Quick question on deficit again (forgot!)

vivo

Just to make sure, when we want to create a deficit, is it basically eating at BMR and below, or eating below BMR? I just read a post today that made me confused. Staying away from reading too much of those now lol, but I just wanted to make sure.

What exactly is eating at a deficit, since people tend to eat back exercise calories

ladyraven68

Just to make sure, when we want to create a deficit, is it basically eating at BMR and below, or eating below BMR? I just read a post today that made me confused. Staying away from reading too much of those now lol, but I just wanted to make sure.

What exactly is eating at a deficit, since people tend to eat back exercise calories

Eating at a deficit from TDEE is working out your daily calorific needs and then deducting a % or a set amount of calories.

If you are using your True TDEE you just eat at a defict and don't worry about exercise calories as they have already been accounted for.

If you are going to go with the deficit set by MFP, it doesn't include exercise calories, that's why people eat them back to maintain the deficit they chose.

Some of these may explain it -

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/6556-the-answers-to-the-questions?page=1

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/510406-tdee-is-everything?

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/512956-tdee-what-is-it-and-why-you-should-not-eat-below-your-bmr?

JesterMFP

No, don't take your deficit from your BMR, take your deficit from your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure). You can work out your TDEE on various websites, one example: http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html

People eat their exercise calories because MFP calculates a calorie goal that ALREADY has a deficit in it, even if you never exercise. MFP assumes that you will eat at that goal, and that when you do exercise, you will eat back those calories to maintain the deficit and not make the deficit too big. Obviously, eating back the exercise calories is personal choice, but the way MFP is set up, that's the idea. The point to remember is that when you eat back the calories, you still have the original deficit that MFP created for you.

If you are working out your own calorie goal based on TDEE (which it seems like you are trying to do), then you have two options: Include your exercise as your "lifestyle" when calculating your TDEE. Then, don't log your exercise on MFP, don't eat your exercise calories back. OR, work out your "lifestyle" just including your normal daily activities and not including planned exercise. Then, log your exercise and eat your calories back.

If you want to set your own goal, this is a good start:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/538381-in-place-of-a-road-map

The links in these have more information:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/23912-links-in-mfp-you-want-to-read-again-and-again
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10665-newbies-please-read-me-2nd-edition