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What is Calorie Deficit?

Supastarrnikki
Supastarrnikki Posts: 248
edited January 17 in Health and Weight Loss
I'm new to this weight loss thing. I'm so confused on what Calorie deficit is?
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Replies

  • MyChocolateDiet
    MyChocolateDiet Posts: 22,281 Member
    it's when you're eating less than you're supposed to. less than your goal or less than what it would take you to maintain your weight. something like that. aren't you glad the first person to answer your question is a super tired insomniacal SAHM mom?
  • Sunny____
    Sunny____ Posts: 214
    It means you burn more than you consume. Such as you are suppose to eat 1200 calories and you eat 1199.

    Or it means you are to eat 1200 calories and you burn 700 doing Zumba class so you are now below 1200 calories because you subtract the 700 calories from the 1200 calories.

    Or it means you are to eat 1200 calories and you burn 700 in Zumba and you eat an additional 600 bc Zumba made you hungry and you need to end the day at around 1200 calories, then you can safely do that and still be at a deficit.
  • Supastarrnikki
    Supastarrnikki Posts: 248
    Loll, So its eating less than I should? Or burning less than I eat? whatttttt? is there a way to calculate like exactly everything? Like I know I can add up the calories I eat no prob, and the calories I burn at the gym, but what about the things I do the rest of the day? Like the calories the body burns natually?
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,151 Member
    It's when you're eating less calories than you need to maintain your current weight.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • alifer
    alifer Posts: 387 Member
    When you set up your account it asks your activity level. That is so MFP can determine how many calories you need each day. MFP also figures in a calorie deficit based on how much you tell it you want to lose. Then it gives you your exercise calories back so that you can eat those and still remain at a deficit.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,151 Member
    Loll, So its eating less than I should? Or burning less than I eat? whatttttt? is there a way to calculate like exactly everything? Like I know I can add up the calories I eat no prob, and the calories I burn at the gym, but what about the things I do the rest of the day? Like the calories the body burns natually?
    Calculate your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) and then just subtract 500 calories from it for a pound a week loss.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    It means you burn more than you consume. Such as you are suppose to eat 1200 calories and you eat 1199.

    Or it means you are to eat 1200 calories and you burn 700 doing Zumba class so you are now below 1200 calories because you subtract the 700 calories from the 1200 calories.

    Or it means you are to eat 1200 calories and you burn 700 in Zumba and you eat an additional 600 bc Zumba made you hungry and you need to end the day at around 1200 calories, then you can safely do that and still be at a deficit.

    ???

    Your body requires a certain number of calories to survive every day. On top of that, you burn calories every day with everything you do from brushing your teeth to walking to your car, even sitting at a desk. Plus some people exercise on top of that. All of these calories are your TDEE, your total daily energy expenditure. If you eat this number, you will neither gain or lose weight. If you eat over that number you will gain weight. If you eat under that number, you are at a deficit, you are burning more calories than you take in. This is when you lose weight.
    There are a number of reasons why many choose to maintain a modest deficit , 10-20% less than their TDEE is recommended. So if your TDEE is 2000, you would eat 1600 calories to maintain a 20% deficit.

    You do not need to burn off every calorie you eat with exercise.
  • Supastarrnikki
    Supastarrnikki Posts: 248
    i found a tdee calculator online and im ganna say mine is around 2400? So thats how many calories I would need to have to stay at the same weight? im currently trying to take in around 1200-1400 while going to the gym everyday
  • chkn_WANG_Train
    chkn_WANG_Train Posts: 143
    Its like you need a certain amount of calories a day to maintain your current body weight.

    so if you want to DECREASE that amount you weigh, then you need to create a calorie deficit (as in below the amount needed to maintain), you'll see this referenced as 'maintenance calories'

    so a calorie deficit is when your calories consumed are less than your calories needed to maintain current body weight

    So there are ways of determining your basic calorie needs, and then a healthy deficit is roughly 20% less than your maintenance, or *a deficit of 20%*

    I'm new to these terms and I'm still learning, but this is where I'm at.

    There are a bunch of calculators to determine these very important numbers in regards to your very own body and how you want to change it @ http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/

    did that make sense? did i say the same things twice?
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    i found a tdee calculator online and im ganna say mine is around 2400? So thats how many calories I would need to have to stay at the same weight? im currently trying to take in around 1200-1400 while going to the gym everyday

    Yes, but I would have your 'deficit' as 500 calories not 1,000 with the amount you have to lose. One lb a week approximates 3,500 calories = 500 calories a week. So, this would mean you eat to about 1,900 calories. If you do not see the expected results after about 4 weeks (to take account of water weight due to our cycles) then tweak up or down. The calculators are just estimates and so you need to tweak to your personal situation.
  • Supastarrnikki
    Supastarrnikki Posts: 248
    Okay So I've figured it out. My tdee is around 2400, so I need to have less than that. For the last week ive been trying to stay eating around 1200-1400, and going to to the gym ontop of that. I havn't even lost a pound in the last 7 days that ive been eating that, and working out. What am I do wrong?
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,151 Member
    i found a tdee calculator online and im ganna say mine is around 2400? So thats how many calories I would need to have to stay at the same weight?
    Yes.
    im currently trying to take in around 1200-1400 while going to the gym everyday
    Too little then. The deficit would be well over 1000 and realistically, unless you're over 230lbs, that's a lot more than you need. 2lbs a week is tough on the body if you're under 170 lbs.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • Markguns
    Markguns Posts: 554 Member
    i found a tdee calculator online and im ganna say mine is around 2400? So thats how many calories I would need to have to stay at the same weight? im currently trying to take in around 1200-1400 while going to the gym everyday

    Don't forget to eat back at least 1/2 of your exercise calories.

