calories in, calories out.

tiamiap24
tiamiap24 Posts: 3 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi, im new to mfp and working out in general.
I am 22 years old, 5 ft 5, weighing at 10 stone 6. During the lockdown period all i did was binge eat and went from 8 stone to hitting nearly 11. 😭😭😭😭
i am looking to lose the weight and become healthier as my body is terribly out of shape and my eating habits are just as worse.
I understand being in a calorie deficit means to burn more than you consume but according to https://www.calculator.net my:
tdee: sedentary, 1919 calories a day.
bmr: 1433 calories.

Can someone please help me work out what i should be in for a calorie deficit?
Lets say for example: i eat 1600 calories a day, do i have to BURN MORE (through exercise) than 1600 calories to lose weight?
If i eat 1600 and burn 800, would that also work?

Im just very confused, please do help me out.
thanks.

Replies

  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    Anything less than 1919 cals is a deficit - with the caveat that's assuming your TDEE estimate is accurate and your logging is also accurate. TDEE as the name implies is your total calorie needs per day - the number needed to maintain your current weight.

    The major part of your body's energy needs comes from just existing (that's the BMR part).
    "Burn" is misleading you, it's not just exercise, you burn calories (energy) with every bodily function including keeping your temperature stable, breathing, digestion, heartbeats etc. etc. and everyday life.

    If you decide to use MyFitnessPal as it's designed beware it is not a TDEE calculator, it will give you a calorie goal excluding purposeful exercise.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    tiamiap24 wrote: »
    Hi, im new to mfp and working out in general.
    I am 22 years old, 5 ft 5, weighing at 10 stone 6. During the lockdown period all i did was binge eat and went from 8 stone to hitting nearly 11. 😭😭😭😭
    i am looking to lose the weight and become healthier as my body is terribly out of shape and my eating habits are just as worse.
    I understand being in a calorie deficit means to burn more than you consume but according to https://www.calculator.net my:
    tdee: sedentary, 1919 calories a day.
    bmr: 1433 calories.

    Can someone please help me work out what i should be in for a calorie deficit?
    Lets say for example: i eat 1600 calories a day, do i have to BURN MORE (through exercise) than 1600 calories to lose weight?
    If i eat 1600 and burn 800, would that also work?

    Im just very confused, please do help me out.
    thanks.

    You burn calories 24/7...just you being alive burns a crap load of calories (your BMR). If your TDEE is 1919 calories, that's your estimated maintenance. When you consume fewer calories than your maintenance, you're in a deficit...and you lose weight. 1919 is what you burn (theoretically) in a day with being alive and all and going about your day to day stuff...so you eat 1900ish calories and maintain...that means you're burning 1900 calories...nothing to do with exercise.
  • Strudders67
    Strudders67 Posts: 989 Member
    At least initially, it's easier to use MFP s designed. Go to Goals and click the View Guided Set Up link towards the top left. Fill in the blanks and select a goal of either 0.5lb a week or 1lb a week*. Although it may not seem it to you, you actually don't have a lot to lose so 2lb a week is too aggressive. Also be aware that the 'Normal day to day activities' is your normal day to day activities EXCLUDING exercise; further down, the exercise questions are purely for info and will not affect MFP's calculations.

    MFP will, from the info you provide, calculate your maintenance figure, deduct the correct deficit and tell you how many calories to eat a day. That's how many you should eat - not less than that. Having said that, many of us look at the weekly average, using the app, and just aim to be on target per week (this allows for eating a little less during the week and a glass on wine and/or a meal out at the weekend).

    If you do any purposeful exercise, log that separately. MFP will then adjust your cals for that day and give you more to eat.

    Just be aware that MFP can be generous with how many cals it allows for exercise burn. The usual recommendation is to eat 75% of the exercise cals, do that for 6 weeks then compare your starting weigh to your new weight. If you're losing at the expected rate, you're doing fine; if you're losing too fast or slower than expected (and you're logging your food / drinks accurately), then eat a bit more or a bit less.

    *if you select 1lb a week, adjust this down to 0.5lb a week once you're down to the last 10-15lbs

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