Weekly Cal View...what does the defcit represent?

Poniesarepretty
Poniesarepretty Posts: 77 Member
edited December 18 in Food and Nutrition
example, last week i was 1967 net calories under my weekly goal....does that mean i did poorly brcause i am shooting for 3500 per week for a 1lb loss?

I am sure that this is a dumb question but any help would be greatly appreciated!

Replies

  • roachhaley
    roachhaley Posts: 978 Member
    i'm not 100% sure, but i think it's how many calories you were under your goal. because mine always seems too big.
  • Poniesarepretty
    Poniesarepretty Posts: 77 Member
    Hmmm so that means instead of operating at a 3500 cal deficit i actualyy did 3500 PLUS 1967?
  • jclist1
    jclist1 Posts: 87 Member
    Hmmm so that means instead of operating at a 3500 cal deficit i actualyy did 3500 PLUS 1967?

    Correct. Under your goal beyond your already calculated deficit
  • SouthernSweetie74
    SouthernSweetie74 Posts: 844
    Yes, I think that's what it means. Your goal for calories is set beneath what you actually need for the day to do all that you do. So, if you fail to reach your calorie goal, you actually have a higher deficit. But from what I've read on the boards, you need to eat enough to fuel your body. I'm pretty sure an expert will come along in a minute and explain this. :)

    Have a great day!
  • pduckworth
    pduckworth Posts: 133
    Curious about this as well. Nutrition experts, where are yoooouuuu?
  • tryinghard71
    tryinghard71 Posts: 593
    bump
  • indrani1947
    indrani1947 Posts: 178 Member
    depends on your daily allowance if you are eating at 1200-1400 calories it means you are consistantly under 1200 watch your metabolism doesn't go into starvation. If you are doing zig zag calories with a couple of high days and a couple under 1000 you should be OK
  • amruden
    amruden Posts: 228 Member
    it is the total of numbers Calories you were UNDER each day of your goal.


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    Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Nutrition Facts For Foods
  • grex1949
    grex1949 Posts: 125 Member
    MFP computes your daily net calorie goal building in a deficit based on the amount of weight you would like to shed each week. For example, since a pound is generally considered equal to 3500 calories, your weekly goal will be 500 calories a day less than what you need to maintain your weight, assuming the level of activity you filled out in settings, your age, your gender, your weight, etc. So, the calorie deficit to lose weight is built into the goal calorie figure.
    When you eat less than the goal calorie figure, you are not "on the program", but doing it your own way instead. Subtracting calories from the goal is not a good idea for that reason, it seems to me.
    Also, the net daily calorie goal will remain the same, but exercise will move the target up, so a person with a 1250 calorie goal who burns 800 calories on a given day will have to eat another 800 calories to arrive at the original goal.
    It's pretty simple, I think. Strive to reach the daily calorie goal, and over the long term, you will lose weight at the rate you selected. Eat substantially less than the daily calorie goal on a regular basis, and you may run into health issues.
  • Queerdrummer
    Queerdrummer Posts: 3 Member
    Depends on how you established your goals. What I do is set everything at "sedentary" + "1 lb loss/week". Then I estimate & enter my activity level (keep in mind this website, same as most others, tends to overestimate calories burned, so I usually enter 10-15 minutes less than I actually did) and aim to eat whatever the adjusted goal is. So if my sedentary maintenance level is 1900, this website would calculate my goal based on 1 lb loss per week, at 1400. Then if I burn an additional 400 calories running or whatever, the goal would automatically go up to 1800 and you need to eat approximately 1800 to have a 500 calorie deficit (for that day). If I want that same deficit but don't do any exercise (I work a desk job) my goal for the day would stay at 1400.

    Make sense? If you calculated that deficit in by entering 1 lb loss/week, and then ended the day with your goal saying you were still 500 calories under goal, you would *actually* have a 1000 calorie deficit for that day.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    It means you are that many cals under your MFP goal. Your MFP goals USUALLY accounts for a weight loss deficit, so there is no need to be significantly under your MFP target.
  • Poniesarepretty
    Poniesarepretty Posts: 77 Member
    Got it! Thanks so much for the help. Looks like i haven't been eating enough, which might explain the stall in my weekly losses...started playing competatuve tennis again and havent been great at logging the exercise calories. I will rework my settings and see how it helps. Glad that i took the time to ask and that you all were so awesome in your replies!
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