Calorie Deficit

cdgabbert

Can someone in very clear and decisive explanation - tell me how to understand Calorie deficit... in a way when I look at MFP I understand it?

I keep reading but I keep getting more and more confused...

now_or_never13

What is it that you are confused about?

A calorie deficit is the difference between what you eat and how many calories your body uses in a day.

jacksonpt

No different than money. You need $1000 a month to pay your bills. If you have less than $1000, you have a money deficit.

Your body needs X number of calories each day to breathe, digest food, do housework, have sex, run errands, workout, etc etc. If you give it less cals, you have a deficit.

Since your body still needs the energy to do all those things, it will break down muscle/fat stores and convert it to useable energy. This is how you lose weight.

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Energizer06

Yep pretty much it.

if calorie intake is less than calorie burn = deficit

A deficit of 500 calories = 1 lb of loss per week
A deficit of 1000 calories = 2 lb of loss per week

BMR = calories your body needs to survive (in a coma)
TDEE = calories your body burns all day ( includes everything you do) exercise, walking to bathroom, opening the fridge etc...