Daily Calorie Deficit... HELP!

lessjess07
lessjess07 Posts: 6
in Health and Weight Loss
I have been using MFP on and off for a couple of years now. I just started back on it last month and have really been attempting to focus more on nutrition and exercise because I work at a computer all day.

Height: 5'10" (70 inches)
CW: 319.5 lbs
Age: 25
Sex: Female

I am working out 5-6/times a week for 30-50 minutes and my current net calorie goal is 1500 calories/day. I have it set to lose 2 lbs/week.

According to MFP, my diet profile says:

Calories Burned From Normal Daily Activity: 2,840 calories/day
Your Daily Goal: 1,500.0 calories/ day
Daily Calorie Deficit: 1,340.0 calories

What is this Daily Calorie Deficit? Is this the calorie amount I should follow, with exercise and calories consumed both included? I have never really seen it before now so I am officially confused.

While I am seeing slow results on the scale, I want to make sure I am doing this right and not sending my body into an unhealthy, crazy mode.

Any help is appreciated!

Replies

  • sprintto50
    sprintto50 Posts: 410 Member
    The Daily Deficit is how many calories you are under your requirement to maintain. The Daily Goal is what you should be eating each day, given what you have told MFP. Good luck!
  • jwdieter
    jwdieter Posts: 2,582 Member
    Jumping straight into 1500 might not be sustainable for you. Huge deficit.
  • Ashers357
    Ashers357 Posts: 1
    The daily calorie deficit you listed below, 1340.0, is the calories you have left to consume to reach your 1500 calories/day.

    Example: 1500 (number of calories you are to consume for the day) - 2840 (number of calories you have burned) = -1340 (Calories left to consum to reach daily calorie goal of 1500.

    Basically you are burning more calories than you are consuming (which seems like you are doing the right thing, especially when you are trying to lose weight) but the app will tell you that you are putting your body in "starvation mode" if you don't consume at least 1500 calories.

    Hope this helps!
  • jadelunar
    jadelunar Posts: 31 Member
    Welcome back to MFP!

    To me, it sounds like your "calories burned from normal daily activity" sounds a bit high, unless you have an active job/daytime activity where you are on your feet during your 9-5. Under your "diet profile," how did you describe your normal daily activities? Sedentary, Lightly Active, Active, or Very Active?

    "Your daily goal": This is your target intake, how many calories you should be eating everyday. According to your plan, it is set to 1500 calories per day.

    "Daily Calorie Deficit": This is how many calories per day that you are at a deficit. You need to accumulate a 3500 calorie deficit over time to lose 1 pound, so a 500 calorie deficit per day should show a 1 pound fat loss after 1 week. A deficit of 1000 calories per day should show a 2 pound loss after 1 week.

    If you're saying that you're seeing slow results on the scale, this suggests that you're probably not burning 2840 calories per day in your normal activities as MFP has calculated. If you're not seeing enough of a loss per week, try increasing your activity level per day, or decreasing your daily calorie goal per day OR both, and see if you get better results.
  • djeffreys10
    djeffreys10 Posts: 2,312 Member
    The 2840 is your total daily expenditure of calories. If you eat that many, you will maintain your current body weight. The 1340 is how many you are burning that you are not eating. This is where weight loss comes from. At that deficit, you would by closer to 2.5 lbs per week. 1000 calorie per day deficit would put you at 2 lbs per week. In my opinion, that would still put you too low.
  • djeffreys10
    djeffreys10 Posts: 2,312 Member
    I just did your calculations. Given a sedentary lifestyle, I calculated your tdee to be 2730. Given a 25% daily deficit (which is pretty accressive), you should eat 2048 calories. In addition, you should eat back your exercise calories. That would put you loosing just under 1.5 pounds per week.

    If the scale is moving slowly, the first thing to check are your portions. Are you measureing, or estimating. Because if you are estimating, you will be wrong 100% of the time. And about 99% of the time, you will be eating more than you are estimating.
  • lessjess07
    lessjess07 Posts: 6
    My activity level is set to Sedentary because I work at a desk at least 8-9 hours a day.

    Based on the information provided and my goal of 2 lbs/per week, I assumed a 1000 deficit would be ideal. Since it's higher, I guess I am just confused. Am I eating too little or not working out enough? Or both? Or am I just totally lost? haha
  • lessjess07
    lessjess07 Posts: 6
    djeffreys10,

    I do measure everything. Measuring cups, food scale... etc.

