Calorie deficit

neeneileen
neeneileen Posts: 17 Member
edited November 20 in Health and Weight Loss
I still don't get calorie deficit. I looked up articles on the Internet but I still don't get it. It's pretty hard for me to understand calorie deficit. Can someone explain calorie deficit to me? I'm trying to lose weight on calorie deficit, I just need to know how to do it.
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Replies

  • TeethOfTheHydra
    TeethOfTheHydra Posts: 63 Member
    Don't get hung up on complex definitions. Its pretty basic. You need a certain # of calories daily to maintain your current weight. If you eat less than that, you'll lose weight. So you need to decide how much less is healthy but results in the pace of weight loss you want. You can probably get more specific help if you share your height, weight, age, typical activity level, and goals. There are web calculators out there and lots of advice on here with specific #s.
    Good luck!
  • clags301
    clags301 Posts: 69 Member
    Burn more calories than you eat = calorie deficit = weight loss

    Burn fewer calories than you eat = cslorie surplus = weight gain.

    What specifically don't you understand.
  • JPNWV1
    JPNWV1 Posts: 4 Member
    I want to get down to 170 pounds, so I set The My Fitness Pal App to 170 as my current weight and select maintain my current weight with light activity and that gives me 2020 calories. If I stay on that I'll eventually get to 170
  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,619 Member
    I guess you can do it that way, but most people use their actual weight, and then say how much they want to lose per week and MFP gives you a calorie goal with a built-in deficit. Either way, you will be eating less than it takes to maintain your current weight, so you should lose.
  • neeneileen
    neeneileen Posts: 17 Member
    Did you fill out your stats and tell MFP how much weight you wanted to lose per week? It will tell you how many calories to eat. You eat that many calories. It is already taking away however many calories you would need to lose weight(=your deficit).

    Okay I will try that thank you.
  • pielattes1
    pielattes1 Posts: 62 Member
    What happens when a person has a calorie deficit over consecutive days in a week- can the person indulge a a bit on just the last day in the week and not gain?
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,487 Member
    pielattes1 wrote: »
    What happens when a person has a calorie deficit over consecutive days in a week- can the person indulge a a bit on just the last day in the week and not gain?

    Depends on how much a bit is. And your body doesn't actually keep track of exact weeks and only change weight on the last day of the week.
  • sophie9492015
    sophie9492015 Posts: 204 Member
    pielattes1 wrote: »
    What happens when a person has a calorie deficit over consecutive days in a week- can the person indulge a a bit on just the last day in the week and not gain?

    Depends on how much a bit is. And your body doesn't actually keep track of exact weeks and only change weight on the last day of the week.

    Can you explain what you mean by that?
    So say you have a calorie deficit all week but then have a blowout or friday and get a surplus?
    I did exactly this this week and wasnt too happy with my weigh in after having take out for dinner
  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,619 Member
    It is possible to totally eat over the deficit you created during the week and not lose because of one day. Say you have a 100 calorie deficit Monday-Saturday. Your weekly deficit is 600, but on Sunday, you eat over your calorie goal by 700. No more calorie deficit for the week=no weight loss.
  • sophie9492015
    sophie9492015 Posts: 204 Member
    It is possible to totally eat over the deficit you created during the week and not lose because of one day. Say you have a 100 calorie deficit Monday-Saturday. Your weekly deficit is 600, but on Sunday, you eat over your calorie goal by 700. No more calorie deficit for the week=no weight loss.

    But if you had a 500 cal defecit every day and a 500 cal surplus 1 day it wouldnt make too much of a blow out, right?
  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,619 Member
    No, because you would still have 500X5=2500cal deficit. I'm just saying that it is possible to be in a deficit every day but one and eat enough to completely erase any deficit you had going.
  • Purplebunnysarah
    Purplebunnysarah Posts: 3,252 Member
    Also the day after a blowout you're likely to see the scale jump due to water retention (from sodium) and overall bloat (due to slowed digestion).
  • sophie9492015
    sophie9492015 Posts: 204 Member
    No, because you would still have 500X5=2500cal deficit. I'm just saying that it is possible to be in a deficit every day but one and eat enough to completely erase any deficit you had going.

