Heard of a calorie deficit but not sure if that’s good, bad, or just another fad? It’s actually the fundamental of weight loss, so let’s see what it means.

No wonder weight loss feels like a minefield when there are so many different approaches and so much jargon to wade through. But this one is different, and it’s worth taking the time to understand it.

You’ve probably heard of a ‘calorie deficit’, but if you’re not a personal trainer or someone with extensive experience of weight loss, you might not know what it means.

What is a calorie deficit?

To lose weight, you need to eat and drink fewer calories than you burn. When you do that, you’re creating a calorie deficit – where the number of calories from food and drink is smaller than the number of calories you’ve burned through activity and body processes.

But how do I know if I’m eating fewer calories than I burn?

There are two ways you burn calories – through the activity you do every day (which includes exercise and other movement like walking around) and through the necessary things your body does to stay alive (which includes things like breathing, your heart beating, cell production, etc.).

The number of calories your body uses is known as your basal metabolic rate (BMR). It’s influenced by a lot of things, like your age, height, weight, gender, and even the temperature of your environment.

As well as your BMR, for weight loss you need to figure out your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) – yep, another bit of lingo for you.

While your BMR is how many calories your body needs to stay alive, your TDEE also includes the activity you do (both exercise sessions and general activity). It’s an estimate of how many calories you burn in a day in total, which includes your BMR.

Confused? It’s a lot to take in, but once you figure your own BMR and TDEE numbers out it gives you a great start for counting calories, which will lead to weight loss.

The most accurate way to get your BMR is to be monitored in a lab, fasting beforehand and breathing into a special mask for an entire day and night to see how many calories you burn when resting.

Since we’re guessing you don’t have access to a lab and a team of scientists, you can use a widely accepted equation that has been found to be pretty accurate. It’s called the Mifflin-St Jeor equation and will give you your individual number based on all the variables we mentioned above.

Don’t fret about the math! This free online calculator will work it out for you.

Your TDEE is how many calories you’d need to eat to maintain your weight. For weight loss, you need to eat fewer calories than your TDEE. It’s usually recommended that you subtract 500 from your TDEE to lose weight at a safe pace.

If you’re thinking the number seems higher than what MyFitnessPal gives you, remember that MyFitnessPal tends to give everyone a 1,200 calorie goal based on sedentary, smaller people. Your TDEE and subsequent calorie goal is personalized to you.

An example

Let’s take Bob as an example. He’s 36, weighs 280lbs and is 5ft 10. He does little to no exercise.

Using the calculator mentioned above, his TDEE is 2648. To lose weight, he should subtract 500 and start off by eating 2148 calories a day.

How to eat in a calorie deficit

The number you end up with after subtracting 500 from your TDEE is how many calories you should aim to eat every day. You can track calories using an app like MyFitnessPal (free with a paid premium version) or Lose It! (also free with a paid premium version), or you can do it the old school way and use pen and paper, although apps make it way easier.

How to eat for weight loss is personal preference, but in general you should aim to increase your fruit and veg intake, cut down on processed foods and booze, and eat plenty of foods high in protein and fiber.

Your calorie needs will change as you lose weight, so it’s a good idea to recalculate after you’ve lost a chunk of weight or if you feel your weight loss has stalled.

he thought of cooking meals from scratch is daunting, especially when you’ve got to worry about them being healthy too. But it’s not all you’ve built it up to be in your head: it can be as simple as you want. 

But I don’t know what I’m doing! 

Lower your expectations. Ok, so you’re not serving up a Michelin-starred meal, but you don’t need to. Find a simple recipe and take it one step at a time. You can read, you can follow instructions, there’s not much more to it than that. 

But I might get it wrong! 

There will be times when you forget to add a vital ingredient, or something doesn’t rise in the oven. Mistakes are part and parcel of learning something new, and it’s ok to get it wrong sometimes.  

It’s all a learning curve; the trick is to actually learn from your mistakes. Use a timer, read the recipe thoroughly, keep an eye on your food while it’s cooking, and you can’t go far wrong. 

But I could give people food poisoning! 

You could. But if you follow the recipe and practice good kitchen hygiene, it’s highly unlikely. Wash your hands regularly, clean surfaces, cook things thoroughly and you’ll be fine. 

But I don’t have the time! 

Sorry, we’re not buying it. You really don’t need to spend hours in the kitchen to make something nutritious, delicious, and satisfying. Sure, it might take a bit of planning and sacrifice to fit it into your day, but how long do you spend scrolling on social media?!

