Why a Calorie Deficit?
A calorie is a scientific term representing 1 unit of heat energy. Calories are applied to the human body as a means of quantifying the total amount of energy expended by the body as a result of all of its biological activities and the additional work performed as a result of daily living and physical activities. Calories are also applied to the food we eat as a means of quantifying the amount of energy contained in the food and in turn supplied to our bodies when we consume the food.

Fat is our body’s method of storing calories (energy), for later use if the need arises. It is essentially our body’s "savings account" of energy.To understand why a calorie deficit is an undeniable requirement for fat loss, you need to understand the two basic laws that govern energy.

First Law of Thermodynamics:
When energy is transformed from one form into another form, the ratio of the two energies is a constant quantity.

Principle of Conservation of Energy:
Energy cannot be created or destroyed; only its form can be changed.

In basic terms, these two laws state that when energy changes forms, as when your body converts the energy from food and uses it for physiological processes, the end result is that the amount of energy converted is exactly equal to the amount of energy used, nothing more and nothing less. No energy is wasted, and no energy is in surplus. Further, since energy cannot be created or destroyed, the food energy you eat (calories) in excess of what your body requires cannot simply be destroyed or excreted from the body. Something must be done with the excess calories. They can’t just vanish into thin air. Since the body cannot immediately use the excess energy (calories), the energy is stored for future use. Excess energy is stored in the form of fat.

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