Question about deficit

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Meggie43
Meggie43 Posts: 25 Member
in Getting Started
This seems so confusing for me. Can someone explain in ordinarily terms how to create the deficit. I am 49 years old...5 foot 5...and 150lbs. This is the heaviest Ive ever been and its depressing. I quit smoking...slmost 18 months in but I quit one habit and began another. Eating ...I would like to be 130 to 135lb. Mfp set my calories to 1200. So if i eat 1200 calories a day and walk I will lose 1 to 2 lbs a week?? Could someone explain how this works?? Confused....thank you guys so much

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  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
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    Meggie43 wrote: »
    This seems so confusing for me. Can someone explain in ordinarily terms how to create the deficit. I am 49 years old...5 foot 5...and 150lbs. This is the heaviest Ive ever been and its depressing. I quit smoking...slmost 18 months in but I quit one habit and began another. Eating ...I would like to be 130 to 135lb. Mfp set my calories to 1200. So if i eat 1200 calories a day and walk I will lose 1 to 2 lbs a week?? Could someone explain how this works?? Confused....thank you guys so much

    You need XXXX calories to maintain the status quot....most of those calories are from you existing...then you do your day to day stuff and that uses more calories...exercise, etc.

    I need about 2800-3000 calories to maintain my weight...if I eat less than that I have created a deficit...to lose 1 Lb per week I'd eat 2300-2500 calories per day depending.

    1200 calories is your deficit calories and assumes that you are sedentary...if you're not, you should eat more.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    edited April 2018
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    1200 is MFP's default minimum (before exercise). That could be 1 pound a week for you or it could be less.

    Here's the thing, for a 2 pound a week weight loss you need a 1,000 calorie deficit every single day. That's 1,000 calories less than your maintenance. Because you only weigh 150 pounds I'm not sure your maintenance is big enough to support a 1,000 calorie deficit (it needs to be at least 2200 calories). You need adequate nutrition.

    Look up your maintenance number here: http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

    2 pounds a week loss is only appropriate when you have lots of weight to lose.

    Now, the calculator above should include deliberate exercise (TDEE). However, MFP uses a calculator that doesn't include deliberate exercise. Pick a calculator - if your exercise is regular, use TDEE and don't log workouts. If your exercise is sporadic, then use MFP and log deliberate workouts.....you will then earn more calories.

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