• Make a meal plan. Writing down what you’re going to make and when helps you know what’s what, and you can plan around any busy days you’ve got in the week. 

• Try doing some batch cooking. That sounds daunting, but it just means making more of what you’re making anyway, like making chili for 6 when there’s only 3 of you eating – that’s 3 extra portions you can store in the freezer, ready to reheat when you need it. 

• Use a slow cooker. You can pick them up cheaply, and they’re easy to use. Just add vegetables, stock, and a joint of meat in the morning and you’ll come home to a hearty stew ready for serving up. They’re also great for making sauces, soups, casserole, and even baked potatoes.  

• Take shortcuts. There’s nothing wrong with taking the easy option. Buy your vegetables pre-chopped and frozen, use pureed garlic instead of fresh, bottled lemon juice instead of juicing fresh lemons, etc.  

Tips for the novice cook 

1. Invest in a few sharp knives. They’ll make chopping and slicing so much easier and safer. 
2. Read the recipe and method thoroughly, from start to finish, before you begin. You don’t want to come across any surprises halfway through. 
3. Taste it as you go (apart from raw meat and fish of course). It’s much easier to add more flavor than to remove it. 
4. Clean as you go. This’ll help you avoid being swamped by pots, pans, and messy worktops when you’re finished. 
5. Start simple. Think about healthy meals you enjoy and go from there. A basic tomato sauce is a good one to master: chopped onion, garlic, canned tomatoes, seasoned with black pepper and salt. Add basil for Italian dishes (Bolognese, lasagna, etc.) or paprika for Moroccan-style dishes.  
6. Buy a spray oil to minimize the use of oil in your cooking. A tablespoon of olive oil has 119 calories, so it soon adds up. PAM cooking spray is 1 cal per spray and widely available. 
7. Get to know your flavors. Lots of cuisines have classic combinations of herbs and spices that can really elevate your dishes, so it’s worth buying a few to keep in: 

   – Italian: Onions, oregano, garlic  

   – Mexican: Cumin, chili, coriander  

   – Indian: Turmeric, coriander, cumin, cardamom  

   – English: Bay leaf, sage, parsley

8. Get online: YouTube and food websites are your friend when you’re looking for healthy recipes and explainer videos to show you methods. BBC Good Food, for example, has this fantastic piece to show you 25 basic skills every cook should know 

Weight loss feels a lot easier when you know you can cook whatever, whenever. Play some good music, relax, and get stuck in – you’ll soon find that it’s not as hard as you’re expecting, and you might even enjoy it. 

If you feel like you’ve had a little too much beer over the holidays, you’re not alone. Those last few months of the year are so alcohol-heavy that many people vow to give it up entirely in January – why not join them?

Dry January is a challenge where you go sober for January after the excess of the holidays. UK based charity Alcohol Change states that 88% of people who take part in Dry January save money, 67% have more energy, and 58% lose weight, which is quite the boast. So if you’re in, here’s how to get through it.

Get some sober support

As with any new habit, a little support can go a long way. If your buddies aren’t interested in cutting out alcohol for a month, you’re probably not going to get much support from them. That’s not to say they’re not nice, supportive people (if they weren’t, they wouldn’t be your friends, right?), but the people who are best placed to help you get through it are the people who are also doing it.

This is where social media is great: look for Facebook groups and #DryJanuary hashtags on Instagram and Threads to find support.

You’ll probably find that some of your fellow MAN v FAT Soccer players are cutting down on alcohol too, so reach out within your club too.

Make small changes

If alcohol is an integral part of your life, as it so often is for many of us, you need to find ways of incorporating your newfound sobriety instead. If your default place to catch up with friends is the bar, can you do something else instead?

It’s a cliché to suggest this, but if you can persuade them to catch up over a coffee, or if you can find something active to do together, it takes away the temptation of alcohol. You might be the butt of the joke for even suggesting it at first, but going for a walk is a great thing to do while socializing.

Embrace non-alcoholic options

If you’re used to socializing over a beer and feel like you can’t get away from that, that’s ok – bars are handy places to meet, and you don’t want to become a hermit. Stick to soft drinks or see if there are alcohol-free options on offer. Alcohol-free versions of popular beers and other alcoholic drinks have improved so much in recent years as cutting down on alcohol becomes more popular.

Stay strong

There are always going to be people who don’t support your decision to ditch the drink. It’s a bit of a mystery when what you drink doesn’t affect them, but still, unsupportive people are out there, and you might come across some resistance to your decision.

