About deficits...

jtcedinburgh

(I posted this on another thread but it kinda got lost and felt it might be of use to others.)

On the subject of energy deficits, can I check I'm doing this right then. Let's take yesterday as an example:

My 'maintenance' MFP target (to stay at current weight) was 2280 KCal per day
My MFP target to lose 1Kg/wk was 1500 KCal per day
I ate 2191 KCal during the day
I had 1110 KCal from exercise (5K run + two walks, ~12K steps) during the day

Is my deficit here 419 KCal (i.e. my 'lose 1Kg' target of 1500-(2191+1110) = 419 KCal) or is it 1199 KCal (i.e. my maintenance target of 2280-(2191+1110) = 1199 KCal)

Ta.

jandsstevenson887

The second. MFP is designed for you to eat back the calories so all of the working out calories add to your deficit.

jtcedinburgh

OK, thanks. Looks like I might need to be eating a bit more some days, as I had clearly misunderstood. Having to eat more is never a bad thing in my book

terbusha

1199 is way to few calories for a guy. Calculations can be a good starting point, but everyone is different. You'll want to figure out what's the best point for you with some good old trial and error.

What I do and what I recommend to people is to eat at a calorie level that allows you to make good progress towards your goal. If you are trying to lose weight, eat so you drop 1-2 lbs/week. This assumes an average calorie burn from you getting in all of your workouts. This will be different for everyone, so you'll have to do some trial and error to figure it out. I'd start ~2000 cal/day. Hit this goal, along with your macros and getting in your workouts, for 2 weeks. If you lose 1-2 lbs/week, you're good to go. If you lose too much, increase your intake and repeat. If you don't lose enough, reduce your intake a bit and repeat. After a few cycles, you'll figure out what works for you in your situation.