I'm not stupid, really I'm not, but...

Broejen

Figuring out how many calories I need to eat is driving me crazy! Okay, so my BMR is about 1500 but my exercise is uncertain so I'd rather just make sure I net my BMR every day rather than do the TDEE-20% thing. Now here is where the FitBit comes in... At the end of the day, say my FitBit says I burned 2100. In order to net 1500, I end up eating about 1800 calories. What is my deficit?? Do I take the 2100 and subtract 1500 or 1800? Is my deficit 600 or 300?

azrrt76

You will subtract the total number of calories you ingested from your total calorie burn. So, your calorie deficit would be 300.

Broejen

Is there any way to make the deficit larger? I'm not talking like 1000 or anything, just 450-500. It seems like no matter what I do I won't have a large deficit because I always have to eat back all my exercise calories to stay above BMR. Most days this week I've only had a deficit of 150 or so even though I have not eaten over. I don't want it to take 9 months to lose 9lbs.

heybales

Bigger TDEE.
Means 20% or 15% off is bigger too.

500 cal as reasonable deficit of 15% means a TDEE of 3333.

With a BMR of about 1500 would imply an activity level of 2.2, off the charts basically, because then you'd probably be doing so much cardio as to risk losing muscle mass.

You really don't want to NET your BMR every day either though. You know what the BMR is now, do you do more than sleep deeply all day?

You want a tad over in general.

Really though, you can find some 24 hr period somewhere in your week where your intake and exercise does not NET you above your BMR.
The body's clock doesn't stop/start at midnight.
If you have balance within usually 48 hrs avg above BMR, you really don't need to worry about each day NET'ing above BMR.

First, that theory assumes you are getting accurate calorie burn amounts to subtract from what you eat.
Second, it assumes that burn amount does NOT include calories already accounted for, which does exist.
Third, it assumes your BMR is a constant value with no fluctuations, which especially isn't true for women, and isn't true within a 24 hr period either really.

Flowers4Julia

Is there any way to make the deficit larger? I'm not talking like 1000 or anything, just 450-500. It seems like no matter what I do I won't have a large deficit because I always have to eat back all my exercise calories to stay above BMR. Most days this week I've only had a deficit of 150 or so even though I have not eaten over. I don't want it to take 9 months to lose 9lbs.

Hey, I just wanted to chime in to say that I ate at a deficit of only 150 cals average and lost 7 pounds in 3 months. It really is better slower, try to have patience, it will be worth it.

Broejen

Really though, you can find some 24 hr period somewhere in your week where your intake and exercise does not NET you above your BMR.
The body's clock doesn't stop/start at midnight.
If you have balance within usually 48 hrs avg above BMR, you really don't need to worry about each day NET'ing above BMR.

So every 3rd day or so would be okay to NOT net above BMR?

heybales

Really though, you can find some 24 hr period somewhere in your week where your intake and exercise does not NET you above your BMR.
The body's clock doesn't stop/start at midnight.
If you have balance within usually 48 hrs avg above BMR, you really don't need to worry about each day NET'ing above BMR.

So every 3rd day or so would be okay to NOT net above BMR?

Correct. As long as not like 600 below, that's a little extreme.

But, then again, some people will do just 3 days of big huge workouts. For them, eat-back method is probably better on day it's done. Or only count 1 hr out of the 3 hrs done in the TDEE, eat back the other 2 hrs on day it's done.

I've got a post coming on some studies and women that will show it'll likely you have a good 10 days a month you are netting below literal BMR anyway.