What are the Benefits of a Deficit Thru only Exercise?

hedwighigh

Cause that's what I'm trying to do right now. My goals are under "lightly active" and I eat to maintain. However, I do not log in my exercise anymore and I'm trying to create a deficit through exercise. I'm guessing that I probably burn around 400-500 calories 5 times a week and it's typically HIIT and/or circuit training workouts. My maintenance calories are 2080.

What is the benefit of doing this? Is there any added benefit? I try to eat nutritious food and aim to get all the iron, calcium, and vitamin A and C I need per day too. I may have a bit of chocolate here or there but it's really not that much. I don't really know how I only ate 1200 calories at one point truthfully. Although, my net calories on some days could be as low as 1500, I suppose.

Hezzietiger1

3500 calories is 1 lb. It doesn't matter how you create the deficit, as long as you create the deficit. I create enough of a deficit in diet to lose 1 lb and enough in workouts to lose 1 lb.. and I've been consistently losing 2 lbs a week for 5 months.

Good luck!

hedwighigh

3500 calories is 1 lb. It doesn't matter how you create the deficit, as long as you create the deficit. I create enough of a deficit in diet to lose 1 lb and enough in workouts to lose 1 lb.. and I've been consistently losing 2 lbs a week for 5 months.

Good luck!

Whoa, that's dedication! I don't think I could create a 3500 calorie deficit with diet and then create another one with just exercise.
I mainly upped my calories since I'm so close to goal and cause my exercise regime makes me really hungry so I needed to up my calories even on days that I took off from exercise. I'm hoping that maintenance will help with repairing my muscles too on days off.

2April

I do this and it works for me. I eat to maintain (set to sedentary) then exercise. It works for me I am losing slowly again. I am only 2 lbs from goal. I found when I added in exercise cals I would fiddle with the numbers too much. This makes it easier to see how it goes...if I don't lose I will eat a bit less or if I have no energy I will eat more. The numbers for exercise cals are way off I think and I don't want to wear a monitor.
If you have a job working on your feet I would keep it at lightly active but if you have a desk job I would set it to sedentary.

hedwighigh

I do this and it works for me. I eat to maintain (set to sedentary) then exercise. It works for me I am losing slowly again. I am only 2 lbs from goal. I found when I added in exercise cals I would fiddle with the numbers too much. This makes it easier to see how it goes...if I don't lose I will eat a bit less or if I have no energy I will eat more. The numbers for exercise cals are way off I think and I don't want to wear a monitor.
If you have a job working on your feet I would keep it at lightly active but if you have a desk job I would set it to sedentary.

I walk to classes and such and I work out 5 times a week so I figure it would be safer to keep it to lightly active especially since I'm not logging the exercise. It'll take me down to 1900 calories if I put myself as sedentary and although that is fine on days that I don't workout, it wouldn't be enough on days that I do. I'm already hungry with just 2000 on workout days. Once I'm actually on maintenance, I'll probably up it to 2500 on days that I work out and keep it to 2000 on days that I don't.