    2048 still seems so high to me. When I started origjnally, MFP put me at around 1840 I believe. I adjusted is manually because I really thought even 1840 was too high. Most days, with exercise, I am netting between 1000-1200 calories.
  • djeffreys10
    djeffreys10 Posts: 2,312 Member
    If you are hell bent on staying at 2 lbs per week (again, that is too aggressive imho), you need to average about 1730-1840 calories per day (depending on if you go by my calculation or MFP calculation, both of which will just be ballpark estimates anyway). It doesn't matter if you eat more than that and exercise the calories away, or if you eat that many and don't exercise at all.

    After about 4 weeks, you look at your progress and tweak your diet based on your results.
  • lessjess07
    lessjess07 Posts: 6
    djeffreys10,

    I will adjust it back to 1840 and give it a few weeks. MFP estimates that is what it should be anyway. I still exercise 5-6/times a week so I should be eating those calories back? I was never sure... some say do, some say don't.

    Thanks for all your honest input!
  • BigMan1979
    BigMan1979 Posts: 11 Member
    "Calories Burned From Normal Daily Activity: 2,840 calories/day"
    --This is how many calories you would burn if you laid in bed all day watching Oprah and eating Oreos. Crying not included.

    "Your Daily Goal: 1,500.0 calories/ day"
    --Umm...this is your goal. This is what you aim to actually eat every day.


    "Daily Calorie Deficit: 1,340.0 calories"
    --This is how many calories your body will burn from itself. Since it is not getting them from food, one would hope they come solely from stored fat.
  • susannamarie
    susannamarie Posts: 2,148 Member
    You do not have it set for 2 lbs/week. You may have originally set that (that is where the 1840 came from) but a daily calorie deficit of 1340 is more like 2.7 lbs/week.
  • djeffreys10
    djeffreys10 Posts: 2,312 Member
    djeffreys10,

    I will adjust it back to 1840 and give it a few weeks. MFP estimates that is what it should be anyway. I still exercise 5-6/times a week so I should be eating those calories back? I was never sure... some say do, some say don't.

    Thanks for all your honest input!

    Since you didn't include those in your activity level, you should eat them back.
  • djeffreys10
    djeffreys10 Posts: 2,312 Member
    "Calories Burned From Normal Daily Activity: 2,840 calories/day"
    --This is how many calories you would burn if you laid in bed all day watching Oprah and eating Oreos. Crying not included.

    No, that is how many she burns from normal daily activity. Laying in bed watching Oprah would be her Base Metabolic Rate (BMR), around 2275.
  • lessjess07
    lessjess07 Posts: 6
    So I am back at the MFP suggested 1840 calories.

    Today I ate: 2244
    Exercised: 404
    Net: 1850
    Remaining: 0

    Is this correct then? Just making sure...
  • lessjess07
    lessjess07 Posts: 6
    Sorry. Meant 1840.
  • Alta2000
    Alta2000 Posts: 655 Member
    Since you are 300lb+ you can be more aggressive in cutting calories. How do you calculate how many calories you burnt? Do you have a heart monitor, or you depend on the mfp database, or the machines in the gym?

    You did do it correctly for net calories. If you do not use a heart monitor, since you exercise 5-6h weekly, I suggest that you calculate your BMR, then your TDEE-25% for sedentary and TDEE-25% for 3-5h. Custom set mfp at TDEE-25% for 3-5h. Then have that as your upper limit and try to eat as close to that. Never go under your BMR. If you have many days that you will not exercise, let's say you have a cold, then eat at TDEE-25% sedentary. Every 5-10lbs you lose recalculate. At this point worry more how to eat correctly and exercising, without worrying in minute detail about the calories. But do log everything. There is no free veggies or fruits, and be honest if you binge.

    http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/
  • herblackwings39
    herblackwings39 Posts: 3,930 Member
    djeffreys10,

    I do measure everything. Measuring cups, food scale... etc.

    2048 still seems so high to me. When I started origjnally, MFP put me at around 1840 I believe. I adjusted is manually because I really thought even 1840 was too high. Most days, with exercise, I am netting between 1000-1200 calories.

    Right now I'm set to lose 1 lb a week and eating between 1950-2250 a day without any exercise. I've been losing 1-2 lbs...occasionally more or less, but 2250 is my daily calorie goal. You don't have to eat 1500 to lose weight, especially if you start out on the heavier side (383 here).

Categories