Calorie Limit and Deficit.

lisafrancis888

Hi
I have a calorie limit of 1200. I started about ten days ago and it's all going well. I want to lose 1lb a week but will be happy with .5 as I don't have an awful lot to lose.
I have been under the impression that as long as I don't go over the 1200 each day I will in theory lose weight. This seems to have happened so that's good.
However I keep reading people saying you HAVE TO BE IN DEFICIT. I think one person wrote to lose 1lb you need 3000 deficit. Am I misunderstanding. Should I lose by going up to the 1200 each day and more if I exercise or is it only the deficit on each day that will lose me the weight. Hope I'm making sense to someone.

joepratt503

the MFP system calculates the number of calories you need to eat to reach your goal when you set them. So if you told it you wanted to lose weight at x/week then the number it spits out should get you mostly there via "deficit".

If you told the system that you didn't want to lose weight and the 1200 is the number it gave you, chances are you were ACTUALLY eating much more and the mere fact you are now monitoring your food is getting you to the place you want to go.

Bottom line is that if its working, its working BTW, its 3500 cal per lb.

jett69

1200 is really low especially for a person that doesnt have to lose a lot. One pound = 3500 calories so you'll need to eat 500 calories less a day.

How much do you weigh, height, age, activity level?

navyrigger46

That 1200 calorie goal does put you in a deficit.

Rigger

lisafrancis888

48years 5ft8 141lbs.
Agree that it's low but happy to lose less. I am new to exercise as well so am eating most of them back. Finding it good just have to be sensible on a rest day.
I am still confused though....is the deficit not already built into the calorie number. If it isn't why does it ask how much you want to lose in the first place.

lisafrancis888

I was definitely eating more this has really opened my eyes to healthier eating..

Phrick

lisafrancis888 wrote: »

48years 5ft8 141lbs.
Agree that it's low but happy to lose less. I am new to exercise as well so am eating most of them back. Finding it good just have to be sensible on a rest day.
I am still confused though....is the deficit not already built into the calorie number. If it isn't why does it ask how much you want to lose in the first place.

Yes, the deficit is already built into the calorie number that MFP gives you. So with your 1200 limit, you will lose weight.

futuremanda

Yep, your 1200 gets you your deficit. Eat it, and some of your exercise calories too. And actually, try to hit it as often as you can, because it's the minimum recommended for health in females, meaning eating under it regularly can be a health issue for you.

The actual deficit people refer to is your Maintenance Calories - Actual Intake. So if say, 1700 were the number of calories for you to eat to neither gain, nor lose, and you're eating 1200, that gets you a 500 calorie deficit per day.

(Your exercise calories count too. If you were in maintenance, you would aim to eat them all back. When you're losing with MFP, MFP expects you to eat them all back, so they don't really come into play for your deficit. But since sometimes the estimated calorie burns from exercise are overestimated, most people eat only half or most of them back. It's up to you.)

The math is helpful if you need to take a closer look at what you're doing. But it isn't necessary to know, as MFP does it for you.

navyrigger46

Your TDEE is about 1600 assuming a sedentary lifestyle, that would put your current deficit at 400 per day, 2800 per week for right around 3/4 of a pound a week. What is your current activity level, do you have a desk job, or an active job? Do you do any kind of exercise?

Rigger

AmyRhubarb

1200 is a deficit - it's less than the number of calories your body burns in a day - that's a 24 hour period, not just exercise, but all day long.

Your daily calorie goal at MFP has you at a deficit before exercise. Eat to goal, do zero exercise, you're still in deficit and you lose weight. When you burn off more cals through exercise, you're making your deficit bigger, which can cause you problems in the long run, so the burned cals are added back into your goal - eat them and you are back to your original deficit, and you still lose weight.

lisafrancis888

navyrigger46 wrote: »

That 1200 calorie goal does put you in a deficit.

Rigger

Thanks

Thanks everyone. In reality I'm eating about 1500 a day with the exercise and just a few days lower. Feel great so will keep going as it is.. Long live the Vegetable!

lisafrancis888

AmyRhubarb wrote: »

1200 is a deficit - it's less than the number of calories your body burns in a day - that's a 24 hour period, not just exercise, but all day long.

Your daily calorie goal at MFP has you at a deficit before exercise. Eat to goal, do zero exercise, you're still in deficit and you lose weight. When you burn off more cals through exercise, you're making your deficit bigger, which can cause you problems in the long run, so the burned cals are added back into your goal - eat them and you are back to your original deficit, and you still lose weight.

Thank you. That makes sense. I may think about upping a little more on the days I exercise to reach the calorie goal. Particularly as whilst I want to lose a few lbs my main aim is to be fitter and healthier. Too much dieting could ruin that! I'm looking at long term benefit rather than short term.

Thank you everyone. Lovely crowd of people on this site.

lisafrancis888

This is for Anyone who uses an iPad or iPhone and is confused by the deficit. After just going on a laptop I have realised the laptop version clearly shows under goals that there is a deficit built in to your daily calories. The iPad app does not show this at all which is why I was a little confused.

So for anyone who is still confused like I was take a look on a laptop or PC rather than just an app and it will become clear. Hope this helps someone.