07/11/2021
The effects of being in a prolonged calorie deficit are not nice. Here are some signs to look out for in case you are in fact in an over due re-feed / change of plan.
◾️Muscle loss and lowered testosterone - as time goes on in your plan of being in a calorie deficit, you may notice that you are losing strength and s*x drive. These are both symptoms of lowered testosterone and a reduction in muscle tissue.
◾️Unhealthy food focus - you may look to focus on foods that are not beneficial to you whilst in a prolonged calorie defect and have major cravings. This could lead to binge eating and therefore having an unhealthy relationship with food.
◾️More susceptible to gain fat tissue - as time goes on in a calorie deficit, our body’s metabolism will slow down to adjust to this period. This warrants a bigger deficit to continued fat loss, therefore slowing your metabolism down even more. A slower metabolism means it is easiest to gain fat tissue.
◾️Mood, sleep and energy - these three factors can all be changed drastically when deep into a calorie deficit. Many people can become lethargic, easily irritable and find it hard to sleep at night.
If any of these signs occur in your calorie deficit, it may be time to address this to your coach / PT.
The above picture is an example of Christian Bale in a prolonged calorie deficit for movie roles.