please explain Calorie Deficit to me??
carrieprattlonghurst
Posts: 9
Okay, so im new to counting calories etc. I attempted atkins diet 5 yrs ago and lost 44lbs where I felt great. A country move and return ended up in my gaining 20 of them back again in a year.
My question is that my calorie goal on MFP is around 1360 but im finding it so tough to even actually consume that much. I find I still eat similar to atkins way of life and input it onto MFP app but its complaining at me im eating too few calories... I log EVERYTHING that passes my lips and even over compensate portions to make up.
I exercise (biking and home work out) an hour a day . Im 5'9" with a large frame. All I want to do Iis get back down to 143lbs that I used to weigh... Im sitting at 163 currently.... anyone with any advice would be welcome...
Thanks a lot
My question is that my calorie goal on MFP is around 1360 but im finding it so tough to even actually consume that much. I find I still eat similar to atkins way of life and input it onto MFP app but its complaining at me im eating too few calories... I log EVERYTHING that passes my lips and even over compensate portions to make up.
I exercise (biking and home work out) an hour a day . Im 5'9" with a large frame. All I want to do Iis get back down to 143lbs that I used to weigh... Im sitting at 163 currently.... anyone with any advice would be welcome...
Thanks a lot
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Replies
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Are you weighing and measuring all your food
Are you using MFP burns for your biking?
If so you may be under counting your cals and over counting your burns, making it look like you aren't eating enough food.0 -
hi there,,, Im also fairly new too MFP and have the same issue,,rarely do I hit my calorie goal, I get a message that says I need to eat more but I feel Im eating all I need to,,3 meals plus acouple snacks is more then enough..I think as long as we are getting our nutritional needs met and not feeling hungry we are ok...Most days I dont even record my exercise0
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Calorie dense foods can be your best friend when you're trying to eat more. These are foods that pack a lot of calories into just a small amount, so they boost your calories quickly without putting a lot of extra food in your stomach.
This is a generic list and it's definitely not comprehensive, but anything here can be included in a balanced diet (as long as there are no allergies, medical conditions, obviously):
avocado
cheese
full fat dairy
Greek yogurt
ice cream
peanut butter (or other nut butters)
dark chocolate
less lean cuts of meat (including beef, pork, sausage, etc.)
seeds (chia, flax, sunflower, etc.)
nuts
olive oil
coconut oil
butter
beans and lentils
protein shakes, bars, and smoothies
hummus
beef jerky
cornbread
tuna
full calorie condiments
full calorie sauces & dressings
sour cream
guacamole
whole grain pasta
rice
bacon
whole eggs
quinoa
fruit and fruit juices
pretzels
bananas
scones
muffins (bran, blueberry, banana nut, etc.)
potatoes (sweet, red, gold, purple, white, etc.)
dried fruit (raisins, apricots, plums, dates, etc.)
granola
coconut
salmon
edamame
olives
honey
molasses0 -
A calorie deficit means you are eating less calories than you are burning; essentially, a deficiency in energy. This looks at your basal metabolic needs (your metabolism or the amount of calories you burn if you slept 24 hours/coma) + the thermic effect of food (TEF) + thermic effect of exercise (calories burned form exercise) + non-exercise activity thermogenisis (calories burned from doing daily things like walking, going to the bathroom, etc.).
This is a good article that discusses these items
But if you are consuming a lot less calories than your goal + exercise calories, then you are creating a larger deficit which means more weight loss. However that means you could also see increase muscle loss (especially if protein is low and you aren't doing resistance training).0 -
Greek yogurt calorie dense? I am using it as a low cal high protein snack! 175g 100 cal 17g protein 0g fat, 6g carb (4 sugar)? I guess it depends on the brand!diannethegeek wrote: »Greek yogurt
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valerie9294 wrote: »hi there,,, Im also fairly new too MFP and have the same issue,,rarely do I hit my calorie goal, I get a message that says I need to eat more but I feel Im eating all I need to,,3 meals plus acouple snacks is more then enough..I think as long as we are getting our nutritional needs met and not feeling hungry we are ok...Most days I dont even record my exercise
The question you have to ask is are you really getting all your nutritional needs in. Are you eating enough protein? Are your fat levels high enough for proper hormone production? Do you get all your vitamins and minerals you need?
If your answers are yes and your energy is good, I don't think you need to worry.
