As I am relatively short and petite I have always stuck to large deficits as I believed that this would be the only (and quickest) way to lose weight. I thought that eating more wold be counter productive and that it would result in my weight loss stalling or even worse, gaining! However, due to unforeseen circumstances I wasn't able to stick to my quite low calorie goal for a few weeks. When I eventually stepped on the scale expecting to have gained weight, I had actually lost. Not only am I losing weight (even though it is at a slower pace), but I have more energy to work out and I feel that it is a sustainable way to lose and keep off the weight. I have definitely been converted!