Correct formula for caloric deficit

Dorian1988

When people say caloric deficit, they mean BMR + exercise - intake right?

Currently I use a BMR that I computed myself based on how much weight I lost in one week. It also was confirmed by the next week. All BMR calculators I found online gave me a much lower value that didn't match my real weight loss rate.

Can I have your opinion about this? Did you guys get an accurate BMR using any of the usual formulas?

cathipa

Sure you didn't calculate TDEE? BMR are your basal metabolic rate calories (i.e coma calories). I trust the calculators for BMR, but I have found some of the TDEE to be off. It depends on what formula they are using.

usmcmp

BMR+Non-exercise activity+exercise= TDEE

A deficit is when your intake is lower than your TDEE.

MFP uses BMR+non-exercise activity as your baseline. They calculate your deficit for you. You're expected to eat back a portion of the exercise calories because that's not part of MFP's equation.

chocolate_owl

When people say caloric deficit, they mean TDEE - intake. Your TDEE has multiple components:

BMR
Thermic Effect of Food
Non-Exercise Activity
Exercise Activity

If you just total BMR and exercise, you're excluding other calorie-burning factors. If your non-exercise activity includes a lot of movement (i.e. waiting tables) you could be neglecting a fairly large amount of calories.

The_Enginerd

No, that would be BMR + Exercise + TEF + NEAT - Intake.

NEAT is your non-exercise activity, and can be quite a lot. It's still a good chunk even for "sedentary" folks.
TEF is the calories for digestion.

Dorian1988

So in that case the value that I calculated after one week of weight loss was BMR + NEAT + TEF. That explains why it was larger. I think you just care about their sum not every individual component.