    Read this...
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo
    and this..
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/912920-in-place-of-a-road-map-3-2013

    :bigsmile:
  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,834 Member
    Okay So I've figured it out. My tdee is around 2400, so I need to have less than that. For the last week ive been trying to stay eating around 1200-1400, and going to to the gym ontop of that. I havn't even lost a pound in the last 7 days that ive been eating that, and working out. What am I do wrong?

    did you weight all of your food?

    And weight loss isn't linear so don't expect the scale to go down every day. And take measurements/pics for a more complete picture.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    i found a tdee calculator online and im ganna say mine is around 2400? So thats how many calories I would need to have to stay at the same weight? im currently trying to take in around 1200-1400 while going to the gym everyday

    Don't forget to eat back at least 1/2 of your exercise calories.

    Read this...
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo
    and this..
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/912920-in-place-of-a-road-map-3-2013

    :bigsmile:

    If she is using the TDEE method she should not be eating them back.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    Okay So I've figured it out. My tdee is around 2400, so I need to have less than that. For the last week ive been trying to stay eating around 1200-1400, and going to to the gym ontop of that. I havn't even lost a pound in the last 7 days that ive been eating that, and working out. What am I do wrong?

    When did you start at the gym? It is not unusual to see little or no change in the scale at first. When we first start working out, or increase intensity, our muscles basically retain water (has to do with glycogen stores). This can mask losses in fat. Scale weight is not always an accurate indicator of fat loss.

    Make sure you are logging and measuring accurately and give it a few weeks.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,151 Member
    i found a tdee calculator online and im ganna say mine is around 2400? So thats how many calories I would need to have to stay at the same weight? im currently trying to take in around 1200-1400 while going to the gym everyday

    Don't forget to eat back at least 1/2 of your exercise calories.

    Read this...
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo
    and this..
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/912920-in-place-of-a-road-map-3-2013

    :bigsmile:

    If she is using the TDEE method she should not be eating them back.
    But what if it's ice cream?:laugh:

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    Okay So I've figured it out. My tdee is around 2400, so I need to have less than that. For the last week ive been trying to stay eating around 1200-1400, and going to to the gym ontop of that. I havn't even lost a pound in the last 7 days that ive been eating that, and working out. What am I do wrong?

    Weight loss is not linear and can be masked by water weight. If you start exercising you can store gylcogen/water in your muscles. It is often up to 4lb or more.

    Also, make sure your are really accurate about weighing and logging your food as Chris mentioned above.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    i found a tdee calculator online and im ganna say mine is around 2400? So thats how many calories I would need to have to stay at the same weight? im currently trying to take in around 1200-1400 while going to the gym everyday

    Don't forget to eat back at least 1/2 of your exercise calories.

    Read this...
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo
    and this..
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/912920-in-place-of-a-road-map-3-2013

    :bigsmile:

    If she is using the TDEE method she should not be eating them back.
    But what if it's ice cream?:laugh:

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    Negative calories so that's OK...but only if it's Chunky Monkey :wink:
  • Sunny____
    Sunny____ Posts: 214
    Loll, So its eating less than I should? Or burning less than I eat? whatttttt? is there a way to calculate like exactly everything? Like I know I can add up the calories I eat no prob, and the calories I burn at the gym, but what about the things I do the rest of the day? Like the calories the body burns natually?
    Calculate your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) and then just subtract 500 calories from it for a pound a week loss.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    Never mind. I found the answer by scrolling up.
  • chkn_WANG_Train
    chkn_WANG_Train Posts: 143
    are you drinking lots of water girlfriend? Annnndd make your diary public so we can actually give you feedback! And also be patient you just started! I lost 2lbs my first week, but I have a huge sweet tooth, and cutting out a muffin and a couple of cookies every day really made a difference initially!
  • Supastarrnikki
    Supastarrnikki Posts: 248
    Okay So I've figured it out. My tdee is around 2400, so I need to have less than that. For the last week ive been trying to stay eating around 1200-1400, and going to to the gym ontop of that. I havn't even lost a pound in the last 7 days that ive been eating that, and working out. What am I do wrong?

    did you weight all of your food?

    And weight loss isn't linear so don't expect the scale to go down every day. And take measurements/pics for a more complete picture.



