calorie deficit

Hi there, can someone please explain to me... How is the best way to loose weight with counting calories... my ideal amount to eat is 1200kg a day according to this, so if I do exercise ect that increases?.. now should I really be trying to eat up to the 1200kj? and more if I do excercise? or how much of a deficit should I be trying to be in?? I want to loose another 5kg in the next few months but I think ive read into this stuff so much Im just confused and not very clear on what I should be aiming for!! can someone clarify this for me?

Replies

Ophidion

This should set you on the right path...

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1069278-acronyms-and-terms-for-new-mfp-members-v-6

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/818082-exercise-calories-again-wtf

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/why-big-caloric-deficits-and-lots-of-activity-can-hurt-fat-loss.html

sunsetzen

It really depends on your height/weight ratio and exercise level, as well as how much you have to lose.

If you have 50kg to lose, you can swing the 1kg per week deficit. If you only need to lose 20kg or something, it should be at a slower pace (.25-.5kg per week deficit).

If you are anything other than sedentary, you need to eat back (a portion or all of) your exercise calories. The way MFP works is it gives you a deficit of food only. Extra calories worked off would create an even bigger deficit, so you need to eat them back. If you want to create a deficit through food AND exercise, you can set your own goal, but it should be larger than 1200 calories. This is the concept of NET calories. Food-minus exercise=net calories. So you eat 1200 but exercise -400, then you've only got 800 calories (not enough to sustain you).

TavistockToad

with 5kg to lose, you can probably eat more than 1200 cals, as you dont need a massive deficit. you should be aiming to lose 0.5lb per week, set MFP and eat back your exercise cals.

chrystalalekna1

thanks guys!!! thats awesome! do any of you go twice a week where you only eat a few cals to trick your body?? I always plateu and have heard from others that this can put a spanner in the works for the better!!

Springfield1970

You won't plateau if you follow the guides properly. Try that first. Good luck and enjoy the journey!

mxmkenney

It can get confusing. Every body is different, but for the average person it is relatively a simple scientific equation. 3500 calories equals a pound, so you want to create a 3500 deficit a week, whether that be from diet and/or exercise. The greater the deficit, the more weight you should lose, but don't go too low on the calories, or your body may think it's in starvation mode and hold on to everything you feed it! I would figure cutting 500 calories per day from your MAINTENANCE weight (either 500 from diet or 250 diet/250 exercise) will help you lose close to a pound a week. Good luck!

diannethegeek

thanks guys!!! thats awesome! do any of you go twice a week where you only eat a few cals to trick your body?? I always plateu and have heard from others that this can put a spanner in the works for the better!!

You shouldn't plateau if you have your numbers set up right. Be sure you're weighing and measuring your food portions. If you exercise then a heart rate monitor might be a good investment to make sure you're not logging more calories than you actually burn.

Unless by plateau you mean that you go a week or two (or a day or two) without a loss? Which is completely normal and part of the fluctuations you're going to see during this process. Most people don't consider it a plateau until you get to 4-6 weeks without seeing any loss.