What's a healthy deficit?

lovexlexi

My MFP has me on a 1,600 calorie diet. Yesterday was my first day using the app and I ate about 1,300 calories throughout the day and burned about 450 calories exercising. What would be a healthy deficit? I don't want to eat too little and burn too many calories exercising. Any advice would be very helpful! Also please add me, I'm new here and don't have many friends yet. Thanks!

kr1stadee

So in all, you took in a net of 850 calories - granted that your exercise burn was close to actual.

MFP is set up to give you a deficit without exercising. Eat close to your goal. Exercise. Eat at least half the exercise calories back.

Angierae75

To use MFP correctly, you need to eat all of the calories it gives you, and then my advice is to eat about half of your exercise calories. Based on your numbers, you only netted 850 calories, which is not nearly enough. You should at _least_ be eating the 1600 it gives you.

erickirb

If you follow TDEE 10-20% below TDEE depending on how much you have to lose.

If you follow MFP here is a good guideline, but remember you still get to eat exercise cals back:
If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal, (1000 cal deficit/day)
If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal (750 cal deficit),
If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal(500 cal deficit),
If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal, and (250-500)
If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal (250 cal deficit).

sijomial

Your goal is 1600 plus exercise calories.
You have a long way to go so pace yourself and stick to a goal that is sustainable.

TimothyFish

For me, a 1000 calories per day deficit is right at that point where I'm hungry, but not so hungry that I can't manage it. I don't buy into this guideline that erickirb and others keep passing around because it is dependent on how close someone is to their goal. We don't all have the same goals. A percentage of TDEE probably makes more sense. For me, 1000 calories is about 30% of my average TDEE or a little less than 50% of my BMR. I do find, however, that on days I exercise, I can sustain a larger deficit.

erickirb

TimothyFish wrote: »

For me, a 1000 calories per day deficit is right at that point where I'm hungry, but not so hungry that I can't manage it. I don't buy into this guideline that erickirb and others keep passing around because it is dependent on how close someone is to their goal. We don't all have the same goals. A percentage of TDEE probably makes more sense. For me, 1000 calories is about 30% of my average TDEE or a little less than 50% of my BMR. I do find, however, that on days I exercise, I can sustain a larger deficit.

The guideline I put forth does take into account how far you are from your goal. and TDEE -30% is good is you have 75+ lbs to lose, otherwise a much too aggressive deficit, which comes with the risk of a large % of your loss coming from lean muscle.

TimothyFish

erickirb wrote: »

TimothyFish wrote: »

For me, a 1000 calories per day deficit is right at that point where I'm hungry, but not so hungry that I can't manage it. I don't buy into this guideline that erickirb and others keep passing around because it is dependent on how close someone is to their goal. We don't all have the same goals. A percentage of TDEE probably makes more sense. For me, 1000 calories is about 30% of my average TDEE or a little less than 50% of my BMR. I do find, however, that on days I exercise, I can sustain a larger deficit.

The guideline I put forth does take into account how far you are from your goal. and TDEE -30% is good is you have 75+ lbs to lose, otherwise a much too aggressive deficit, which comes with the risk of a large % of your loss coming from lean muscle.

I'm just saying that there is a big difference between a 310 lb guy who just wants to be in the 200s and a 110 lb woman trying to get to 95. But if we follow your guideline, the 310 lb guy should have a 250 calorie deficit and she should have a 500 calorie deficit.

erickirb

TimothyFish wrote: »

erickirb wrote: »

TimothyFish wrote: »

For me, a 1000 calories per day deficit is right at that point where I'm hungry, but not so hungry that I can't manage it. I don't buy into this guideline that erickirb and others keep passing around because it is dependent on how close someone is to their goal. We don't all have the same goals. A percentage of TDEE probably makes more sense. For me, 1000 calories is about 30% of my average TDEE or a little less than 50% of my BMR. I do find, however, that on days I exercise, I can sustain a larger deficit.

The guideline I put forth does take into account how far you are from your goal. and TDEE -30% is good is you have 75+ lbs to lose, otherwise a much too aggressive deficit, which comes with the risk of a large % of your loss coming from lean muscle.

I'm just saying that there is a big difference between a 310 lb guy who just wants to be in the 200s and a 110 lb woman trying to get to 95. But if we follow your guideline, the 310 lb guy should have a 250 calorie deficit and she should have a 500 calorie deficit.

I get what you are saying. I guess my suggestion would be if your goal is in the healthy BF% range, if your final goal is still having a high BF% then, yes you could be more aggressive.

If the 310lb guy was 12% body fat and wanted to lose 15lbs I would suggest a 0.5lb/week weight loss as already low BF%, but if that 310 lb guy could stand to lose 105lbs, but is only looking at losing 20, he could lose that 20 with a 1000 cal deficit/day, as even at his goal of 290 would probably be 25%+ BF% if he could still lose 85 lbs of fat.