If they aren't all yes, you may be doing more harm than good....0 -
Are you using ounces or grams? I find that makes a difference.0
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I dont weigh everything but I do tend to overcompesate with the portion sizes when I log it... ie 1c lettuce realistically to me is like 2 lettuce leaves...
I log my burns as I do them as in I will spin on my bike but log as stationary cycling moderate... I see strength training doesn't count in your cal intake/expenditure. .. I do weights also incorporated into my 'home exercise'...
Im not a huge eater in general anyway but my body has kinda slowed alot in 5 yrs and what used to take me a couple of days to lose is taking a whole lot more time and effort now....
This whole work out on full/empty stomach is confusing me too....
Sorry, im no fitness bunny and only 'diet' I ever tried was atkins which worked then but I feel ive developed a resistance to now...0 -
AgentOrangeJuice wrote: »Are you using ounces or grams? I find that makes a difference.
I used the ounces version... wherever possible...
How does that affect it? Sorry, I have so much to learn...0 -
carrieprattlonghurst wrote: »AgentOrangeJuice wrote: »Are you using ounces or grams? I find that makes a difference.
I used the ounces version... wherever possible...
How does that affect it? Sorry, I have so much to learn...
There are 28g in 1oz. You can be more accurate if you use grams.0 -
never2bstopped wrote: »valerie9294 wrote: »hi there,,, Im also fairly new too MFP and have the same issue,,rarely do I hit my calorie goal, I get a message that says I need to eat more but I feel Im eating all I need to,,3 meals plus acouple snacks is more then enough..I think as long as we are getting our nutritional needs met and not feeling hungry we are ok...Most days I dont even record my exercise
The question you have to ask is are you really getting all your nutritional needs in. Are you eating enough protein? Are your fat levels high enough for proper hormone production? Do you get all your vitamins and minerals you need?
If your answers are yes and your energy is good, I don't think you need to worry.
If they aren't all yes, you may be doing more harm than good....
I tend to eat alot of raw stuff and eggs as snacks (which keep me full forever) and I incorporate protein with salad and no carbs or sugars... only carbs I do tend to consume is from my dairy...
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Greek yogurt calorie dense? I am using it as a low cal high protein snack! 175g 100 cal 17g protein 0g fat, 6g carb (4 sugar)? I guess it depends on the brand!diannethegeek wrote: »Greek yogurt
We dont get a huge variety of choice where I live... but I do tend to consume milk in my coffee.... ill certainly try that though... :-)0 -
carrieprattlonghurst wrote: »never2bstopped wrote: »valerie9294 wrote: »hi there,,, Im also fairly new too MFP and have the same issue,,rarely do I hit my calorie goal, I get a message that says I need to eat more but I feel Im eating all I need to,,3 meals plus acouple snacks is more then enough..I think as long as we are getting our nutritional needs met and not feeling hungry we are ok...Most days I dont even record my exercise
The question you have to ask is are you really getting all your nutritional needs in. Are you eating enough protein? Are your fat levels high enough for proper hormone production? Do you get all your vitamins and minerals you need?
If your answers are yes and your energy is good, I don't think you need to worry.
If they aren't all yes, you may be doing more harm than good....
I tend to eat alot of raw stuff and eggs as snacks (which keep me full forever) and I incorporate protein with salad and no carbs or sugars... only carbs I do tend to consume is from my dairy...
As a general rule of thumb, you want to hit something like .6-.8 grams of protein per pound of body weight and .3-.4 grams of fat per pound of body weight (assuming no medical issues that would require you to change that). You also want to aim for something like 20-25 grams of fiber every day. Since you're already logging your food, it should be fairly easy to do the math and see if you're getting enough.
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A calorie deficit means you are eating less calories than you are burning; essentially, a deficiency in energy. This looks at your basal metabolic needs (your metabolism or the amount of calories you burn if you slept 24 hours/coma) + the thermic effect of food (TEF) + thermic effect of exercise (calories burned form exercise) + non-exercise activity thermogenisis (calories burned from doing daily things like walking, going to the bathroom, etc.).
This is a good article that discusses these items
But if you are consuming a lot less calories than your goal + exercise calories, then you are creating a larger deficit which means more weight loss. However that means you could also see increase muscle loss (especially if protein is low and you aren't doing resistance training).
