Skip to content
  • Register
    • We are pleased to announce that on March 4, 2025, an updated Rich Text Editor will be introduced in the MyFitnessPal Community. To learn more about the upcoming changes, please click here. We look forward to sharing this new feature with you!

    Caloric Deficit?

    Posts: 164 Member
    edited January 17 in Health and Weight Loss
    This may seem like a silly question.....I have read and read so many posts about "caloric deficit". So if I have my calories set at 1500-1700 calories...does this mean I need to do that much in exercise to lose weight? But yet, some people say to eat back exercise calories...I read the road map post and my TDEE (sp?) is 2630 calories....so i figured 30% and that is right around 1800 calories. Then I start reading about this caloric deficit....lol...I know this is all over the place so I hope someone can figure out my ramblings,

    Side note...I have been on this journey since January 26 and have lost 25lbs by just logging calories (my diary is open) and exercising..I just dont want to plateau because I am doing this wrong.

    Welcome!

    It looks like you're new here. Sign in or register to get started.
    Sign In
    Register

    Replies

    • Posts: 4,584 Member
      Just another term for burning more calories through whatever means (including BMR) than you take in. If your TDEE is 2630 and you're eating less than that... you're at a caloric deficit.
    • Posts: 465 Member
      If you eat based off of your TDEE you do not need to eat back your exercise calories. TDEE has your activity level already factored in.
    • Posts: 164 Member
      Just another term for burning more calories through whatever means (including BMR) than you take in. If your TDEE is 2630 and you're eating less than that... you're at a caloric deficit.

      Thank you! Its funny that you gave this answer as it was one of your posts that gave me the question in the first place. I also read your 365 day post...amazing...congratulations and thanks again for the advice!
    • Posts: 4,584 Member
      show previous quotes

      Thank you! Its funny that you gave this answer as it was one of your posts that gave me the question in the first place. I also read your 365 day post...amazing...congratulations and thanks again for the advice!
      :) thanks.
    • Posts: 164 Member
      If you eat based off of your TDEE you do not need to eat back your exercise calories. TDEE has your activity level already factored in.

      Thank you...this makes total sense and should have been obvious to me...it is so hard when you read so many confilcting posts on here. But i know that is expected as everyone is different and everyones bodies are different. I just appreciate the support and motivation that is given on MFP. Thanks again!
    • Posts: 2,675 Member
      You are ok, keep doing what you are doing. If you set MFP to lose X lbs per week, then meet that goal and eat back probably about half to 3/4 of your exercise calories (to account for inaccuracy if nothing else). You will do fine. the calorie deficit is factored into your calorie recommendations.
    • Posts: 460
      If you eat based off of your TDEE you do not need to eat back your exercise calories. TDEE has your activity level already factored in.

      I just had this explained in another thread by a personal trainer. And this quote above is what he said.
    • Posts: 10
      Whats tdee
    • Posts: 10
      Im completly confused also, my daily calorie goal is 1200 I burn aprox 300 to 500 daily at the gym when I log my exercise in it gives me more calories to eat? Do I eat or not ? I was thinking Im not consuming enough calories if I burn 500 of my 1200 my body is ony getting 700 calories a day. Wont my body go into starvation mode... Please help:huh:
    • Posts: 119
      If you eat based off of your TDEE you do not need to eat back your exercise calories. TDEE has your activity level already factored in.
    • Posts: 4 Member
      TDEE is Total Daily Energy Expenditure. It's how many calories your body uses in a day to do everything you do from sleeping, eating, digesting, exercising, moving at all, etc.
    • Posts: 10
      Oh ok:-) thank u
    • Posts: 4 Member
      Im completly confused also, my daily calorie goal is 1200 I burn aprox 300 to 500 daily at the gym when I log my exercise in it gives me more calories to eat? Do I eat or not ? I was thinking Im not consuming enough calories if I burn 500 of my 1200 my body is ony getting 700 calories a day. Wont my body go into starvation mode... Please help:huh:

      Yes, you would then eat 1500-1700 calories on the days you burn that much at the gym. 1200 is your goal without exercise.

      MFP calculations are not the same as TDEE. Many people on here choose one or the other.
    • Posts: 10
      ho
    • Posts: 10
      how do i figure out my tdee
    • Posts: 10
      sorry about the ho, lol i was typing and i ccidently hit enter before I was done
    • Posts: 4,584 Member
      show previous quotes

      Yes, you would then eat 1500-1800 calories on the days you burn that much at the gym. 1200 is your goal without exercise.

