How to Find Your Calorie Deficit (Without Starving)

Trying to figure out your calorie deficit but keep ending up miserable, starving, or “falling off”? In this episode, we break down a simple, sustainable way to find your deficit—and the mindset shift that makes results actually stick. How to find a starting calorie number (and adjust it week to week) Why dropping to 1200 calories can backfire fast The “baseline first” method: track before you slash How small cuts (2–300 calories) help you build real habits Why mindset drives cravings, consistency, and long-term maintenance. How to stop comparing your timeline to someone else’s journey A simple weekly action step: “lean into the why” when you struggle 00:00 Intro • “How do you even build a deficit?”00:09 Finding your starting deficit (tools vs trial & error)01:23 Why your job + daily movement changes your number02:23 Should you drop to 1200 calories? (the truth)03:46 Track your baseline first (don’t change anything yet)04:10 The safer cut: drop 2–300 calories + adjust weekly05:33 Society’s “lose it fast” trap + why it doesn’t last06:30 Weight loss seasons vs maintenance seasons07:54 What % is mindset? (hint: basically everything)08:09 Biggest Loser example: weight loss without mindset fails12:34 How to integrate this into real life (don’t fear failure)14:03 Wins vs losses: a loss isn’t a loss if you learned16:20 “It’s simple, not easy” + choose your hard19:21 Confidence changes (and it’s not just the scale)27:53 Action step: lean into one struggle this week29:31 Stop comparing + learn the lesson, then move forward Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices