which is the right way ?

andysport1

So everywhere people state having a deficit of 500 calories etc, which I aim to get into but my question is should I ignore exercise calories
So 500 food deficit plus 500 exercise = 2lb a week
or 500 deficit total = 1lb a week.

Opinions/thoughts

myheartsabattleground

You just gotta see what works for you.

ana3067

500 calorie deficit could be 1lb for you and 2lbs for a very slim woman. This is why deficits should be created by percentages, not generic math.

It's much easier to create a deficit through food. Calculate maintenance, subtract 20% from it. If you calculated maintenance without including exercise, then log and eat back all exercise calories. If you calculated with exercise, then don't log exercise because you're already including it in your intake.