Help needed

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Hi.

I need some help with how to work out my calorie deficit, every website I have been on explains it differently and it’s getting confusing. Can anyone help me with a step by step guide on how to do this please?

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  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,627 Member
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    Don't compare different websites, because all will use different parameters to calculate. Since you are HERE, presumably you want to use MFP. And... that is what most of us will be most familiar with (though many of us are familiar with other platforms as well).

    Input your details into MFP. Your age, height, current weight, goal weight, and activity level. To start with, I generally advise to NOT include intentional exercise in your activity level UNLESS you are already VERY consistent with it and have been for a VERY long time. You will add in your intentional exercise (if you do any) in your diary daily. You then enter your preferred rate of loss. Faster is not better. Though it is TEMPTING (and we've ALL been there), it is almost always harder to stick to, therefore making it easier to fail. The easier you make it for yourself, the more likely you are to succeed, even if it takes longer. Which is more important- losing it fast and gaining it back or giving up or losing it slowly and KEEPING it off? Once you do all that, MFP will give you a total number of calories to eat each day. You will log the food you eat in your diary (learn how to weigh your food on a food scale and log properly), and the diary will subtract what you eat automatically. To start with, I dont worry about macros, just with calories (unless you are diabetic or have other issues requiring attention to carbs or protein or other macros). If you workout, you will add that exercise in your diary, and MFP will add in extra calories for you to eat BACK. Here is where it can get a little tricky. MFP is known to overestimate those calories. Most people will start by eating back about HALF of what MFP estimates, and watch and see what their weight does OVER TIME (you have to give it more than a couple of weeks), If you are losing faster or slower than what you had input, you will eat back more or less exercise calories (or calories in general IF your logging is correct). It is easy to think you are logging correctly but not be, so if it has been several weeks and you are not losing, open up your diary and come ask us to take a look and we can usually tell if you are doing it correctly or not.

    I hope that helps! It can be tricky at first, there is a bit of a learning curve, but it really isnt hard. It just takes a little bit to get used to doing it.
    Useful Links
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1234699/logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide/p1
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1296011/calorie-counting-101/p1
  • Lnchace
    Lnchace Posts: 14 Member
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