Rise above the temptation to join in just because it’s easier. You’re not doing this to please anyone, you’re doing it for you – your health, waistline, and wallet. If you feel yourself wavering in the face of peer pressure, remember that ‘no’ is a perfectly valid answer, no justifications needed. No, I don’t want a beer, thanks.

Live it

Focus on what you gain by cutting out alcohol, not what you’re losing. Having more energy and saving money are huge benefits. And no hangovers! How good do those Saturday mornings feel when you can roll out of bed without it feeling like someone’s trying to drill a hole in your skull?!

Soccer training isn’t one size fits all. Each player’s workout is different depending on their position and style of play. We’ve put together a series of circuits designed to get you sharp in time for kick off. 

Warm up 

Get your muscles fired up with these HIIT exercises

• 30 secs jogging on the spot 
• 30 secs shoulder rolls 
• 30 secs toe touches 
• 30 secs star jumps 
• 30 secs ankle rotations 
• 30 secs hip rotations 

Take a minute to have a drink of water and then repeat once more. 

If you find these workouts difficult, don’t worry. Do as much as you can and work up to improving your performance each time you do it. For example, if 10 push-ups sounds impossible, do as many as you can comfortably manage and then try and beat that total next time.

Defender

Anticipation and reaction are the key qualities that set the great players apart from the rest. Circuits like these will ensure you make that last ditch tackle or goal line clearance. 

1. Start at the goal line and sprint to the 6 yard line. 
2. Do 20 jump squats, imitating a header at the top of your jump. 
3. Sprint to the 18 yard line and do 15 jump squat headers. 
4. Sprint to the 10 yard line and do 10 jump squat headers. 
5. Run back to the 6 yard line. 
6. Have a breather for 2 minutes and then repeat the drills 8 times. 

We think some of the most important aspects for being a defender include:  

• Positioning. Get yourself goal side of the attacker. 

• Communication. You get a better view than most on the pitch, so let people know what you can see… man on’s, where to pass etc. 

Midfielder

Some would argue midfielders have the most physically demanding position in the game, especially if the team’s formation is attack focused. As a midfielder, being able to attack, defend and everything in between is important. This drill won’t be easy, but it will be worth it. 

1. Start on the goal line and run at 75% speed to the center spot. 
2. Drop and do 20 push-ups and 20 squats. 
3. Sprint back to the goal line and do 20 squat jumps. 
4. Take a 2-minute breather and repeat 6 times. 

We think some of the most important aspects for being a midfielder include:  

• Endurance. Make sure you’re not blowing to keep dictating the play. 

• Keep your head up. You can’t find a pass if your eyes are glued to the floor. 

• Forget quickly. Whether you played the perfect pass, or it failed miserably, a midfielder’s ability to let it go is vital to a good team. 

Attacker

Attackers pride themselves on acceleration to the max and these drills will help you achieve just that. 

1. Place a ball on the edge of the box, walk to the penalty spot and face away from the goal. 

1. Sprint to the left post, do ten push-ups then sprint to the spot and do ten push-ups. Repeat this 4 times. 
2. Sprint to the right post, drop and give ten burpees, then sprint to the other and do ten burpees. 
3. Shoot to the top corner, like we know you will, and do 8 squat jumps. 
4. Get your breath back for 2 minutes and repeat 8 times. 

We think some of the most important aspects for being an attacker include: 

• Instinct. You don’t often get much time or space up top, know where the goal is and if you get an angle, take your shot. 
• Can you hold up play? MAN v FAT Soccer sessions can move fast at times, as an attacker being able to slow the pace down can help your teammates get their breath back. 

Remember to take it steady as you ease yourself into it and build up gradually to avoid injury stopping your play altogether. 

A lot of people hate New Year’s resolutions, and for good reason. They conjure images of a gym packed with January newbies and people buying blenders and juicers that’ll soon be forgotten.

Over half of people who set resolutions don’t end up achieving them anyway. In fact, a recent study found that one-third of those who set resolutions have failed by the end of January. Yikes.

Fair-weather fitness fanatics and foodie fads aside, setting a goal can be helpful to refocus on your healthy habits. Setting a New Year’s resolution can be an easy way of doing this at the start of the year, but you’ve got to do it right. So how can you make a good resolution and avoid becoming part of the one-third?

