This calorie deficit thing...
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ErinWard1986
Posts: 46 Member
Ok this question is probably silly to some, but I'm still learning...to be in a deficit you need to eat under what your calorie goal is for the day? My calorie goal is 1380...but there are many days that I eat under that...anywhere from 200-800 calories depending. I just want to go about this correctly...maintaince would be eating your calorie goal daily? Thanks...
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MFP calculates your goals with the deficit built in. If your goal is 1380, you need to eat that much. And if you work out, you need to eat back at least a portion of those calories as well.
It is generally advised to stay above 1200 as a minimum for women as well.0 -
If you set it up and told MFP you wanted to lose weight (and with a goal of 1380 I'm sure you did), then the deficit is built in. You are to eat to the goal to have the proper deficit. If you want to see what your maintenance calories are set it up for maintenance to compare. (I think that's worth doing since then you know how high you can go and continue to lose, even without exercise, should you have an off day.)0
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1380 is your deficit, MFP created a deficit based on the stats you entered. That is what you should be eating to lose the amount per week you selected.0
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If you set your calorie goal for a 1 lb or 2 lb or whatever loss, you need to eat to the 1380 because that already has the deficit (500 calories or 1000 calories a day) built in.
Eating 200-800 less than that puts you in a much bigger and most likely unhealthy deficit.
Also, you're supposed to add exercise calories and eat those back depending on how you're tracking your burn. Because of....bigger deficits.
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When you set up MFP, it includes the deficit in your calorie goal.
So, if you set it up to lose 1 lb/wk, it subtracts 500 calories from your daily maintenance level. If your maintenance level is 1800, it tells you you can eat 1300. You do not have to, and shouldn't, regularly eat far below that level.
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The calorie goal already includes your deficit.
If you are set for two pounds per week, that would mean that MFP thinks your maintenance calories would be 2380.0 -
I didn't know that the deficit was built in...by how much? I've been doing my own deficits
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ErinWard1986 wrote: »Ok this question is probably silly to some, but I'm still learning...to be in a deficit you need to eat under what your calorie goal is for the day? My calorie goal is 1380...but there are many days that I eat under that...anywhere from 200-800 calories depending. I just want to go about this correctly...maintaince would be eating your calorie goal daily? Thanks...
If you have entered your details into MFP ... and selected sedentary as your lifestyle ... and selected a goal loss of, say, 1 lb/week ...
And if MFP has given you a max calorie goal of 1380 calories ...
Then you can eat 1380 calories and lose 1 lb/week.
**NOTE: You probably won't lose 1 lb/week nice and consistently ... weightloss doesn't work like that. It isn't linear. You'll have ups and downs, but when you look at it as an average over a couple months, you'll likely see that you're averaging approximately 1 lb/week**
Maintenance would be the number of calories MFP gives you if you selected a goal loss of 0 lb/week.
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ErinWard1986 wrote: »I didn't know that the deficit was built in...by how much? I've been doing my own deficits
What did you set your goal to? When it asked how many pounds you want to lose per week, what did you answer? It's a 250 calorie per day deficit per half pound loss a week.0 -
ErinWard1986 wrote: »Ok this question is probably silly to some, but I'm still learning...to be in a deficit you need to eat under what your calorie goal is for the day? My calorie goal is 1380...but there are many days that I eat under that...anywhere from 200-800 calories depending. I just want to go about this correctly...maintaince would be eating your calorie goal daily? Thanks...
Did you set a weight loss goal? Say 1 pound a week or 2?
Eating 1380 should resulting weight loss. It already includes the deficit you set.
1200 is the minimum you should eat.
I strongly suggest you don't eat 800 calories under your 1300 goal.
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No!
The goal MFP gives you comes with the calorie deficit BUILT IN. It does the maths for you! You should be eating that goal, and definitely not under, especially not as far under as you're aiming for.0 -
You should not regularly eat below your 1380.0
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ErinWard1986 wrote: »I didn't know that the deficit was built in...by how much? I've been doing my own deficits
Go to My Home, then select Goals.
Read the info on that page.
My page tells me that I have a 240 cal/day deficit right now the way I have things set up currently.
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shadowofender wrote: »ErinWard1986 wrote: »I didn't know that the deficit was built in...by how much? I've been doing my own deficits
What did you set your goal to? When it asked how many pounds you want to lose per week, what did you answer? It's a 250 calorie per day deficit per half pound loss a week.
