Confused about calories

taylorkb308
taylorkb308 Posts: 6 Member
edited November 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
I've read on here before that in order to lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you consume. Does this mean people are burning between 1000 and 2000 calories at the gym? I feel like it would take me hours to do that, so I'm confused if you also burn a substantial amount of calories throughout the day without working out... Can someone educate me on this?

Replies

  • Derpy_Hooves
    Derpy_Hooves Posts: 234 Member
    Don't worry, you're probably burning about 1500 a day already! You don't need to spend hours and hours in the gym. Phew!
  • trigden1991
    trigden1991 Posts: 4,658 Member
    Your body burns calories just by living, this is your BMR. When you add your activity and exercise to this your total calorie burn is your TDEE.

    To lose weight you need to eat less than your TDEE.
  • ericwhitt
    ericwhitt Posts: 87 Member
    Picture your body as a car that is always running, and calories are your gas. When you're idling a car, you still burn gas albeit at a slower pace. Now when you work out, you are driving the car at a normal speed, burning more gas than idling. For me, my body uses ~2300 calories a day without factoring in any gym exercise. So for me to lose weight, I target about 1600 calories.
  • fitoverfortymom
    fitoverfortymom Posts: 3,452 Member
    I was totally confused, the same way you are, about HOW to create the deficit. I did a lot of poking around here to figure it out, and reading the information in these threads helped SO MUCH: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10300331/most-helpful-posts-getting-started-must-reads#latest.

    There's a how-to walk through on setting up your calorie requirements at a deficit based on your activity. For me it has been pretty spot on and I've lost consistently at or close to my desired loss rate each week.

    I was totally confused on how to create a deficit with only exercise before realizing you don't have to. In fact, I was convinced I didn't want to exercise at all to lose weight. Now, I have changed my mind on that, but I'm overall pretty lazy and I'm still losing weight.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    taylorkb308 wrote: »
    I've read on here before that in order to lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you consume. Does this mean people are burning between 1000 and 2000 calories at the gym? I feel like it would take me hours to do that, so I'm confused if you also burn a substantial amount of calories throughout the day without working out... Can someone educate me on this?

    Your body is using calories 24/7. Heart, lungs, kidneys, brain.....they all use calories. Deliberate exercise is only a small fraction of most people's day. This is why weight loss mostly comes from eating less.
  • nsh1984
    nsh1984 Posts: 4 Member
    edited November 2016
    Hi,

    Firstly, you need to know you BMR calculation, so google that. You'll need your current weight, height and age to get the calculation.

    This calculation will give you calories you require to exist. So imagine laying in bed all day doing nothing. This BMR calculation is the calories you burn lying in bed all day doing nothing.

    Just make sure you eat and drink less in calories than your BMR calculation. You will then be in a calorie defecit.

    Say your BMR calculation is 1400 calories. Eat less than 1400 calories per day and you will lose weight. It's that simple. Any extra movement you do in a day including exercise will make the defecit even larger. Don't worry because your body will take the missing calories from your fat to make up for the defecit.

    This is how you lose weight. Simples.
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
    You aim to eat less than your TDEE, not your BMR.
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    nsh1984 wrote: »
    Hi,

    Firstly, you need to know you BMR calculation, so google that. You'll need your current weight, height and age to get the calculation.

    This calculation will give you calories you require to exist. So imagine laying in bed all day doing nothing. This BMR calculation is the calories you burn lying in bed all day doing nothing.

    Just make sure you eat less in calories than your BMR calculation. You will then be in a calorie defecit.

    Say your BMR calculation is 1400 calories. Eat less than 1400 calories per day and you will lose weight. It's that simple. Any extra movement you do in a day including exercise will make the defecit even larger. Don't worry because your body will take the missing calories from your fat to make up for the defecit.

    This is how you lose weight. Simples.

    You misunderstand how it works. You aim to eat less than your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure). That includes BMR + NEAT + EAT (also +TEF, but that's a relatively insignificant factor).

    There are plenty of online calculators to figure out your TDEE, but that's not a figure written in stone. You have to observe what your weight is doing over time and modify your intake/output accordingly.
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