Make a plan

Almost everyone wants to lose weight and get fit. If that’s your resolution, well duh. You’ve got to ask yourself how you’re going to do it. Ask yourself how until you can’t go any further, like this:

• My New Year’s resolution is to lose weight.

• How will I lose weight? By making better food choices.

• How will I make better food choices? I’ll stop getting takeout 3 times a week.

• How will I stop getting takeout 3 times a week? I’ll cook more.

• How will I cook more? I’ll do a weekly grocery shop and try new recipes.

• How will I do a weekly grocery shop and try new recipes? I’ll sit down on a Sunday evening and meal plan for the week by looking at recipes online, then I’ll make a grocery list. I’ll make sure I make time to cook during the week.
• How will I make sure I make time to cook during the week? I’ll stop scrolling on social media when I get home from work, and I’ll prepare food instead. I’ll buy ready-chopped vegetables as a timesaver. I’ll batch cook at the weekends.

We could go on, but you get the idea. Somewhere in there, you’ll find your specific goal – the thing that’ll help you achieve your main goal of losing weight. For this example, your resolution would be to make time to meal plan and cook at home instead of ordering takeout. That sounds much more achievable than the vague ‘I want to lose weight’ we started with.

Don’t expect perfection

You’re going to slip up at times, it’s inevitable. Think of making a New Year’s resolution as a springboard for your healthy habits, instead of an all or nothing command. If your resolution is to exercise 3 times a week, but you don’t manage it one week, don’t give up towel completely. Just try your best the next week. The mistake a lot of people make when it comes to resolutions is to see it as a short-term thing you do until you mess it up. See it more as a long-term thing, as something that’s flexible and fluid and will guide you throughout the year.

Don’t do it alone

Though it can feel a bit silly to be setting New Year’s resolutions, tell people about your goals. You don’t have to shout it out to everyone you meet, but letting your friends know you’re trying to go vegan/run a marathon/give up soda can lead to a welcome show of support that’ll give you a boost when you most need it. If we keep our goals to ourselves, it’s much easier to dismiss them – it’s easy to justify things when it’s just our mind to answer to.

You could even try making goals as a group if you’ve got a solid bunch of supportive friends or MAN v FAT Soccer teammates. Updating each other on your progress and being a cheerleader when it’s needed will go a long way to keeping your motivation high.

Focus on one resolution

It might be tempting to come up with a long list of things you’d like to change about yourself when you’re setting a New Year’s resolution, but keep it short and sweet. Pick one thing you want to work towards and make that your focus so you can give it the time and attention it needs. Too many goals will feel daunting, and juggling too many balls makes it more likely you’ll drop one.

By all means, break your resolution up into manageable chunks, just make sure you’re not taking on too much at once. Good luck!

It’s great to relax during the holidays, but sadly at some point you do have to face reality and get back to normality. Here are some ways to get back on track with your weight loss goals after the holidays.

Relish the fresh start

Sure, New Year’s Resolutions have a bad reputation, but there’s nothing wrong with setting them and taking advantage of that ‘new year, new me’ feeling. You’ve just gotta be realistic about it: 2025 probably isn’t going to be the year you become a professional athlete or hone an eight pack where your beer belly used to be.

Set realistic, attainable goals and focus on the reasons you want to accomplish them for a fresh boost of motivation. The hope a new year brings is something to relish and take advantage of, so leave your cynicism at the door.

Get back to normal as soon as you can

If the holidays have mainly been about food (and lots of it), it can feel hard to say goodbye to eating your body weight in candy on a daily basis. You might have a lot of holiday food leftover after Christmas, and that’s fine, but slowly returning to your old healthier favorites can go a long way to making you feel like you’re getting back on track.

Remember that the longer you leave it, the harder it’ll be to stop overindulging, and the more work you’ll have to put in to get back to where you were.

Do some activity

We tend to feel sluggish after the holidays, mostly down to overeating but also because we tend to be less active than usual. It’s great to have a break and you shouldn’t feel guilty about it, but starting to move your body a bit more when the holidays are over will help you get back to healthy habits.

If you’re not ready for anything too strenuous (and we don’t blame you!), go for a few gentle walks to get back into the swing of things.

Give your body a break

If you’ve had a lot of alcohol over the holidays, give your body a break for a few weeks by cutting the booze out. What about taking part in Dry January? It’s a month-long alcohol-free challenge which started in the UK but has since become popular around the world.

The rules are simple: no alcohol for one month. There are many benefits to passing on the alcohol: you’ll cut calories, have more energy, be better hydrated, and you’ll save money. Check out Dry January’s US site for more info.

