Deficit?

loveartbaby1

I just have a question about deficits...When everyone is talking about that- what do they normally mean, that you need to be at a deficit everyday to lose weight?
I ate around 1200 cals yesterday, and around 400 cals of biking, I just don't really see how I can eat that little ( I aim for 1200-1400 cals/day) and work out that much to be honest.
What are you guys eating to be able to do that? Or am I just a wimp? Haha!

I have a public food diary, so if anyone can look at yesterdays/today and give me some tips, much would be appreciated also.
You can be honest!

Thank you in advance!!

BigT555

what is your height/weight/age?

1200 cals is pretty much the lowest that you want to go BEFORE exercise, so if you end up working out or going for a run you need to eat more to fuel yourself for that exercise

but fighting hunger is a big part of this, eventually you learn to control it so it doesnt become an issue, it just takes time

AliceDark

When you input your information into MFP, it automatically includes your deficit in your daily calorie goal. So, if it's giving you 1400 calories a day, that includes your deficit -- you would lose weight just eating that and doing no additional exercise.

If you do additional exercise, you are supposed to eat some or all of your calories back. MFP tends to over-estimate your exercise calories, so some people only eat 50-75% of them back. There's no way you can survive on 1200-1400 calories alone, with exercise! The people who say they can usually can't sustain it, and they end up losing lean body mass (muscle, bone, etc.) along with the fat they lose.

1200-1400 is on the low side, so it's worth checking to make sure you set your goals correctly. Everyone starts off and wants to lose 2 pounds per week, but that's not appropriate for most people. Here are some general guidelines:

If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal
If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal
If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal
If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal
If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal

diannethegeek

When people talk about eating at a deficit, they mean that you have to eat less than your body burns in a day. But you have to take into account all of the calories that your body burns just by being alive (your BMR) as well as the calories you burn doing every day activities (your NEAT).

Find an estimate of your TDEE (there are lots of online calculators for this) and eat at a deficit from that number, adjusting as you go.

For more information:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

If you haven't come across them yet, I always recommend starting with these links:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1235566-so-you-re-new-here
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1296011-calorie-counting-101

And then read these when you're ready to take your logging accuracy to the next step:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1234699-logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1290491-how-and-why-to-use-a-digital-food-scale

leooftheyear

The deficit everyone is referring to is the difference between your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) or basically all the calories you body uses from normal daily activities plus exercise minus the calories consumer per day.... you have two options for figuring this out a) eat the calories MFP tells you to, the deficit is already figured in, so eat at least 1/2 your exercise caloroes OR b) figure our your TDEE from one of the sites and subtract 20% and shoot for that amount of calories and dont eat back exercise caloroes becaise those are already factored in

dandelyon

Deficit doesn't mean less than zero or we'd all be in big trouble

bajoyba

Creating a calorie deficit simply means eating fewer calories than your body requires to maintain its current weight. The deficit is the difference between your maintenance calories and the calorie goal that MFP assigns you. You do have to be eating at a calorie deficit to lose weight, whether you create that deficit on a daily basis or a weekly one.

I maintain my current weight around 2200 calories a day. If I want to lose a pound a week, I have to eat approximately 1700 calories a day, which gives me a 500 calorie deficit per day.

That said, 1200 calories is generally considered a minimum for women. Depending on how much weight you have to lose, it may or may not be appropriate for you. And if you're adding exercise to your normal daily routine, you are also meant to eat at least some of those exercise calories back.

Here are some helpful links:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1235566-so-you-re-new-here
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

lemurcat12

AliceDark [edit: and various others I cross-posted with] has explained it well, but if you want to see your specifics go to My Home and then click on Goals. You will then see various information under "My Fitness Goals." There are two columns, and on the right you will see "Your Diet Profile." That should provide the following information:

Calories burned from normal daily activity [Note, this does not include exercise that you log unless you included that when you decided that you were sedentary, lightly active, active, etc. The exercise you estimated that you were planning to do is NOT automatically included.]

Net calories consumed [This is your daily goal, so if you are at 1200, that's what you will see.]

Daily calorie deficit--the first number (calories burned) less the second (calories consumed). This is your deficit. As you can see, it assumes you will eat your entire goal.

Again, be aware that this is BEFORE any exercise. When you exercise you are supposed to log it, and then the calories are added to the calories burned number giving you a higher goal. This is why people talk about eating back exercise. If you are eating 1200 but exercising 400, you aren't doing it right, even if 1200 is a reasonable initial goal (as other people are talking about).

Also, you can see that when you set it up without going for the maximum 2 lb loss you will still have a deficit even at a higher calorie level. Generally when people talk about eating at a deficit they mean below the calories that would cause them to maintain their weight (NOT below their MFP goal). As long as you do this, you will lose weight.

Also, since you are on 1200, there's a decent chance you said your activity level is sedentary. It's probably not--MFP explains it badly. Most people are at least lightly active, even without counting intentional exercise.

loveartbaby1

I'm 27, 5'4 & 185 pounds, Goal of 130-140. In high school I was under 120- I don't need to get back to that size though!

loveartbaby1

Thank you everyone!! No wonder I was so hungry yesterday, I will add more food in for today then to make that up, I was VERY hungry when I went to bed last night, I worked out after dinner, I'm thinking a protein shake or banana or something like that after exercise tonight, last night I didn't eat after biking- and I was starving!

By the sounds of it I should adjust my calorie goal to around 1400-1600? I would obviously like to lose the weight fast, but I also don't need to do it unhealthy. I'd rather lose it slower-and keep it off. I'm doing a major overhaul on the diet and exercise, and I want to change this as a lifestyle not a diet.

dandelyon

By the sounds of it I should adjust my calorie goal to around 1400-1600? I would obviously like to lose the weight fast, but I also don't need to do it unhealthy. I'd rather lose it slower-and keep it off. I'm doing a major overhaul on the diet and exercise, and I want to change this as a lifestyle not a diet.

I think that would be very wise.