Calorie Deficit confusion

shaernox
shaernox Posts: 3 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I know I need to have a calorie Deficit to lose weight. So if my BMR is say 1700 and I eat 1200 thats a 500 cal deficit or should I take it from the 1200?

Replies

  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    None of the above. If your BMR is 1700 and you're sedentary (eg office job) then you take the deficit away from 1.2*1700 = 2040 so eating 1200 is an 840 deficit.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    yarwell wrote: »
    None of the above. If your BMR is 1700 and you're sedentary (eg office job) then you take the deficit away from 1.2*1700 = 2040 so eating 1200 is an 840 deficit.

    This^

    BMR is basal metabolic rate. Basically if you stayed in bed 24/7

    The 1.2 accounts for getting out of bed, brushing your teeth, going to work, etc. Sedentary people take somewhere in the neighborhood of 5,000 steps each day.
  • juggernaut1974
    juggernaut1974 Posts: 6,212 Member
    shaernox wrote: »
    I know I need to have a calorie Deficit to lose weight. So if my BMR is say 1700 and I eat 1200 thats a 500 cal deficit or should I take it from the 1200?

    Deficits are calculated from TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) - not BMR.

    TDEE starts with your BMR (which is essentially how many calories your body burns simply by existing - if you're in a coma), but also adds on calories burned by daily activities (going to work, brushing your teeth, walking the dog, etc), calories from exercise, and the thermic effect of food (how many calories it takes to digest what you've eaten)
  • shaernox
    shaernox Posts: 3 Member
    edited January 2016
    Thanks :) Ive been getting 10000 steps in working out about 45mins a day. And not eating enough it seems. Now I get it.

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