Hi guys

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moonlitshadow23
moonlitshadow23 Posts: 3 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey,
I'm new to myfitnesspal and was just looking for some advice. I've been reading up on BMR and calorie deficit and all kinds of stuff. I'm even more confused than I was before! MFP has worked out that I should be eating around 1800 calories a day. Is that my deficit? Does that mean if I eat 1800 calories a day then I should burn 2800 a day? I'm sorry if I sound like a total idiot but I just can't get my head around it. I want to do this right to get the best results.

I also wanted to try a low carb diet and I found this website which seems quite helpful and straight forward enough. My only query is it says you should eat high fat dairy. I would have thought that was a big no no if you're trying to lose weight?

http://authoritynutrition.com/low-carb-diet-meal-plan-and-menu/

Any info anyone can give me would be much appreciated
Thanks
Xx

Replies

  • thevoice1973
    thevoice1973 Posts: 55 Member
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    It means that MFP suggests you consume 1800 calories a day. A deficit is essentially a "lack" from the usual maintenance amount. For example, imagine that 2200 calories is what you require to stay are exactly your weight at the moment. A deficit of 400 calories would bring your daily amount to 1800. That means you would be eating 400 calories less than you need to maintain your current bodyweight. Keep doing that for a while and you lose weight.

    Just make sure to track what you eat carefully, weigh your portions using a food scale (it's incredibly easy to not notice exactly how much we can eat!) and eat foods you would normally eat, just less of them. Ideally, it's a great time to learn to introduce new, healthier food choices into your daily food intake.

    Good luck and remember that little steps eventually lead a long way!
  • bwogilvie
    bwogilvie Posts: 2,130 Member
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    When you set up MFP, it asks you your height, weight, gender, age, activity level without exercise and weight loss goal (pounds per week).

    Based on the first five, it estimates your Basal Metabolic Rate and your Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (plus Thermic Effect of Feeding, i.e. calories consumed by eating and digesting food, obviously fewer than there are in the food!). The sum of these is your Total Daily Energy Expenditure without exercise.

    Then it looks at your weight loss goal. If you've set MFP to lose 1 lb./week, it subtracts 3500/7 = 500 calories from the TDEE without exercise. That's your deficit.

    For me, when I started, my MFP goal was 1570 calories. That means MFP estimated my TDEE without exercise as 2070. So without exercise, I have a 500-calorie deficit. If I now burn 500 calories in an hour on my bike, I have a 1000-calorie deficit unless I eat back my exercise calories. I don't want to lose weight that quickly, so I eat them back.

    Looks like you set MFP to lose 2 lb./week. If MFP says eat 1800 a day, that means it estimates your TDEE without exercise as 2800. So exercise calories increase your TDEE, and you should increase your food intake to keep the 1000 calorie deficit. Some people eat back only part of exercise calories because they're concerned that they are overestimating exercise. As always, the estimates and goals are only starting points. You need to adjust the numbers after a month or six weeks, so you can compare reality to the estimates.

    For more detail, read this post: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/818082-exercise-calories-again-wtf

    Tl;dr: MFP already creates a deficit, so follow the site's instructions unless you know what you're doing.

    I don't know the site you mentioned, but there's no problem eating full fat dairy as long as you're not lactose intolerant and you don't go over your calorie goal. I regularly eat cheese and I have lost over 50 lb.
  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
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    Your MFP goal (1800) already has your deficit built in for you. Therefor, you consume 1800 calories.
    If you exercise, eat those calories too.

    For example, your goal is 1800 and you exercise 200 calories on the elliptical (just an example). You then eat 2000 calories (1800+200) to NET your goal of 1800 calories (2000-200).

    RE: low carb diet... Unless you have a medical reason, there's really no need to cut out carbs. Get alot of protein, Eat all the foods you love, keep it within your calorie goal. You don't have to restrict anything.
  • moonlitshadow23
    moonlitshadow23 Posts: 3 Member
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    Wow. Thank you so much for the quick responses and for explaining it. You have all made it sound so much simpler than any of the sites that I looked at.

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