Fitness coach shares 12 signs you are in healthy calorie deficit and when you may need to adjust it

Calorie deficit has become quite a buzzword in the fitness community, and there’s a good reason for it. If weight loss is one of your primary fitness goals, a calorie deficit forms the foundation that actually helps to turn expectations into real, visible results.

Calorie deficit helps in losing weight and reaching the target weight efficiently. (Picture credit: Freepik)

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So what exactly is a calorie deficit? Cleveland Clinic explained it simply: it means you are eating fewer calories than your body burns. When this happens, your body derives energy from your stored fat, effectively helping to lose weight gradually. What happens with a calorie deficit then? It creates a gap between how many calories you eat in a day and what your body loses.

Now that you have implemented a calorie deficit, calculated based on your body weight’s requirement, the next question is how to know whether it’s actually working. Turns out, your body gives you clear, visible signals, indicating whether the calorie deficit is working in your favour or not.

Sina Kavosh, online fitness coach, shared a November 15 Instagram post outlining 12 signs that show when a caloric deficit is working and when it isn’t.

6 signs you are in healthy calorie deficit

Here are the signs the coach highlighted that can help you understand when your deficit plan is right on track:

1. Weight is trending down ~0.5–1 lb per week

• Example: 190 → 188.8 over two weeks, even if it bounces day to day.

2. Strength is holding steady on your main lifts

• You are still repping the same bench, squat, or dead numbers.

3. Energy levels feel solid

• You might be a little tired, but you’re not a zombie dragging through the day.

4. Hunger is manageable

• You get hungry before meals, but you’re not raiding the fridge at 2 a.m.

6. You look leaner

• Clothes fit looser, your jawline is sharper, mirror check looks better.

So when you see the aforementioned signs, your calorie deficit plan is working just as you expected it to. This means there’s no misalignment between your effort and your results. Whether it is noticeable physical changes like looking leaner or the scale going down, or subtle improvements like better energy, steady strength, and controlled appetite, they all point to a well-balanced deficit plan. In other words, your fat is being shed at a steady and sustainable pace.

6 signs you need to change your deficit

Fitness coach Sina listed these signs that indicate that your current calorie deficit plan isn’t serving you anymore and requires you to adjust:

1. Weight has stalled for 2–3 weeks straight

• Example: Stuck at 185 for 3 weeks even though you’re tracking.

2. Strength is dropping week after week

• Bench goes from 225 → 205 → 185 in three weeks. That’s not just fatigue, that’s regression.

3. Energy levels have completely crashed

• You need 3 energy drinks just to get through the day.

4. Hunger is non-stop and distracting all day

• You’re never satisfied, no matter what you eat.

5. Sleep is terrible

• Tossing and turning every night, the body can’t recover.

6. No changes in the mirror or measurements

• Scale doesn’t move, waistline stays the same, pictures look identical month to month.

Your body lets you know when the deficit plan is not working in your favour. The signs show up eventually, whether with stalled progress, low energy, fatigue or uncontrollable hunger. A calorie deficit may mean eating fewer calories as you burn more. Some may dismiss that they can just compensate with extra hours at the gym. But this approach is unbalanced.

When a deficit is not healthy, the body gives the feedback loud and clear. It is high time to listen to these signs and accordingly adjust to the plan, before it takes you back to square one.

What’s the way forward? The first instinct may be to cut calories even more or dive headfirst into intense, vigorous training. But the simple fix requires you to adjust all the aspects of the fitness routine with a thorough evaluation, how much you are working out, how much you are eating, and how you are recovering. By factoring all these aspects together, you can find the right balance that supports steady and gradual progress without stressing your body too much.
For a DIY calorie deficit plan where you decide what’s on your plate, click here.

Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.