Daily Calorie Deficit? (I know it's been asked b4 - sorry)

Options
I tried searching yahoo and reading topics on here about the daily calorie deficit but I'm still not understanding what it is exactly. What does it mean?

Replies

  • WarmDontBurn
    WarmDontBurn Posts: 1,253 Member
    Options
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/23912-links-in-mfp-you-want-to-read-again-and-again

    If you go to your goals you will be able to see what your deficit is, it will be based on what you set to lose per week.
  • beelouise5
    Options
    The equation for calorie balance is: Calories eaten = calories burned.

    To create a calorie deficit, calories eaten are less than calories burned. To gain weight, calories eaten are greater than calories burned.

    For every calorie deficit of 3500 calories, you will lose one lb.

    Hope that helps!
  • givprayz
    givprayz Posts: 328
    Options
    Simple example:

    I takes 1550 calories to run a 5'3" woman's body if she does nothing at all.
    She is minimally active, working an office job and caring for her apartment, expending about another 350 calories per day.
    She needs 1850 to maintain her weight at her current activity level.

    She wants to lose a pound per week (3500 calorie deficit), so she cuts her intake to 1350 calories per day for a 500 calorie daily deficit.

    She decides to start exercising regularly. She burns 350 calories three days a week. When she exercises, she eats back those 350 calories to keep her deficit at 500 per day, to lose 1 pound per week.

    She thinks about increasing her deficit to lose faster, but realizes that she shouldn't drop below a net daily calorie intake of about 1200 per day, so she only takes another 100 calories off her daily intake, upping her weekly losses to 1.5 pounds.

    I hope that makes sense.