Please explain "Caloric Deficit"...In dummy terms!!!!

MrsNgounda
MrsNgounda Posts: 49
in Fitness and Exercise
Hello All,


This might be a crazy question, but what exactly does caloric deficit mean? I thought that I knew, but now I'm getting a little confused on the subject. Someone please break it down, I'm trying to lose some weight and I need to make sure that I understand this whole thing.

Thanks.

Replies

  • x_JT_x
    x_JT_x Posts: 364
    Calorie deficit and calorie surplus are the differences between the number of calories you burn versus the number of calories you eat. If you burn more than you consume, you're eating at a deficit. If you consume more than you burn, you're eating at a surplus.
  • khall86790
    khall86790 Posts: 1,100 Member
    If you eat 2000 calories to maintain your weight, then anything under 2000 calories is a calorie deficit. It's a deficit in calories it takes your body to maintain it's current weight.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    eating less calories than you burn. as in, your body needs 2000 cals per day to stay the same weight so you eat 1600 cals per day and lose weight.

    more here:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/963088-level-obstacles-lose-weight-target-fat-easy
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Your body burns energy for everything you do - breathe, move, walk, run, type, eat, whatever. It's higher or lower depending on your general activity (if you have a desk job or if you're on your feet all day etc). If you eat that number of calories, you'll maintain your weight. If you eat more, you'll stock the extra calories in fat. If you eat less, you'll be in calorie deficit and your body will burn some fat to make up for the calorie loss.

    MFP does the calculation for you. With the 'lose 1lb a week' setting, and according to your activity level, it will give you a 500 calorie deficit (you lose 1lb for every 3500 calorie deficit). Then if you exercise on top of that, you'll end up burning more calories. If you want to maintain the 500 calories deficit, you need to eat those calories back, so your body still gets enough food (more than 500 calorie deficit might trick your body into thinking you're starving yourself and slow down your metabolism - that's what dictates how many calories you burn a day).

    That's pretty much it.
  • MrsNgounda
    MrsNgounda Posts: 49
    eating less calories than you burn. as in, your body needs 2000 cals per day to stay the same weight so you eat 1600 cals per day and lose weight.

    more here:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/963088-level-obstacles-lose-weight-target-fat-easy

    Ok, so how does that work with how many calories you burn during a workout? Like when you said that if your body needs 2000 calories per day to stay the same weight, lower the calories to 1600 cals per day to lose weight. But if you burn 400 calories during a workout with the 1600 cals that you went down to, should you eat back all the calories or do you eat back some of those calories to get an even better weight loss?
  • AlyssainNC
    AlyssainNC Posts: 19 Member
    I eat back my workout calories depending on if I'm hungry or not. If I'm not hungry, I don't eat or I use some of them to indulge in a treat (Jamba Juice is my weakness!). If I am hungry after working out, I eat and I try to focus on healthy foods like fruit, veggies, yogurt, and nuts. Your body does need a certain amount of calories to function so I think it's a good idea to eat back at least some of the workout calories as you need them to repair/build muscle, etc.
  • beccaboo46
    beccaboo46 Posts: 8 Member
    Thank you all for this!!! I honestly have never really understood the whole "caloric deficit" until just now!! AHHH finally. I get it.

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