Net calories versus calorie deficit

Terpnista84
Terpnista84 Posts: 517 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
In order to lose 2lbs a week you should have roughly a 7,000 calorie deficit through the week (burning 7,000 more calories than you eat)

My BMR is about 1,500 and TDEE is about 1,700.

I'm fairly active and walk to and from work which is another 400 calories, bringing my TDEE up to 2,100.

I exercise between a half hour to an hour everyday (mix of strength training and HIIT). Lets say I burn 400 calories per workout. My total calories burned are 2,500...this is a typical day for me.

I consistently eat 1,500 calories per day which gives me a 1,000 deficit. This is what I have done before and lost about 30 lbs (only to gain it back).

I had 800 calories left over yesterday (I ate 1,500 and burned almost 1,000 throughout the day from lots of walking and then a gym session after work). Am I supposed to eat all of those calories back in order to reach the recommended net calorie goal??

Replies

  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    If you're following TDEE (which is a steady number averaged out), then you don't eat those calories back. Exercise is already part of their calculation. If you're following MFP's goals, which are based on NEAT (without exercise), then you should eat back generally 50%.
  • bathmatt12345
    bathmatt12345 Posts: 145 Member
    I'd eat like 1/2 of them back if you are hungry, after a strength/hiit workout I try to eat 1/2 back in carbs/protein (milk/whey mix). So if I guess I burn 500, 12 oz milk with a scoop of PP which is like 250 within a short time period.

    The bigger question is why did you gain the weight back? Did you change life style after you lost the weight?
  • Terpnista84
    Terpnista84 Posts: 517 Member
    bathmatt12345 wrote: »
    I'd eat like 1/2 of them back if you are hungry, after a strength/hiit workout I try to eat 1/2 back in carbs/protein (milk/whey mix). So if I guess I burn 500, 12 oz milk with a scoop of PP which is like 250 within a short time period.

    The bigger question is why did you gain the weight back? Did you change life style after you lost the weight?

    Yes after I reached my goal I stopped working out as much and not watching what I ate. They've been coming back over the last 1 1/2 years.

    I'm trying to follow what I did the first time but I want to make sure I'm being healthy. I would always have almost 1,000 calories left which I rarely ate back.

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