Don’t deprive yourself

One thing that makes overindulging worse is trying to compensate for it by undereating. It might seem like it makes sense, but binging following by restricting is a vicious cycle that’s hard to break free from. It’ll just make you more likely to eat more, as you’ll get too hungry and want to eat everything in sight,

Instead, just draw a line under any holiday indulgences and focus on nourishing your body. It’s perhaps a cliché, but eating healthy, balanced meals that satisfy your hunger is the best thing you can do to get back on track. Make a meal plan, do a healthy grocery shop, and try your best. Don’t beat yourself up if it takes longer to get back to normal eating than you’d like, just keep trying and most importantly: don’t quit.

Christmas can be a really stressful time of year, which can have a detrimental effect on your mental health.

There are so many expectations placed on us at Christmas. There’s a lot of pressure to get everything right, from how you decorate and what presents and food you buy to how much fun you have at Christmas events. That’s before we even get to the expectation of friction-free family relations.

It’s a lot and can ruin your enjoyment of what is, at its core, a lovely occasion meant to bring us all closer. Yes, even if you do spend most of it arguing with extended family.

So, what can you do to protect your mental health at this time of year?

Shun expectations

If you watch too many Hallmark movies, you’ll find yourself thinking you need to drape your house in festive lights, buy everyone impressively wrapped (and v.expensive) gifts, and spend the entire month attending various Christmas events.

In a word: no. Real life isn’t like that, and what’s more, it doesn’t have to be!

Forget the need to make everything picture-perfect. Unless you’re an Instagram influencer, don’t sweat it. Do what makes you and your family happy even if it doesn’t measure up to Hallmark standards.

Do what you want

In the same vein, do whatever the hell you want to do this festive season. Don’t want to attend your workplace’s Christmas party? Don’t go! Don’t want to wear a Christmas jumper? Then don’t! Ok, so written down like this does sound a little bah, humbug, but you get the idea – you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. This time of year is stressful enough without forcing yourself to join in when you really don’t want to.

Set your boundaries

While we say you can pick and choose what you want to do, we know that sometimes it doesn’t feel that way. This is especially true when it comes to family, who often demand our time when it’s not convenient, especially around the holidays. This can come with a whole set of new expectations, just to pile on the pressure, like hosting and cooking for a large group or spending time and money travelling for visits.

If you feel comfortable, just say you’re planning on having a quiet holiday season at home after a busy year. You don’t need to explain any more than that – be clear about what you want to do so there’s no confusion.

If you feel like you can’t turn down invitations, try dialling down the pressure by buying pre-cooked meals to share, or doing cheap things like going for a walk to check out festive decorations instead of going to costly events.

Plan ahead

If you know there are things coming up that you find tough, try and plan for them as best as you can. For example, if crowds stress you out but you promised the kids you’d take them to a busy Christmas event, plan how you’ll cope: things like going early if you can, stopping for plenty of breaks, and leaving when you’re unlikely to get stuck in traffic might make you feel better about it.

Be open with family and friends about how you feel, as talking about what’s going on in your head can help.

Get some space

If you do feel overwhelmed, stressed, or low over the holiday period, that’s ok. It doesn’t mean you’ve failed, and you should never compare your own feelings to someone else’s seemingly perfect social media posts.

Step away from the chaos if you can by going to an empty room (even the bathroom will do for a few minutes of peace). Take a deep breath and try and do some mindfulness exercises, as they really do help to calm you, despite how awkward you might feel doing them.

Try this:

Sit comfortably, then breathe in for a count of four, then breathe out for a count of six or eight, and repeat as many times as you feel necessary.

The long exhales will help settle your heart rate and blood pressure, which will help you feel less frazzled.

If it all goes wrong…

If the holidays do end up impacting your wellbeing and you wake up feeling hopeless and completely drained, try not to worry. If you know it’s linked to holiday-specific situations, like overbearing in-laws overstaying their welcome or family arguments, try and focus on when things return to normal. It won’t be much longer before it’s all in your rearview mirror.

But if you’ve been feeling low for a while and the holidays have made it worse, consider making an appointment to see a doctor in the new year. They’ll be able to talk through options for improving your mood, and getting the ball rolling is a positive step.

If things do get too much, don’t suffer alone. You can call the 988 mental health emergency hotline, which will connect you to a crisis counsellor. There are many other helplines you can call, find a helpful list here, although be sure to check their opening hours over Christmas.