PLEASE HELP ME UNDERSTAND DEFICIT!!

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I'm just confused on the deficit. So when there is the green number beside calories remaining.....are you supposed to eat that or burn it?? Can someone just throw some examples out there for me?? I want to get this right once and for all!!! Please and Thank you!!!

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  • durbanski
    durbanski Posts: 183 Member
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    Green means youre under the alloted number. You want to keep that number in the green or work out to get credited back to that overall number.
  • mythicals
    mythicals Posts: 70
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    The green number is the amount of calories you have left to eat for the day.
    For example, I have a green 59. So, that would mean I have 59 calories left that can eat today.
  • srhatten
    srhatten Posts: 28
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    Awesome. Thank you.
  • kwardklinck
    kwardklinck Posts: 1,601
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    MFP figures out the deficit you need to lose the weight you want to lose without exercise. If you have a deficit of 500 cals a day, you should lose 1 pound a week. A deficit of 1000 cals a day, and you'll lose 2 pounds a week. The exercise gives you extra calories that you can eat and still maintain the weight loss goal you chose for yourself. If you don't eat your exercise cals, you will lose faster. I wouldn't try to lose more than 2 pounds a week. If you lose too fast, your body could possibly go into "starvation mode" which will slow down your metabolism. I would recommend setting your weight loss goal and eating back your exercise calories. It works.
  • imarlett
    imarlett Posts: 228 Member
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    This is a great topic! I have heard don't eat back the calories you burn and do eat it them back and it always confused me. It makes sense to stay at the net caloric intake for the day so you don't put your body in starvation mode. This site makes it easy because you can easily see what you need to either eat or burn. Thank you for the discussion!
  • dulcy
    dulcy Posts: 69 Member
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    This is a great topic! I have heard don't eat back the calories you burn and do eat it them back and it always confused me. It makes sense to stay at the net caloric intake for the day so you don't put your body in starvation mode. This site makes it easy because you can easily see what you need to either eat or burn. Thank you for the discussion!

    It may help you to look at a thread I posted earlier - "I can't eat this much & lose weight" seems a lot of us are confused! But the great people here will sort you out!! :laugh: