the scale, such as water retention.
What you can do instead is use a measuring tape to measure if your calorie deficit is accurate and working.
Measure your waist circumference, thighs, belly, and any other areas you want to see fat loss from and then compare it to when you started.
If the measurements have decreased, you are likely losing body fat. You can continue to track these measurements in a log book to continue to evaluate your results, and weigh yourself on the scale less often.
If you trialed your calorie deficit intake number for a week or two and you have not lost anything, you may need to adjust.
You can simply decrease your calorie intake amount by 100 calories and trial it again for another week.
Eventually, you will find the number that works for your body and you will begin to see fat loss by being in a caloric deficit.
Do I Have To Exercise To Lose Weight Using This Hack?
You do not need to exercise to lose weight using this hack, you would just use the x 10 multiplier.
Now of course, while exercising or lifting weights is not a requirement for fat loss, it is surely a great idea to start.
Not only will you be able to up your calorie intake a bit, but you will also benefit from many other great benefits, such as:
Heart health: Cardiovascular exercise strengthens the heart and reduces the risk of heart disease.
Lung health: Cardiovascular exercise strengthens the lungs and improves their function.
Increased energy levels: Cardiovascular exercise can help you maintain energy levels throughout the day.
Greater Weight loss: Cardiovascular exercise helps to burn more calories and increase the rate at which fat is burned.
Improved mental health: Cardiovascular exercise helps to reduce stress, anxiety and depression.
Improved muscle mass: Cardiovascular exercise helps to build and tone muscles.
Improved balance and coordination: Cardiovascular exercise helps to improve balance and coordination.
Improved sleep: Cardiovascular exercise can help to improve the quality of sleep you get.
Improved joint health: Cardiovascular exercise helps to strengthen joints and reduce joint pain.
Improved overall health: Cardiovascular exercise helps to improve general health and wellbeing.
Now, this does not mean that starting an exercise regimin involves heavy weight lifting or sprinting every day, you can simply just start walking.
Walking is one of the best forms of exercise you can do, and you will burn more calories in the process too.
Is This Hack More Accurate Than a Calorie Deficit Calculator?
This calorie deficit calculation shortcut is very close in accuracy to a calorie deficit calculator.
I have personally used this method to calculate my own calorie deficit, and have seen much success with it.
The great thing about calculating your calorie deficit using this hack, is that it uses your goal body weight to make the calculation, not your current weight.
This means that it is far easier to calculate how many calories you would need to maintain your goal weight once you reach it, as well as avoiding plateaus.
If you use this hack and are still unsure, you can always use a calculator as well and compare your results of both.
I first discovered this little hack from the wizard known as Jordan Syatt. He explains a little bit more in depth, and if you want to learn more about the hack you can also check him out in the video below.
In Summary
The calorie deficit hack is an easy and reliable way to calculate your calorie deficit and determine how many calories you need to eat in order to reach your goal weight, without experimenting with a calculator.
By using this hack, you can calculate the number of calories you should be eating every day to lose body fat, and it could never be any more simple. I found it to be extremely accurate and reliable in my own journey.
Remember, any calculation you do is going to be an estimate.
You need to put that estimate to the test and figure out what works for you so that you can reach your weight loss goal.
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