Calorie deficit

KellyRose98
KellyRose98 Posts: 2 Member
edited November 28 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi, I'm struggling to understand calorie deficit.
My average calorie output per day is 2200 (calculated by my fitbit) and my average calorie intake is 1200 a day. Does this mean I have a calorie deficit of 1000 calories??

Also is it okay to have calories remaining if I have eaten my goal and then lost because of exercise? (500 remaining for example)

Thank you in advance :)

Replies

  • tinkerbellang83
    tinkerbellang83 Posts: 9,130 Member
    If you're on 1200 calories per day, then you should avoid regularly having exercise calories leftover to eat, if you had 500 calories remaining that means you're only netting around 700 calories which is barely enough to sustain a toddler.

    Your fitbit is an estimate and may or may not be accurate, your actual weight loss trend over time will let you know how accurate it is, if you are truly in a 1000 calorie deficit you will be losing an average of 2lbs per week (you need around 4-6 weeks of data minimum to gauge a trend).

    If you are losing that, then you may need to up your calories a little on the days when you have exercised, you can add more calorie dense foods so you don't have to increase the volume of food with oils, dressings, peanut butter, etc.

    zdr14fo71nur.jpg
  • KellyRose98
    KellyRose98 Posts: 2 Member
    tinkerbellang83 wrote: »
    If you're on 1200 calories per day, then you should avoid regularly having exercise calories leftover to eat, if you had 500 calories remaining that means you're only netting around 700 calories which is barely enough to sustain a toddler.

    Your fitbit is an estimate and may or may not be accurate, your actual weight loss trend over time will let you know how accurate it is, if you are truly in a 1000 calorie deficit you will be losing an average of 2lbs per week (you need around 4-6 weeks of data minimum to gauge a trend).

    If you are losing that, then you may need to up your calories a little on the days when you have exercised, you can add more calorie dense foods so you don't have to increase the volume of food with oils, dressings, peanut butter, etc.

    zdr14fo71nur.jpg

    So do I always have to eat 1200 calories? It makes exercising seem meaningless if I have to eat it back?
  • ceiswyn
    ceiswyn Posts: 2,256 Member
    Restrict calories for weight loss, exercise for health.
  • tinkerbellang83
    tinkerbellang83 Posts: 9,130 Member
    KellyRose98 wrote: »
    tinkerbellang83 wrote: »
    If you're on 1200 calories per day, then you should avoid regularly having exercise calories leftover to eat, if you had 500 calories remaining that means you're only netting around 700 calories which is barely enough to sustain a toddler.

    Your fitbit is an estimate and may or may not be accurate, your actual weight loss trend over time will let you know how accurate it is, if you are truly in a 1000 calorie deficit you will be losing an average of 2lbs per week (you need around 4-6 weeks of data minimum to gauge a trend).

    If you are losing that, then you may need to up your calories a little on the days when you have exercised, you can add more calorie dense foods so you don't have to increase the volume of food with oils, dressings, peanut butter, etc.

    zdr14fo71nur.jpg

    So do I always have to eat 1200 calories? It makes exercising seem meaningless if I have to eat it back?

    It's not meaningless because your calorie deficit is already factored into your calorie goal.

    For example my calories to maintain are 2200 before exercise, to lose 1lb per week my calorie allowance would be 1700 (500 calorie deficit), if I burn 300 calories through exercise that would put me at 1400 net calories, however if I eat them back that puts me back to 1700 and still in my 500 calorie deficit.

    You have to fuel your exercise, otherwise you will just burnout or make yourself so hungry you end up in a binge-restrict cycle. Neither makes for a good long term plan.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    KellyRose98 wrote: »
    tinkerbellang83 wrote: »
    If you're on 1200 calories per day, then you should avoid regularly having exercise calories leftover to eat, if you had 500 calories remaining that means you're only netting around 700 calories which is barely enough to sustain a toddler.

    Your fitbit is an estimate and may or may not be accurate, your actual weight loss trend over time will let you know how accurate it is, if you are truly in a 1000 calorie deficit you will be losing an average of 2lbs per week (you need around 4-6 weeks of data minimum to gauge a trend).

    If you are losing that, then you may need to up your calories a little on the days when you have exercised, you can add more calorie dense foods so you don't have to increase the volume of food with oils, dressings, peanut butter, etc.

    zdr14fo71nur.jpg

    So do I always have to eat 1200 calories? It makes exercising seem meaningless if I have to eat it back?

    If you use MFP to set your calorie goal, exercise, but don't eat back any exercise calories, you are not using MFP the way it was designed.

    MFP uses the NEAT method (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis), and as such this system is designed for exercise calories to be eaten back. However, many consider the burns given by MFP to be inflated and only eat a percentage, such as 50%, back. Others, however, are able to lose weight while eating 100% of their exercise calories.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/818082/exercise-calories-again-wtf/p1
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    KellyRose98 wrote: »
    So do I always have to eat 1200 calories? It makes exercising seem meaningless if I have to eat it back?

    Take a couple minutes to watch this video, it explains it well: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10503681/exercise-calories-do-i-eat-these-a-video-explanation/p1
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