As mentioned above, I tend to eat tje atkins way which is high in protein but low in carbs and sugar.... I havent found weight loss in the diet as I dont vary much apart from salads and veg... I suppose I dont help myself much when im a one meal a day kind of person. ... ive increased the amounts I eat because im working out more now and need the energy....
But the NO carbs thing is stuck in my head....0 -
diannethegeek wrote: »Calorie dense foods can be your best friend when you're trying to eat more. These are foods that pack a lot of calories into just a small amount, so they boost your calories quickly without putting a lot of extra food in your stomach.
This is a generic list and it's definitely not comprehensive, but anything here can be included in a balanced diet (as long as there are no allergies, medical conditions, obviously):
avocado
cheese
full fat dairy
Greek yogurt
ice cream
peanut butter (or other nut butters)
dark chocolate
less lean cuts of meat (including beef, pork, sausage, etc.)
seeds (chia, flax, sunflower, etc.)
nuts
olive oil
coconut oil
butter
beans and lentils
protein shakes, bars, and smoothies
hummus
beef jerky
cornbread
tuna
full calorie condiments
full calorie sauces & dressings
sour cream
guacamole
whole grain pasta
rice
bacon
whole eggs
quinoa
fruit and fruit juices
pretzels
bananas
scones
muffins (bran, blueberry, banana nut, etc.)
potatoes (sweet, red, gold, purple, white, etc.)
dried fruit (raisins, apricots, plums, dates, etc.)
granola
coconut
salmon
edamame
olives
honey
molasses
Awesome!! Thanks a million!! Ill begin putting these into my diet... I seriously love avo and coconut.... easy to get here too...0 -
Calorie deficit...
Think of your body like your bank account, calories like money. If you put in more than you take out, your account (body) will grow. If you take out more than you put in, it will shrink. So if you want to lose weight, you need to burn more cals than you consume. Burning cals consists of 2 major things - the cals you burn just living life and being alive (breathing, digesting food, pumping blood, cleaning the house, watching TV, running errands, etc) and the things you do as exercise/workouts.
As far as hitting your calorie goal... that's reasonably important, especially over longer periods of time. A day here or a week there don't really matter much... but 6 months is meaningful. You say you aren't a big eater and that you still tend to eat atkins-ish (for lack of a better phrase). Are you happy eating like that? Do you feel good (good mood, good energy, etc)? It's fairly easy to increase cals with things like full fat dairy, peanut butter, red meat, etc. I find that prelogging helps me A LOT when I'm trying to really hone in on my calories, fats, carbs, and proteins.0 -
Read some FAQs about nutrition. You're so new that I think what people are saying is going over your head a bit and is too specific for what you're actually asking. What they're saying is good but they're giving you calculus when you need some algebra.
Calories are energy. You need a certain amount of energy each day to sustain your life. If you consume more calories than you need, you're eating a caloric surplus and your body will say hey that's great I'll store that for later. That's when you get fat. When you consume fewer calories than you need, you're eating a caloric deficit and your body will say hey good thing I stored that surplus earlier because now I need to use it. That's when you lose fat.
Food is a wonderful thing that should be enjoyed, but not to excess or the point of abuse. When you look at it a bit more closely, it's made up of three parts: protein, fat, and carbohydrates. Protein is needed for muscle building. Fat is needed for health function, hormonal regulation, and a whole list of other things. Carbohydrates are needed for fuel. These are called macronutrients, macro because they're measured in grams, as opposed to micronutrients, measured in milligrams, like vitamins and minerals. Vitamins and minerals don't have calories associated with them, but protein fat and carbohydrates do.
A good diet has a healthy mix of those three macronutrients. Protein is key; make sure you have enough of that first. Then, make sure you have enough fat (20%-30% of your total calories is fine), and then make the rest carbohydrates. What do I mean, the rest? How many calories can I eat? Well, find an online total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) calculator. Put in your stats, and it will tell you what number of calories you need to stay the same weight. If you want to lose weight, subtract 500 from this number, which is a healthy and reasonable caloric deficit.
The foods you eat don't matter in terms of weight loss, but they do matter in terms of health. Pick foods that have good micronutrients too (vitamins and minerals). These will be whole foods: fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, etc. You can lose weight with processed foods, but it won't be as good for you.
How do I count macros and calories? After you have a calorie number to shoot for (say 1500 per day) then that's where MFP comes in and shines. Log the types of foods and ingredients you're using in meal preparation. It'll ask you how much you're using of those ingredients. That's where a food scale and measuring cups come in. Use measuring cups for liquids, and for the rest use a food scale that can measure in both grams and ounces.
