Deficit, Still Not Getting It

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  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    As for the activity setting, I've still got myself set sedentary even though I get in 20,000 steps everyday. It's just safer for me to have it set that way, as I cant promise I'll be this active every single day. Plus my days usually end by 7pm, so if I was set to lightly active it would expect me to keep up that pace til midnight...
  • susan_the_machine
    susan_the_machine Posts: 3 Member
    TheVirgoddess wrote: »
    Kimegatron wrote: »
    Can anyone give me the equation that you use to determine your deficit?

    Sure.

    The way MyFitnessPal is set up is: you enter your activity level and your stats, and it spits out a number. That number is your TDEE (I'll explain below) minus the amount of calories you need to not eat, based on the goal you input. So if you chose 1 pound a week loss, your daily deficit will be 500 calories a day, 3500 for the week. 3500 calories = one pound.

    So say you're me. I'm 5'5" and I weigh 149 pounds.

    My TDEE (total daily energy expenditure), as a sedentary person is 1648, according to this site: http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/ - this number is based on being living, breathing person that moves around a bit, grocery shops, cleans, etc - but does no intentional exercise.

    That means, to lose 1 pound a week, I need to eat 1148 calories a day. Then, MFP will let me "eat back" my exercise calories, because I did not include them in my TDEE calculation. They are a bonus. So if I work out M/W/F, and I get 200 exercise calories, I can more those days.

    Does that make sense? MFP does not take your exercise into consideration as it figures your daily calorie goal - but your deficit is already included. Meaning, the calorie goal it gives you is a target to hit, not something to stay under.

    I hope this answers your questions. Let me know if I missed something.

  • susan_the_machine
    susan_the_machine Posts: 3 Member
    Nope. Just learned today that the BMR does not include ordinary activities for a sedentary person. It's the calories you need, even when you don't get out of bed all day. So, *that* number needs to be your net after exercise. (I am still in shock about this. It feels too high.)

    If you eat too little, your body consumes the lean body mass before the fat. It thinks it is starving and needs to conserve the fat as self-protection.

    This was proven to me today. The InBody scan results from today and four weeks ago identified my weight loss as lean, even those I have been exercising hard four times a week.

    Still trying to process the idea that I need to deliberately eat more.
  • blankiefinder
    blankiefinder Posts: 3,599 Member
    susan_the_machine wrote: »
    Nope. Just learned today that the BMR does not include ordinary activities for a sedentary person. It's the calories you need, even when you don't get out of bed all day. So, *that* number needs to be your net after exercise. (I am still in shock about this. It feels too high.)

    If you eat too little, your body consumes the lean body mass before the fat. It thinks it is starving and needs to conserve the fat as self-protection.

    This was proven to me today. The InBody scan results from today and four weeks ago identified my weight loss as lean, even those I have been exercising hard four times a week.

    Still trying to process the idea that I need to deliberately eat more.

    How fast are you losing weight?

    To minimize muscle loss while in a deficit, lift weights and hit your protein goal, and don't lose more than 2 lbs per week, and less and less the closer you get to goal.
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
    edited July 2015
    Kimegatron wrote: »
    I have a fitbit thanks to suggestions on these message boards. I guess I walked 70 miles in 3 weeks.

    Your deficit is already built into your default MFP calorie goal—250 calories for every .5 lb.

    If you follow these instructions, MFP will adjust your daily goal to TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) minus an appropriate deficit. Then you're supposed to come within 100 calories of your goal.

    Connect your accounts at http://www.myfitnesspal.com/fitbit

    Set your goal to .5 lb. for every 25 lbs. you're overweight: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/change_goals_guided

    Enable negative calorie adjustments: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/diary_settings

    Ignore your Fitbit calorie goal and follow MFP's, eating back your adjustments.

    You can learn more in the Fitbit Users group: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/1290-fitbit-users
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