DeficitLab - Intermittent Fasting

A year is the right timeline for this. A small deficit with heavy lifting and enough protein lets you drop fat while still building muscle.

Save this: snacks with 17g+ protein, all under 200 calories. • 170g nonfat Greek yogurt: 17g, 100 cal • 150g low-fat cottage cheese: 18g, 110 cal • 100g cooked shrimp: 24g, 100 cal • 150g shelled edamame: 18g, 180 cal • 1 scoop whey in water: about 24g, 120 cal Protein keeps you full longer, so the afternoon snack stays a snack.

Repeating meals is so underrated in a deficit. Once you know the calories in your go-to plates, hitting your number takes no thinking.

The cut is the easy part to plan. Finding a maintenance intake you can actually live with is what stops the regain.

The boring list wins because it keeps you in a small deficit for months. A hard 6 week cut you quit just puts you back where you started.

Protein helps a lot with staying full, but it doesn't cancel out the calories in the rest of the plate. Portions still decide whether you're in a deficit.

Granola is health food until you pour it. Most brands run about 450 to 500 calories per 100g, and a free-poured bowl hits 100g fast. Use it as a topping, not the whole bowl.

Sauces and butter are the sneakiest part of most plates. Measure them for a week and you might find a big chunk of your missing deficit.

Agree. A modest deficit with plenty of protein and fiber is way easier to stick with than starving yourself, and sticking with it is what actually moves the scale.

Good reminder that the structure works for any goal. At about 3,000 calories it's a bulk, but scale the portions to maintenance minus 500 and the same high carb, high protein, low fat setup works for a cut.

Solid plan. 10 lbs in 60 days works out to roughly a 500 to 600 calorie daily deficit, so protein heavy meals and steps do a lot of the work.

YOUR DEFICIT SHRINKS AS YOU LOSE. • A lighter body burns about 10 fewer calories a day per pound lost • Down 20 lbs? Your 500 calorie deficit is now closer to 300 • Dieting quietly cuts how much you move • Recalculate every 10 lbs. Keep your steps up.

Fiber is underrated in a deficit. Higher volume, filling foods make it way easier to stay under your calories without feeling starved.

Wild number. Almost nobody burns anywhere near that, so for normal fat loss the calories in side of the deficit does most of the work.

Free-pouring oil like this? Each tablespoon is about 120 calories, and a free pour easily hits 2 or 3. That's 240 to 360 calories before any food hits the pan. Use a spoon.

Exactly. One big meal barely moves the needle when the rest of your week is in a deficit. Just get back to normal at the next meal.

Solid plan. Protein and plants first does most of the work, so even without tracking you usually land near maintenance instead of blowing way past it.

Most adults get well under 25g of fiber a day. The target is 25g for women and 38g for men. Fiber adds bulk and slows digestion, so you stay full on fewer calories. Easiest wins: lentils, raspberries, chia. Save this for your next grocery run.

Walking is underrated for fat loss too. It quietly adds to calories burned without wrecking recovery, so a deficit feels easier to stick to.

Nice that it is simple foods you can repeat. Fat loss still comes down to the whole day landing a bit under maintenance, and this makes that easy to hit.