Eating at a Calorie Deficit?!?! Someone break it down Barney Style for me please???

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Dyana1109
Dyana1109 Posts: 19 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
From what I'm understanding, if I want to lose with a calorie deficit of 500, that means I should only eat 500 cal in a day?!? Please help me understand. There are days where I work two jobs so I can't workout to have the balance and I only get a few hours of sleep.

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  • 20yearsyounger
    20yearsyounger Posts: 1,643 Member
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    not exactly an explanation but really simple, put your numbers into MFP, set it to lose 1 pound a week (which is the equivalent of a 500 calorie deficit) and eat those calories.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
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    No. Eating only 500 calories is not healthy at all.

    Eating in a deficit means you're eating less than your body burns. So if you burn, say 2100 calories throughout the day (and this is through regular activity and not exercise), then in order to lose a pound a week, MFP will set you to eat 1600 calories. This is a 500-calorie deficit.
  • bkg1209
    bkg1209 Posts: 10 Member
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    Calorie deficit means that you are burning more than you are consuming. You cannot only eat 500 calories in a day.. Eat at LEAST 1,200 calories, or whatever MFP tells you to eat depending on what your goals are.
  • incisron
    incisron Posts: 550 Member
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    No, it means you find out how much your daily maintenanc calories are, and cut 500 calories off of your daily maintenance. It does NOT mean to eat 500 calories a day! You can easily find out what your 500 cal deficit is by choosing a pound a week.
  • debtay123
    debtay123 Posts: 1,327 Member
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    Be sure to eat the calories that mfp gives you to eat- do not try to be smart- and eat way under the calories given BECAUSE mfp already adds in the deficit for you- and your body needs the fuel so you can lose weight properly.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,121 Member
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    20yearsyounger wrote: »
    not exactly an explanation but really simple, put your numbers into MFP, set it to lose 1 pound a week (which is the equivalent of a 500 calorie deficit) and eat those calories.

    This ^^

    MFP makes it really easy for us.

    Enter your weight, age, and whatever other details MFP asks for. Select your goal loss each week (in my case I went for 0.5 kg, which is close to 1 lb/week). And MFP will give you a number (in my case it was about 1250 cal).

    Weight and log your food to match that number.

    If you exercise, you can enter that on the Exercise tab ... but estimate low. We rarely burn as much as we think we're burning. And then eat about 50-75% of those calories back in addition to the original number MFP gave you.



  • elphie754
    elphie754 Posts: 7,574 Member
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    Dyana1109 wrote: »
    From what I'm understanding, if I want to lose with a calorie deficit of 500, that means I should only eat 500 cal in a day?!? Please help me understand. There are days where I work two jobs so I can't workout to have the balance and I only get a few hours of sleep.

    Nooooo. 500 cals a day is waaaaay too low.

    A deficit is the amount of calories you burn, minus the calories you eat.

    Simple example with made up numbers:

    Say your body burns 2000 cals a day during normal activity. If you are 2000 cals a day, your weight would stay the same. 500 cal deficit is simply tge difference between calories you burn and calories you eat. So back to the 2000 model. A 500 calorie deficit would be 2000-500 to equal a calorie goal of 1500 calories.

    Hope that helps
  • Dyana1109
    Dyana1109 Posts: 19 Member
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    Ohhhkayy. I think I have it now! On my days I can't workout, I burn between 2,000 - 2,400 calories, so if my calorie deficit is 1000 to lose 2 pounds a week, I should be eating between 1,000 - 1,400 calories. Does this really help you lose weight? Thanks for all the responses! =D
  • Marianna93637
    Marianna93637 Posts: 230 Member
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    I think if you burn 2400 calories a day, eating 1000 is way too low, even 1200 is. For me, even 1400 is. I burn about 2000- 2200 and I eat about 1500-1600. You have to fuel your body, going too low on the calories will hurt, not help.
    Let's say you burn 2400 today, and you eat 1300 calories and you feel fine. Ok. tomorrow you burn 2400, but you're super hungry and want to eat 1600 calories. That is fine as well, you're still at 800 calorie deficit, which is way more than enough.
  • woofer00
    woofer00 Posts: 123 Member
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    The target deficit should change based on your current weight, and is alot easier to stay consistent with over the span of a couple days versus every single day. Could you be in a 1000 calorie deficit to lose 2 lbs per week? Sure, but it's miserable. I tried it when I was first trying to lose weight and ended up getting getting sick, grouchy, or both every single time regardless of whether the deficit was from exercise or regular daily life. If you're just starting to experiment with caloric deficit, start smaller and adjust up/down by 100 depending on what's comfortable to find something you can keep up with.
  • FitSpongebob
    FitSpongebob Posts: 315 Member
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    You need to calculate your bmr (basal metabolic rate) this will give you an idea of how many calories you burn doing nothing, just living. Then calculate your tdee (total daily energy expenditure)
    Mike Matthews has a calculator on his muscle for life website which will give you the amount of calories required for a deficit which will allow you to lose fat. But it's essential you keep body composition and maintain muscle otherwise your body will burn lean mass.

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