      MFP calculations are not the same as TDEE. Many people on here choose one or the other.

      Not exactly. Also, why should this person be eating 1200 calories? According to?

      See.. the TDEE method counts in calories from working out.... AND BMR. MFP is based on the same calculations. It isn't that you're choosing to eat a different amount. If you use MFP AS IT IS DESIGNED, you'll eat about the same amount as you would if you set your custom goals based on TDEE.
    • Posts: 4 Member


      Not exactly. Also, why should this person be eating 1200 calories? According to?

      See.. the TDEE method counts in calories from working out.... AND BMR. MFP is based on the same calculations. It isn't that you're choosing to eat a different amount. If you use MFP AS IT IS DESIGNED, you'll eat about the same amount as you would if you set your custom goals based on TDEE.

      This person would eat 1200 calories if that is their goal (my education in nutrition classes would give reason to believe that's unlikely a reasonable goal, but considering I have no background information including activity level, age, weight, height, etc., I'm not about to go off on that topic.)

      MFP and TDEE are similar but not identical. Unless you manipulate all of your goals for specific calculations, the generic "goal to lose 2lb/wk" in MFP will not equal the calories set by TDEE. They may be close, but if the target caloric intake is only 1200, being off by a little can make a big difference over time.
    • Posts: 4,584 Member
      Unless you manipulate all of your goals for specific calculations, the generic "goal to lose 2lb/wk" in MFP will not equal the calories set by TDEE. They may be close, but if the target caloric intake is only 1200, being off by a little can make a big difference over time.
      Which is why I specifically mentioned using MFP as it is designed. Someone with 10 lbs to lose that sets 2 lb / week isn't going to get an accurate goal from MFP. Calculations from MFP vs TDEE as goal weight approaches (and even further out) has never been further apart than 5% of intake from what I've noticed over the last year.
    • Posts: 164 Member
      On kind of the same subject...macros...I have never heard of them until I found MFP. Before I realized you could manually set up your goals MFP set mine at.. 55% carb..15% protein and 30% fat. That seemed like such a low % for protein and high fat so I set mine at 40% carb..40% protein and 20% fat. Are these good numbers? Also fiber was set to 16g and that seemed low so I changed it to 25g.

      Am I on the right track?

      Thanks again to all of you that are so kind to answer and help!
    • Posts: 2,003 Member
      On kind of the same subject...macros...I have never heard of them until I found MFP. Before I realized you could manually set up your goals MFP set mine at.. 55% carb..15% protein and 30% fat. That seemed like such a low % for protein and high fat so I set mine at 40% carb..40% protein and 20% fat. Are these good numbers? Also fiber was set to 16g and that seemed low so I changed it to 25g.

      Am I on the right track?

      Thanks again to all of you that are so kind to answer and help!

      Rather than go with random % numbers, I'd calculate your actual goals for fat and protein and then adjust the % accordingly -

      http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets
    • Posts: 74 Member
      It looks like you average around a 1,000 calories a day, way less than 1700-1800. Thats pretty low. What do you do for circuit training?
    • Posts: 1,850 Member
      GO here:

      http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/10067-eat-train-progress-

      Read all the forums with stickies next to them. If you still have questions, join the group. The members who run it are experienced and informed and will give you straight forward answers.
    • Posts: 164 Member
      It looks like you average around a 1,000 calories a day, way less than 1700-1800. Thats pretty low. What do you do for circuit training?

      Yes I have been having trouble eating all my calories! I have been looking for ways to increase my calorie intake healthily. I never realized before now it was possible to get full on healthy food..what a concept! lol.

      For circuit training I do JIllian Michael's 30 day Shred workout...rotate cardio, strength training, and abdominals.
    • Posts: 164 Member
      My BMR is 1891 and my TDEE is 2686. MFP sets my calories at 1480 to lose 2lbs a week. So confused at which number to use!!!!
    • Posts: 1,657 Member
      you should not "net" less than your BMR. If BMR is, say, 1700 and you exercise and burn 300, you should eat AT LEAST 2000 BMR+300 for the exercise.


      ETA: unless you are morbidly obese, then the rules seem to change some.
    This discussion has been closed.

    Welcome!

    It looks like you're new here. Sign in or register to get started.
    Sign In
    Register

    Quick Links

    Categories