    Thanks so much!!
  • sophie9492015
    sophie9492015 Posts: 204 Member
    sarahthes wrote: »
    Also the day after a blowout you're likely to see the scale jump due to water retention (from sodium) and overall bloat (due to slowed digestion).

    Yess, definitely notice this!
  • neeneileen
    neeneileen Posts: 17 Member
    clags301 wrote: »
    Burn more calories than you eat = calorie deficit = weight loss

    Burn fewer calories than you eat = cslorie surplus = weight gain.

    What specifically don't you understand.

    So to lose weight, let me see if I get this, is to burn more calories by exercising and performing physical activities like walking, dancing, etc, and to eat the amount of food from the deficit you created? Is that right? If I'm wrong let me know okay.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    neeneileen wrote: »
    clags301 wrote: »
    Burn more calories than you eat = calorie deficit = weight loss

    Burn fewer calories than you eat = cslorie surplus = weight gain.

    What specifically don't you understand.

    So to lose weight, let me see if I get this, is to burn more calories by exercising and performing physical activities like walking, dancing, etc, and to eat the amount of food from the deficit you created? Is that right? If I'm wrong let me know okay.

    You burn calories all day long, even sitting in a chair or sleeping. You want to burn more calories through your total daily activities (sleeping, working, exercising, walking, etc) than you consume. If you put your stats into MFP, it will give you an estimate of what your calorie goal should be to lose weight.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    neeneileen wrote: »
    clags301 wrote: »
    Burn more calories than you eat = calorie deficit = weight loss

    Burn fewer calories than you eat = cslorie surplus = weight gain.

    What specifically don't you understand.

    So to lose weight, let me see if I get this, is to burn more calories by exercising and performing physical activities like walking, dancing, etc, and to eat the amount of food from the deficit you created? Is that right? If I'm wrong let me know okay.

    For one thing, you need to understand that this calculator will do all of the work for you...you put in your stats and whatnot and the calculator will calculate a calorie target (GOAL) for weight loss as per what it's estimation of your maintenance calories are...if you put in that you want to lose 1 Lb per week, the calculator will cut off 500 calories from you estimated maintenance.

    Secondly, you burn calories 24/7. Most of your burn is you merely existing...then your day to day stuff...and finally exercise which typically is relatively insignificant compared to your existence and going about your day to day.

    My maintenance calories without any exercise is 2,400 calories....of those 2400 calories, around 1800 are required to merely exist, the rest are just what I burn going about my day to day. If I wanted to lose about 1 Lb per week I'd eat around 1900 calories (500 calorie deficit from maintenance).

    With exercise, I maintain on around 2800 calories...so I could eat 2300 calories and lose about 1 Lb per week.
  • neeneileen
    neeneileen Posts: 17 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    neeneileen wrote: »
    clags301 wrote: »
    Burn more calories than you eat = calorie deficit = weight loss

    Burn fewer calories than you eat = cslorie surplus = weight gain.

    What specifically don't you understand.

    So to lose weight, let me see if I get this, is to burn more calories by exercising and performing physical activities like walking, dancing, etc, and to eat the amount of food from the deficit you created? Is that right? If I'm wrong let me know okay.

    For one thing, you need to understand that this calculator will do all of the work for you...you put in your stats and whatnot and the calculator will calculate a calorie target (GOAL) for weight loss as per what it's estimation of your maintenance calories are...if you put in that you want to lose 1 Lb per week, the calculator will cut off 500 calories from you estimated maintenance.

    Secondly, you burn calories 24/7. Most of your burn is you merely existing...then your day to day stuff...and finally exercise which typically is relatively insignificant compared to your existence and going about your day to day.

    My maintenance calories without any exercise is 2,400 calories....of those 2400 calories, around 1800 are required to merely exist, the rest are just what I burn going about my day to day. If I wanted to lose about 1 Lb per week I'd eat around 1900 calories (500 calorie deficit from maintenance).