Hi! I set my goal to lose 2 lbs week/active...I chose the active because I go to the gym 3x per week and work 2...I'm constantly moving/waking for 12 hrs...I guess I was confused...I thought that it set a goal to eat toward, and if I ate under that it would create a deficit...no wonder I've been so hungry lol0 -
ErinWard1986 wrote: »I didn't know that the deficit was built in...by how much? I've been doing my own deficits
Depends on your goal.
1 pound per week is a deficit of 500 per day.
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ErinWard1986 wrote: »shadowofender wrote: »ErinWard1986 wrote: »I didn't know that the deficit was built in...by how much? I've been doing my own deficits
What did you set your goal to? When it asked how many pounds you want to lose per week, what did you answer? It's a 250 calorie per day deficit per half pound loss a week.
Hi! I set my goal to lose 2 lbs week/active...I chose the active because I go to the gym 3x per week and work 2...I'm constantly moving/waking for 12 hrs...I guess I was confused...I thought that it set a goal to eat toward, and if I ate under that it would create a deficit...no wonder I've been so hungry lol
How much do you have to lose? 2 pounds per week might be too agressive.
Aim for half a pound per 25 pounds your over weight.
Do you have 100 pounds to lose?
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ErinWard1986 wrote: »shadowofender wrote: »ErinWard1986 wrote: »I didn't know that the deficit was built in...by how much? I've been doing my own deficits
What did you set your goal to? When it asked how many pounds you want to lose per week, what did you answer? It's a 250 calorie per day deficit per half pound loss a week.
Hi! I set my goal to lose 2 lbs week/active...I chose the active because I go to the gym 3x per week and work 2...I'm constantly moving/waking for 12 hrs...I guess I was confused...I thought that it set a goal to eat toward, and if I ate under that it would create a deficit...no wonder I've been so hungry lol
How much do you have to lose? 2 pounds per week might be too agressive.
Aim for half a pound per 25 pounds your over weight.
Do you have 100 pounds to lose?
I'm currently trying to lose 35lbs0 -
ErinWard1986 wrote: »ErinWard1986 wrote: »shadowofender wrote: »ErinWard1986 wrote: »I didn't know that the deficit was built in...by how much? I've been doing my own deficits
What did you set your goal to? When it asked how many pounds you want to lose per week, what did you answer? It's a 250 calorie per day deficit per half pound loss a week.
Hi! I set my goal to lose 2 lbs week/active...I chose the active because I go to the gym 3x per week and work 2...I'm constantly moving/waking for 12 hrs...I guess I was confused...I thought that it set a goal to eat toward, and if I ate under that it would create a deficit...no wonder I've been so hungry lol
How much do you have to lose? 2 pounds per week might be too agressive.
Aim for half a pound per 25 pounds your over weight.
Do you have 100 pounds to lose?
I'm currently trying to lose 35lbs
So maybe set your goal to 1 pound not 2. Might help you stick to it, not feel as hungry and preserve muscles.
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ErinWard1986 wrote: »ErinWard1986 wrote: »shadowofender wrote: »ErinWard1986 wrote: »I didn't know that the deficit was built in...by how much? I've been doing my own deficits
What did you set your goal to? When it asked how many pounds you want to lose per week, what did you answer? It's a 250 calorie per day deficit per half pound loss a week.
Hi! I set my goal to lose 2 lbs week/active...I chose the active because I go to the gym 3x per week and work 2...I'm constantly moving/waking for 12 hrs...I guess I was confused...I thought that it set a goal to eat toward, and if I ate under that it would create a deficit...no wonder I've been so hungry lol
How much do you have to lose? 2 pounds per week might be too agressive.
Aim for half a pound per 25 pounds your over weight.
Do you have 100 pounds to lose?
I'm currently trying to lose 35lbs
So maybe set your goal to 1 pound not 2. Might help you stick to it, not feel as hungry and preserve muscles.
Thanks!0 -
ErinWard1986 wrote: »shadowofender wrote: »ErinWard1986 wrote: »I didn't know that the deficit was built in...by how much? I've been doing my own deficits
What did you set your goal to? When it asked how many pounds you want to lose per week, what did you answer? It's a 250 calorie per day deficit per half pound loss a week.
Hi! I set my goal to lose 2 lbs week/active...I chose the active because I go to the gym 3x per week and work 2...I'm constantly moving/waking for 12 hrs...I guess I was confused...I thought that it set a goal to eat toward, and if I ate under that it would create a deficit...no wonder I've been so hungry lol
Try "active" for a few weeks, and see if you're losing, but if you aren't that's one adjustment you could make.
Personally, I prefer going with sedentary and then adding my exercise. But it is a personal choice.
But meanwhile, enjoy all your 1380 cal.
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