calorie deficit

tiamiap24
tiamiap24 Posts: 3 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
im still confused about calorie deficit and all.
MFP has given me 1240 calories, based on the info i put in and which is quite ovbs my deficit. I exercise and burn around 1200 to 1500 cals a day.
How does that make my deficit “bigger”?
Do i need to increase my exercising to burn more calories????


Sorry if this has been asked before I’m just vvvv confused about the whole thing.

Replies

  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    If you are eating 1200 calories per day (already a large deficit from maintenance) and exercising another 1200 calories off per day...your net calorie intake is ZERO...ie it's pretty much the same thing as just not eating.

    You burn calories 24/7...most of your calorie expenditure is just you being alive and existing on this planet. You need calories (energy) for your body to function...your heart to work...your lungs to work, etc, etc, etc, etc.

    Your deficit comes from your maintenance...ie when you eat calories commensurate with what your body needs, you maintain. When you eat below maintenance, you are in a calorie deficit and you lose weight. Exercising off every calorie you consume is bad...like really friggin bad...as in you are providing your body with ZERO energy to survive. That said, I highly doubt you are burning 1200-1500 calories per exercise session...that's elite athlete level of training.

    To lose weight, you need to consume a little bit less calories than your body needs to maintain. If you're exercising like crazy, you need to be eating way more than 1200 calories....1200 calories is an aggressive weight loss calorie target for a sedentary and small female...not remotely appropriate for someone exercising on a regular basis.
  • corinasue1143
    corinasue1143 Posts: 7,464 Member
    1240 is not your deficit, it’s your calorie goal with no exercise. When you record exercise in MFP, it adds calories to your calorie goal.
    Your deficit is the difference between 1240 and the calories you need to maintain your present weight. If you told MFP you want to lose 2 pounds a week, your deficit will be 1000 calories a day. Just so you know. If you eat over your goal calories, but not very far over, you will still lose weight, just not as quickly. So don’t panic if you eat 1250 or 1260. It’s not a big difference and not a big deal.

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