Does the body know?

Hey, I have a question about the math.

So for every 3500 cals that I am in the deficit, my body burns up one lb (hopefully of fat, not muscle.)

The websites I've read mostly talk about being in -500 deficit per day. My question is, if i slow down the deficit rate, and eat at -250 a day for a few weeks, will i still continue to lose - just much more slowly? Like a lb every two weeks?

 This may sound dumb, but i'd like to know for sure. I've lost 10lb in 3 months but i'm in a bit of a burnout state and need to take it slower. THANKS IN ADVANCE!

Yes. You'll still lose.

 

Reality is the less fat you have the smaller the gap should be. So you might actually lose a bit quicker to begin with.  

Really? Thanks.

I'd be interested to know why the smaller gap, once a person has less fat.

Your body naturally wants to keep some fat. It's needed for some things plus it's a safety store in case you run out of food. Not that likely in todays world but your body doesn't know that. So the thinner you are the less your body wants to drop fat. Big gaps will only make your body fight back.

In addition to what zeke2 said, in a calorie deficit (of any size) the body will burn both fat and muscle to make up for the difference.  Many studies have shown that, in general, the more excess fat a person has, the more the deficit will be discharged from burning fat than from burning muscle.  A consequence is that the closer you get to your fat-loss goal, the more likely your body will be to burn muscle.

This is made potentially much worse by a little-known fact:  while the body can get about 3500 calories of energy from burning a pound of fat, it can only get about 600 calories from burning a pound of muscle!  (BTW, this is "why" extra calories are more likely to be stored as fat than as muscle:  fat is a much more efficient way to store energy.)  So do everything wrong , and a deficit that used to burn a pound of fat can end up burning nearly 6 pounds of muscle instead!  People in "normal" ranges never experience this possibility fully, but people with eating disorders can.

The most effective way to preserve muscle during a calorie deficit is to do hard strength-training 2 or 3x a week, combined with adequate protein intake spread throughout each day (unlike as for dietary carbs and fats, the body can't store dietary protein for later use -- "use it or lose it" is unique to protein, so spreading out protein intake is important).

It's also true that the slower weight is lost, the easier it is to preserve muscle.  There's also a mountain of evidence supporting that people who lose weight slower are also likely to keep it off over time.  There's no reason to fear slowing down!

BTW, judging from your photos, you've done a great job so far -- I think you picked a good time to switch gears and coast to the finish line .

Thank you for the helpful answer, and the encouragement!

I will change style then, and eat at a deficit of maybe -100 -200 with a lot of lean proteins, and work on strenth training rather than HIIT for the next month.

 

There's a lot of very interesting info in this thread--thanks, contributors.

salomershy, good plan!  Like HIIT, the point to strength-training isn't duration, it's hitting it hard and then getting plenty of rest before the next time -- a little goes a long way.  2 or 3 whole-body strength sessions per week, on non-consecutive days, should do the trick, and best if they're done in under 45 minutes (although if you're just starting, take all the time you need to learn and practice good form -- injuries are not necessary ).

Cardio work is still good for you too (it's good for everyone), but if you're getting burned out by HIIT there are hundreds of other ways to go.  Perhaps this would be a good time to try gentler things you might really enjoy -- for example, walking, swimming, riding a bike, dancing, rebounding, skipping rope, martial arts, whatever keeps you moving and piques your interest.

Since you're so close to your goal, you might want to consider a "zig zag" approach to calories.  There are many schemes of this sort, all involving switching between mild calorie deficits and surpluses according to some plan.  By staying close to calorie balance, slow but steady progress can be made toward losing fat and gaining muscle seemingly "at the same time".  For ample, here's an influential zig-zag plan created by a legendary powerlifter ("Dr. Squat" is the pen name of Fred Hatfield, one of the strongest guys in the world, and notable also for not having a 60-inch waist ).