Daily calorie deficit...am I doing this right????

Your daily calorie deficit is worked into your goal calories. Using the MFP method is as follows:

Calories burned from normal daily activity (i.e. everything excluding exercise)
Minus daily calorie deficit (weekly goal in pounds multiplied by 3,500 divided by 7)
Equals your daily goal

If you do exercise, you log it and the calories are added to your daily goal, food is deducted, and you get your calories remaining for the day. This way, if you do exercise you can eat more as your daily deficit is fixed and based on your weekly goal - your fitness goals are not taken into account in calculating your daily goal so you don't have to worry about your deficit if you skip some workouts (not logging any exercise means you don't have the exercise calories available).

Net calories are calculated by deducting exercise calories from food calories. A way of looking at how close you are eating compared to your goal calories without exercise affecting the numbers.

From what I understand, the number comes from the deficit that mfp has given you based on your input. In other words, if it says your deficit is 830, then it is saying that your daily calorie goal is set at a deficit of 830 calories and any exercise would be an additional deficit.

Hello! This may be a ridiculous question, but I'm going to ask anyway because I really want to do this right. I know I am doing SOMETHING right because so far I have lost about 20lbs but still have 17 to lose. My goals are set for working out 6 days a week (which I always do) and to lose 2lbs a week. I looked in the Goals tab and it shows that my daily calorie deficit is 830.0 calories....how do I know I'm doing this right? Does that mean that by the end of each week I need to have 830 uneaten calories from my exercises?

Please help me to understand this! I know I should probably know all about this after 100+ days of using MFP, but I don't :-/

Thanks in advance!

No, you need to get as close to the goal calories, and as close to zero remaining as possible. The 820 defict is already built in to arrive at your target calories.

BUT - with only 17 pounds to go you should really be looking at 1lb a week,

To lose 2lb a week, MFP has tried to deduct 1000 cals from your non-exercise calories, I assume your "Daily calorie burn" on your goals page is 2030? it has tried to deduct 1000, but 1200 is the lowest you can go, so instead of a defict of 1000 you've got a deficit of 830.

BUT - this does not incude your exercise. I know you have said you set it up for exercise 6 times a week, but whether you put in zero, or 10 times a week, it won;t change your calories until you actually do the exercise.