holy
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please, for the love of God, do NOT listen to anyone that shits on going on a calorie deficit or just outright dismisses it.
the concept of a calorie deficit not working is fundamentally a contradiction of thermodynamics.
and thermodynamics doesn’t negotiate with anecdotal feelings, hormone excuses, or .org “metabolic damage”.
it's not an idea.
it’s not a belief system.
it’s not something that “works” or “doesn’t work” based on preference or body type.
it’s physics
the concept of a calorie deficit not working is fundamentally a contradiction of thermodynamics.
and thermodynamics doesn’t negotiate with anecdotal feelings, hormone excuses, or .org “metabolic damage”.
it's not an idea.
it’s not a belief system.
it’s not something that “works” or “doesn’t work” based on preference or body type.
it’s physics
why people think it doesn’t work:
1. they’re not ACTUALLY in a deficit
most people wildly underestimate their calorie intake and overestimate their output.
the gap between perception and reality is often hundreds of calories.
food labels are allowed to be up to 20% off in some countries.
so yes, even “tracking” can be flawed.
2. they’re in a temporary plateau.
fat loss is not linear.
metabolic adaptation, water retention, glycogen fluctuations, and even digestion cycles can stall visible weight loss, but that doesn’t mean fat isn’t being lost over time.
people quit after 1-2 weeks of no progress and say “it’s not working” when they’re biologically on track.
3. hormonal excuses get overused.
yes, things like hypothyroidism, pcos, and insulin resistance affect metabolism, but none of them violate thermodynamics.
they just lower the amount of calories your body burns, meaning your deficit must be even stricter.
they don’t make fat loss impossible, they just make it harder.
4. metabolic adaptation is real, but the shits not magic.
yes, your body can reduce energy expenditure when dieting (e.g., less fidgeting, slower metabolism, lower body temp).
but that doesn’t mean calories stop counting.
it means your maintenance level changes.
you’re still losing fat, just slower. the deficit must be recalibrated.
5. “muscle gain” or recomposition confuses people.
if someone starts lifting weights and eating slightly less, the scale might stay the same while they lose fat and gain muscle, which is denser than fat.
this leads to the illusion of “no progress” when body composition is actually improving.
you can’t out-argue thermodynamics.
if someone claims “calorie deficit doesn’t work,” what they’re really saying is:
“i don’t understand how to measure my intake or output.”
“i’m misinterpreting normal fluctuations.”
“i want a loophole around effort.”
there are edge cases (starvation mode myths, adaptive thermogenesis, etc.), but none of them violate the underlying equation:
calories in – calories out = weight change.
if someone claims “calorie deficit doesn’t work,” what they’re really saying is:
“i don’t understand how to measure my intake or output.”
“i’m misinterpreting normal fluctuations.”
“i want a loophole around effort.”
there are edge cases (starvation mode myths, adaptive thermogenesis, etc.), but none of them violate the underlying equation:
calories in – calories out = weight change.