Can't eat all those calories? Yes you can. Eat any of the foods the above poster provided that pack a serious calorie punch. I have to avoid them for the most part, as I can eat 4000+ calories in one sitting if I let my stomach do the talking. Just eat until you get to your goal for the day. You can do it.
Edited for a typo.0 -
Hi @itsthehumidity
Wow... beatifully explained... thanks...
Okay so I did as you suggested and this is what it said:
Your BMI is: 23.6
Your BMR is: 6273 kJ / 1499 calories
Your TDEE is: 8625 kJ / 2062 calories
Now that I have my tdee,I tend to average a 800 +/- deficit daily from the 1360 MFP recommends. Am I doing more harm than good by eating solely protein and veg or salad?
I cut out my potatoes, rice, bread coz I find I cant handle them. Too heavy on my tummy. I am also a little confused re working out on an empty/full tummy. ..
What do you recommend?
Thanks for your help...
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valerie9294 wrote: »hi there,,, Im also fairly new too MFP and have the same issue,,rarely do I hit my calorie goal, I get a message that says I need to eat more but I feel Im eating all I need to,,3 meals plus acouple snacks is more then enough..I think as long as we are getting our nutritional needs met and not feeling hungry we are ok...Most days I dont even record my exercise
do you know how hard it is to get in proper nutrition on a sub 1200 calorie diet? very very hard....it can be done but it takes lots of planning.
Not feeling hungry happens when you start eating so little, it's your bodies response to thinking it's starving...it releases a hormone to suppress hunger so you aren't in agony when you really are starving.
To this poster and the OP...yes you can eat the calories otherwise you wouldn't be here and trying to lose weight...and before you say oh but I cut this out...why???? you don't have to cut anything out just stay in a deficit.
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@carrieprattlonghurst
Great start. Let's step back for a bit because I don't want to get lost in the details (plenty of those are in your future but they should follow more broad concepts).
It's all about eating good food, in a measured way so you can lose (or maintain) your weight, and exercising in a way that works for you. If certain foods don't sit well with you, then there are surely other options that you can try. If certain exercises don't make you feel well, then either scale back on their intensity or try something new. Sometimes all I do for exercise is walk. It's up to you what you do, and while that seems like a trivial thing to say, it's easy to fall into a routine we hate because we think fitness should involve suffering. Do what's sustainable, what you can do forever and enjoy. Now I'll respond to what you told me and asked.
An 800 calorie deficit isn't unreasonable, but it is steep unless you're very overweight. A deficit of 500 would be better.
The body is resilient and flexible. If you restrict carbohydrates/fats and eat just protein and vegetables (which do have carbohydrates but few enough that I sill consider them restricted in this scenario), your body will find a way, but I don't recommend it. Much of the world eats lean proteins, steamed vegetables, and some sort of grain like rice. Rice is a staple enjoyed 'round the world.
I'm going to diverge a little bit because I saw earlier you said you have "NO Carb" pounded into you, and I want to tell you why that kind of thinking is bad for you. Any diet that is based on the restriction of a particular food or a particular macronutrient like carbs/fats should be avoided. So if you see low fat/low carb/no carb/keto/no sugar, seriously avoid it. Those diets are simply attempting to provide an indirect method to reduce calories consumed, but they miss the big picture. It's not about the restriction of a particular macro, it's about restricting total calories while keeping macros balanced. Those diets aren't balanced, and so they're not sustainable. The key to long term success is consistency, and consistency is nearly impossible with these fads. Carbs and fats are fine. Incorporate both into your diet in a measured, balanced way.
If you like certain foods but they're too heavy, try eating them in smaller portions. So rather than eating a whole potato, eat a quarter of one, four times throughout the day. Something like that. When that doesn't work maybe cut out the food (but not because of calories/macros, just because of how it makes you feel, an important distinction).
I have not found it matters beyond personal preference if I'm full or not when working out. If I've just eaten a bunch of carbs I'll have a slightly better performance when lifting heavy weights, but that's essentially negligible (for me). For low to moderate intensity cardio I don't get worked up enough for a full stomach to be an issue. For sprinting/soccer/football and other very intense bouts of cardio I'll probably throw up if my stomach is full. Don't sweat this. Do what makes you feel the best.0
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