This might be really obvious...

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ybba12490
ybba12490 Posts: 252
in Health and Weight Loss
1 lb = 3500 calories.

It is suggested that I eat 1450 to lose weight.

Say (this is just an example) that I used to eat 2450 cals a day. Since I am cutting out 1000 calories from my usual diet, does this 1000 calories go towards the burnt 3500 calories? So I would just have to exercise off 2500 calories?

Sorry if this is confusing, I suck at explaining things.

Replies

  • nikki91950
    nikki91950 Posts: 647
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    in a perfect world, yes, that's the way it works.
  • danmullen
    danmullen Posts: 94
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    If you have a deficit of 3,500 calories a week, that will equate to a loss of 1lb of fat. If you eat 1,000 less calories per day, that is a weekly deficit of 7,000 calories and should lead to a weekly loss of 2lbs of fat.
  • MaryDreamer
    MaryDreamer Posts: 439
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    1000 calories a day would be a huge deficit! But yes the 1000 cals daily would go towards the burnt 3500 calories. But since your deficit would be 7000 a week that's losing 2 lbs a week. (3500 x 2) Is that what you're trying to do? You don't have to have such a huge daily deficit if you exercise daily too.
  • Mindful_Trent
    Mindful_Trent Posts: 3,954 Member
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    Don't worry about what you ate before. The two numbers you should know are:

    1) What you burn - this is your normal daily activity burn (estimated by MFP, which you can find on your goals page) PLUS your exercise calories.

    2) What you eat

    To lose weight, #1 should be higher than #2 - but not by too much! A safe deficit is considered 1000 calories per day or less, depending on how much you have to lose. Generally, the more you have to lose, the higher the deficit is that your body can safely handle.
  • Chiquita_Banana
    Chiquita_Banana Posts: 500
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    i think it depends on how many calories you burn just throughout the day...
  • staciekins
    staciekins Posts: 453 Member
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    This is definitely confusing me.
    To gain 1lb, you would need to consume 3500 cals per day with no exercise.
    If you want to lose weight, you consume less calories than you were before AND it is recommended to workout. For example, I apparently use to consume more than my recommended calories and it resulted in rapid weight gain. I now have my calories set at 1200/day with no exercise which is the MINIMUM calories to consume and I would average a loss of 1-2 lbs per week depending on the type of food I consume. Now, if I were to exercise and say, burn 500 calories, I would need to consume an additional 500 cals in my day to keep my net calorie deficit at 1200.
    (1200-500= 700 net, so add 500 and you are back at 1200) This is not required but it sincerely recommended.
    As you lose, you will need to make sure you eat your earned exercise calories in order to keep losing as your body will need more food to burn more calories
    Once you have reached your weight loss goals, you will need to tweak your settings to sustain your weight.
  • Newfiedan
    Newfiedan Posts: 1,517 Member
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    you hit the nail on the head staciekins
    Think of it like driving a car, you have a limited amount of gas before the car starts to break down. The calories or fuel that mfp gives you will get you to your destination driving at 80 mph. Now think of exercise as getting you there at 120 mph but not stopping for fuel means that the tires get worn down faster, the car will break down easier and in the end will explode. The body is the car, the calories are the fuel, the tires are your muscle without proper fuel they break down and in the end the body feeds off itself. The point of the exercise is to increase the metabolic rate (the speed at which you can safely drive) not to burn off the fuel (calories).

    Cardio burns fuel off in the short term, weight training raises the overall metabolic rate and increases your fat loss but neither will do you any good if you are not fueling the body right. All that hard work, sweat, tears in the mirror when you are not seeing results are because you are your own worst enemy. Work with your body and not against it. You can choose to be a prius or a "insert fav exotic or muscle car here", does not matter which, but the "fav exotic or muscle car" is a lot more fun and that is the one who feeds their body right and rips down the road of fat loss blowing right by you like you are standing still.
  • Mindful_Trent
    Mindful_Trent Posts: 3,954 Member
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    This is definitely confusing me.
    To gain 1lb, you would need to consume 3500 cals per day with no exercise.

    Maybe you just worded this funny, but what you said isn't quite right. You burn calories just living - I burn 1900-2200 per day (approx.) without any exercise. Therefore, to gain a pound in a day, I would have to eat 3500 calorie ABOVE my maintenance level (the 1900-2200) - so 5400-5700 calories/day. It would be hard to do that. However, if I ate just a little over that maintenance level - say 2500/day - that's an excess of 300-600/day - over time, that would add up and I would gain weight.
  • daddyratty
    daddyratty Posts: 305 Member
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    Maybe you just worded this funny, but what you said isn't quite right. You burn calories just living - I burn 1900-2200 per day (approx.) without any exercise. Therefore, to gain a pound in a day, I would have to eat 3500 calorie ABOVE my maintenance level (the 1900-2200) - so 5400-5700 calories/day. It would be hard to do that. However, if I ate just a little over that maintenance level - say 2500/day - that's an excess of 300-600/day - over time, that would add up and I would gain weight.

    Yes.

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