Deficit question

ksmommy5

How do I calculate my deficit? I have the date, net calories and goal calories per day in excel. I added up each day calories under goal or even and got a number around 2300 for the week. Is that my deficit?

Also my fitbit is synced and doing calorie adjustment so I'm getting another 500 exercise calories for my steps however my routine has been the same before I got my fitbit but never got the extra calories. Is my fitbit going to mess with my deficit?

Thanks.

CafeRacer808

If you used MFP to set your daily calorie goal for you (and you told MFP you want to lose weight), your deficit is already part of that number. Any additional calories you're under for the day increases your deficit for that day.

So let's say your MFP daily calorie goal is 1400 and your maintenance calories is 1900. If you eat 1400 calories for the day, your deficit for that day is 500 calories (1900-1400=500). If you've eaten 1200 for the day, your deficit is 700 (1900-500-200=1200), and so on.

Is there a reason why you're using a separate spreadsheet instead of using MFP do to all the calculations for you?

(I don't own a Fitbit so I can't comment on your second question).

ksmommy5

CafeRacer808 wrote: »

Is there a reason why you're using a separate spreadsheet instead of using MFP do to all the calculations for you?

No reason. I just wanted to see it all on one page is all

rileysowner

Did you use Myfitnesspal to set your calorie goal? If so, then the deficit is already built into that goal based on how fast you said you wanted to lose.

ksmommy5

rileysowner wrote: »

Did you use Myfitnesspal to set your calorie goal? If so, then the deficit is already built into that goal based on how fast you said you wanted to lose.

Yes I'm just confused as to how mfp got my deficit in the first place. But I guess there's math involved lol. I just want to know if it's a good thing or bad thing I'm eating under calorie goal. (I do it to compensate for any inaccuracies with logging) I exercise 3 days a week and log it on fitbit now and eat back 50% of those calories. I just want to make sure I'm doing it right.

lemonychild

Mfp calculates a deficit immediately from your calculated maintenance it subtracts a deficit based on your desired rate of loss. It already has a calculated deficit. You goal calories are the calories you should eat based on the calculated calories. If your Fitbit syncs with your mfp it will give you calories back based on activity, which would be considered a greater deficit IF you don't eat those cals back

TimothyFish

ksmommy5 wrote: »

rileysowner wrote: »

Did you use Myfitnesspal to set your calorie goal? If so, then the deficit is already built into that goal based on how fast you said you wanted to lose.

Yes I'm just confused as to how mfp got my deficit in the first place. But I guess there's math involved lol. I just want to know if it's a good thing or bad thing I'm eating under calorie goal. (I do it to compensate for any inaccuracies with logging) I exercise 3 days a week and log it on fitbit now and eat back 50% of those calories. I just want to make sure I'm doing it right.

MFP assumes that a pound of fat has 3,500 calories. To lose a pound a week you need a deficit of 3,500 calories per week, so the 3,500 is divided by 7 days to give you a deficit of 500 calories per day.

rileysowner

ksmommy5 wrote: »

rileysowner wrote: »

Did you use Myfitnesspal to set your calorie goal? If so, then the deficit is already built into that goal based on how fast you said you wanted to lose.

Yes I'm just confused as to how mfp got my deficit in the first place. But I guess there's math involved lol. I just want to know if it's a good thing or bad thing I'm eating under calorie goal. (I do it to compensate for any inaccuracies with logging) I exercise 3 days a week and log it on fitbit now and eat back 50% of those calories. I just want to make sure I'm doing it right.

When it comes down to it, the calorie calculations are based on population charts derived from testing of a fairly sizable group of people of various ages, heights, sexes, and weights. Thus, the numbers are not precise, but an average based on the population tested. Then will be close, but there will be variations, and for the odd person large variations. Basically, think of a bell curve and the calorie calculators will derive your calorie goal based on that and the variances are how they use and apply the original data.

Once you realize that, you will understand what I would suggest. Start out with the MFP goal, eating at least 50% of your exercise calories. Log as accurately as you can, then after 4 week evaluate your progress comparing your actual progress to your expected progress. So if you are looking to lose 1 pound per week, and in 4 weeks you find you are losing say 1.5 pounds per week, then you could eat another 250 calories per day and still meet your 1 pound per week goal. If you find you are losing only .5 a pound a week, you need to cut back 250 calories a day to get up to 1 pound per week. Then after another 4 weeks, re-evaluate the same way. Basically doing this gives you actual real world data, and will be far more useful than the amount derived by calculators. It also lets you look and see whether you can eat all your calories from the fitbit or not.

ksmommy5

TimothyFish wrote: »

MFP assumes that a pound of fat has 3,500 calories. To lose a pound a week you need a deficit of 3,500 calories per week, so the 3,500 is divided by 7 days to give you a deficit of 500 calories per day.

Right
So the 2300 I got from my understanding calories goal is nothing? Or is it added to the 3500 d4ficit therefore making it now a 5700 deficit?

CafeRacer808

ksmommy5 wrote: »

TimothyFish wrote: »

MFP assumes that a pound of fat has 3,500 calories. To lose a pound a week you need a deficit of 3,500 calories per week, so the 3,500 is divided by 7 days to give you a deficit of 500 calories per day.

Right
So the 2300 I got from my understanding calories goal is nothing? Or is it added to the 3500 d4ficit therefore making it now a 5700 deficit?

It would be added, making your deficit 5700 for the week.

rileysowner

ksmommy5 wrote: »

TimothyFish wrote: »

MFP assumes that a pound of fat has 3,500 calories. To lose a pound a week you need a deficit of 3,500 calories per week, so the 3,500 is divided by 7 days to give you a deficit of 500 calories per day.

Right
So the 2300 I got from my understanding calories goal is nothing? Or is it added to the 3500 d4ficit therefore making it now a 5700 deficit?

Assuming your goal is one pound per week, that 500 calories/day is already taken off to give you the goal of 2300. Thus you could eat 2800 (2300+500) calories and you would just be reaching maintenance.

ksmommy5

CafeRacer808 wrote: »

It would be added, making your deficit 5700 for the week.

Yes I have it set to lose 1 per week so by being under my calories goal am i hurting my progress? The 5700 seems like a bad number or no? I don't want to go into starvation mode.

rileysowner

ksmommy5 wrote: »

CafeRacer808 wrote: »

It would be added, making your deficit 5700 for the week.

Yes I have it set to lose 1 per week so by being under my calories goal am i hurting my progress? The 5700 seems like a bad number or no? I don't want to go into starvation mode.

Starvation mode is not a thing, at least not like people talk about it. You will not gain weight in a calorie deficit. What an excessive deficit will do is result in excessive loss of lean mass, and over time, nutritional deficiencies if the total amount consumed is very low. For obese people two pound a week is a reasonable goal. For those who are just overweight, 1 pound is far better. For those with under 15 pounds to lose or so, .5 a pound is good.

In short, no, you are not going to hurt your progress. You may, however, make the final outcome not be as pleasing as you want. Sparing lean mass is a very good thing to do both for looks and for health. You are trying to lose fat, not lean mass.