    With exercise, I maintain on around 2800 calories...so I could eat 2300 calories and lose about 1 Lb per week.

    Yeah that's what I was trying to understand. My BMR is around 2440 and I'm trying to lose 2 pounds a week so I create a 1000 calorie deficit. So right now my calorie goal from the deficit is 1440.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    neeneileen wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    neeneileen wrote: »
    clags301 wrote: »
    Burn more calories than you eat = calorie deficit = weight loss

    Burn fewer calories than you eat = cslorie surplus = weight gain.

    What specifically don't you understand.

    So to lose weight, let me see if I get this, is to burn more calories by exercising and performing physical activities like walking, dancing, etc, and to eat the amount of food from the deficit you created? Is that right? If I'm wrong let me know okay.

    For one thing, you need to understand that this calculator will do all of the work for you...you put in your stats and whatnot and the calculator will calculate a calorie target (GOAL) for weight loss as per what it's estimation of your maintenance calories are...if you put in that you want to lose 1 Lb per week, the calculator will cut off 500 calories from you estimated maintenance.

    Secondly, you burn calories 24/7. Most of your burn is you merely existing...then your day to day stuff...and finally exercise which typically is relatively insignificant compared to your existence and going about your day to day.

    My maintenance calories without any exercise is 2,400 calories....of those 2400 calories, around 1800 are required to merely exist, the rest are just what I burn going about my day to day. If I wanted to lose about 1 Lb per week I'd eat around 1900 calories (500 calorie deficit from maintenance).

    With exercise, I maintain on around 2800 calories...so I could eat 2300 calories and lose about 1 Lb per week.

    Yeah that's what I was trying to understand. My BMR is around 2440 and I'm trying to lose 2 pounds a week so I create a 1000 calorie deficit. So right now my calorie goal from the deficit is 1440.

    You should calculate your goal from your TDEE (your total daily energy expenditure which is your BMR plus the calories you burn through your other activities), not your BMR. Your BMR doesn't factor in the calories you burn through work and daily activities or what you burn through intentional exercise. Instead of calculating this, some people find it easier to use MFP's goals, which give you the same number (you have your base calories based on your BMR and your daily activities and then you log your intentional exercise and eat back the calories burned through that).
  • leejoyce31
    leejoyce31 Posts: 794 Member
    You don't use BMR to determine your deficit. You use total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) to determine your deficit, which is what cwolfman13 was saying in his post when he said you burn merely existing, doing day to day stuff and exercising. That's TDEE.
  • bwogilvie
    bwogilvie Posts: 2,130 Member
    edited July 2017
    neeneileen wrote: »
    Yeah that's what I was trying to understand. My BMR is around 2440 and I'm trying to lose 2 pounds a week so I create a 1000 calorie deficit. So right now my calorie goal from the deficit is 1440.

    Do you mean BMR (basal metabolic rate) or TDEE (total daily energy expenditure)? BMR is what you would burn if you were in a coma; TDEE is the sum of BMR, non-exercise activity, and exercise.
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,487 Member
    neeneileen wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    neeneileen wrote: »
    clags301 wrote: »
    Burn more calories than you eat = calorie deficit = weight loss

    Burn fewer calories than you eat = cslorie surplus = weight gain.

    What specifically don't you understand.

    So to lose weight, let me see if I get this, is to burn more calories by exercising and performing physical activities like walking, dancing, etc, and to eat the amount of food from the deficit you created? Is that right? If I'm wrong let me know okay.

    For one thing, you need to understand that this calculator will do all of the work for you...you put in your stats and whatnot and the calculator will calculate a calorie target (GOAL) for weight loss as per what it's estimation of your maintenance calories are...if you put in that you want to lose 1 Lb per week, the calculator will cut off 500 calories from you estimated maintenance.

    Secondly, you burn calories 24/7. Most of your burn is you merely existing...then your day to day stuff...and finally exercise which typically is relatively insignificant compared to your existence and going about your day to day.