    I need to weigh my food?? It's most;y just fruits and vegis and a chicken breast every now and then along with a couple rice cakes and peanutbutter lol.
  • Supastarrnikki
    Supastarrnikki Posts: 248
    i found a tdee calculator online and im ganna say mine is around 2400? So thats how many calories I would need to have to stay at the same weight? im currently trying to take in around 1200-1400 while going to the gym everyday

    Don't forget to eat back at least 1/2 of your exercise calories.

    Read this...
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo
    and this..
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/912920-in-place-of-a-road-map-3-2013

    :bigsmile:

    If she is using the TDEE method she should not be eating them back.
    But what if it's ice cream?:laugh:

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    Negative calories so that's OK...but only it it's Chunky Monkey :wink:

    lol no talk about icecream :((
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    Okay So I've figured it out. My tdee is around 2400, so I need to have less than that. For the last week ive been trying to stay eating around 1200-1400, and going to to the gym ontop of that. I havn't even lost a pound in the last 7 days that ive been eating that, and working out. What am I do wrong?

    did you weight all of your food?

    And weight loss isn't linear so don't expect the scale to go down every day. And take measurements/pics for a more complete picture.



    I need to weigh my food?? It's most;y just fruits and vegis and a chicken breast every now and then along with a couple rice cakes and peanutbutter lol.

    Weighing is ideal. How are you measuring food?
  • mareeee1234
    mareeee1234 Posts: 674 Member
    im currently trying to take in around 1200-1400 while going to the gym everyday

    Not enough calories!
    Eat at a 20% deficit from your tdee!!!!! .. for safe, sufficient and sustainable weight loss that won't screw up your metabolism. SERIOUSLY!! please listen!

    If your tdee is 2400, eat around 1900 calories (20% deficit) and don't eat back exercise calories, as exercise is included in your tdee.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    Okay So I've figured it out. My tdee is around 2400, so I need to have less than that. For the last week ive been trying to stay eating around 1200-1400, and going to to the gym ontop of that. I havn't even lost a pound in the last 7 days that ive been eating that, and working out. What am I do wrong?

    did you weight all of your food?

    And weight loss isn't linear so don't expect the scale to go down every day. And take measurements/pics for a more complete picture.



    I need to weigh my food?? It's most;y just fruits and vegis and a chicken breast every now and then along with a couple rice cakes and peanutbutter lol.

    Peanut butter is really calorie dense and can make quite a big difference. This video is an eye opener: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVjWPclrWVY

    ETA: obviously you do not have to get totally OTT about it and weigh your rice cakes, but anything that is not pre-portioned should be weighed, or if liquid, measured.
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    i found a tdee calculator online and im ganna say mine is around 2400? So thats how many calories I would need to have to stay at the same weight? im currently trying to take in around 1200-1400 while going to the gym everyday

    Don't forget to eat back at least 1/2 of your exercise calories.

    Read this...
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo
    and this..
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/912920-in-place-of-a-road-map-3-2013

    :bigsmile:

    If she is using the TDEE method she should not be eating them back.
    But what if it's ice cream?:laugh:
    You can't eat ice cream when you're cutting. You can't you can't you can't!!!1!!!11!1!!eleventy!!!1!

    *throws away the wrapper from his peanut butter and chocolate ice cream sandwich, looks at his food diary....yep, still in a deficit*


    To the OP - read this post by Sara, she outlines the process for setting your calorie level very thoroughly:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets
  • chkn_WANG_Train
    chkn_WANG_Train Posts: 143
    Okay So I've figured it out. My tdee is around 2400, so I need to have less than that. For the last week ive been trying to stay eating around 1200-1400, and going to to the gym ontop of that. I havn't even lost a pound in the last 7 days that ive been eating that, and working out. What am I do wrong?

    did you weight all of your food?

    And weight loss isn't linear so don't expect the scale to go down every day. And take measurements/pics for a more complete picture.



    I need to weigh my food?? It's most;y just fruits and vegis and a chicken breast every now and then along with a couple rice cakes and peanutbutter lol.

    sounds like a lot of sugar and carbs and fats and not enough protein. protein is my new god I now worship, I've never made it past a 'plateau' until I realized the joys of eating 'cleaner' which for me is more protein, less fats, and limiting carbs.
  • Supastarrnikki
    Supastarrnikki Posts: 248
    I'm not really measuring it? Didn't think im eating big enough portions to actually need to measure. Like an apple for breakfast, a scoop of peanutbutter on rice cake, small chicken breast and such, a cup of mixed fresh fruit and a couple cups of mixed vegies with my chicken at dinner lol
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    I'm not really measuring it? Didn't think im eating big enough portions to actually need to measure. Like an apple for breakfast, a scoop of peanutbutter on rice cake, small chicken breast and such, a cup of mixed fresh fruit and a couple cups of mixed vegies with my chicken at dinner lol

    In your case, if that is all you are eating, then it should not be taking you into a surplus as you have such a big deficit. While I would encourage you to eat more, the stall will be due to water weight masking 'real' weight loss.
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