    My maintenance calories without any exercise is 2,400 calories....of those 2400 calories, around 1800 are required to merely exist, the rest are just what I burn going about my day to day. If I wanted to lose about 1 Lb per week I'd eat around 1900 calories (500 calorie deficit from maintenance).

    With exercise, I maintain on around 2800 calories...so I could eat 2300 calories and lose about 1 Lb per week.

    Yeah that's what I was trying to understand. My BMR is around 2440 and I'm trying to lose 2 pounds a week so I create a 1000 calorie deficit. So right now my calorie goal from the deficit is 1440.

    You should eat above your BMR but below your TDEE - take the deficit from TDEE.
  • neeneileen
    neeneileen Posts: 17 Member
    bwogilvie wrote: »
    neeneileen wrote: »
    Yeah that's what I was trying to understand. My BMR is around 2440 and I'm trying to lose 2 pounds a week so I create a 1000 calorie deficit. So right now my calorie goal from the deficit is 1440.

    Do you mean BMR (basal metabolic rate) or TDEE (total daily energy expenditure)? BMR is what you would burn if you were in a coma; TDEE is the sum of BMR, non-exercise activity, and exercise.

    Yeah I meant TDEE sorry about that lol
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    neeneileen wrote: »
    bwogilvie wrote: »
    neeneileen wrote: »
    Yeah that's what I was trying to understand. My BMR is around 2440 and I'm trying to lose 2 pounds a week so I create a 1000 calorie deficit. So right now my calorie goal from the deficit is 1440.

    Do you mean BMR (basal metabolic rate) or TDEE (total daily energy expenditure)? BMR is what you would burn if you were in a coma; TDEE is the sum of BMR, non-exercise activity, and exercise.

    Yeah I meant TDEE sorry about that lol

    Yeah, if your TDEE is 2,440, then 1,440 would be your 1,000 calorie deficit.
  • neeneileen
    neeneileen Posts: 17 Member
    leejoyce31 wrote: »
    You don't use BMR to determine your deficit. You use total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) to determine your deficit, which is what cwolfman13 was saying in his post when he said you burn merely existing, doing day to day stuff and exercising. That's TDEE.

    Yeah that's what I meant is TDEE I got it mixed up sorry about that.
  • neeneileen
    neeneileen Posts: 17 Member
    neeneileen wrote: »
    bwogilvie wrote: »
    neeneileen wrote: »
    Yeah that's what I was trying to understand. My BMR is around 2440 and I'm trying to lose 2 pounds a week so I create a 1000 calorie deficit. So right now my calorie goal from the deficit is 1440.

    Do you mean BMR (basal metabolic rate) or TDEE (total daily energy expenditure)? BMR is what you would burn if you were in a coma; TDEE is the sum of BMR, non-exercise activity, and exercise.

    Yeah I meant TDEE sorry about that lol

    Yeah, if your TDEE is 2,440, then 1,440 would be your 1,000 calorie deficit.

    Yes sorry for the misunderstanding I got it mixed up
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    neeneileen wrote: »
    neeneileen wrote: »
    bwogilvie wrote: »
    neeneileen wrote: »
    Yeah that's what I was trying to understand. My BMR is around 2440 and I'm trying to lose 2 pounds a week so I create a 1000 calorie deficit. So right now my calorie goal from the deficit is 1440.

    Do you mean BMR (basal metabolic rate) or TDEE (total daily energy expenditure)? BMR is what you would burn if you were in a coma; TDEE is the sum of BMR, non-exercise activity, and exercise.

    Yeah I meant TDEE sorry about that lol

    Yeah, if your TDEE is 2,440, then 1,440 would be your 1,000 calorie deficit.

    Yes sorry for the misunderstanding I got it mixed up

    No worries, most of us had to learn some new terms when we began calorie counting!
  • neeneileen
    neeneileen Posts: 17 Member
    Thank you guys for helping me understand what a caloric deficit is. I really appreciate it.
This discussion has been closed.