Question about caloric deficit calculation

[SPEEED]

When calculating your deficit (say 500 cals a day below maintenance), do you factor actual exercise as well?

I understand that maintenance level is derived from your activity level, but that’s more of a ‘global figure’ that gives you a rough estimate of calories you burn on an average day.

What I’m referring to, is your daily calorie counting…. Let’s say for argument’s sake, your maintenance is 2,500 cals, and you go 500 below that to lose fat.

Do you:

1) Eat 2,000 cals (500 below maintenance) AND exercise (not counting calories burnt through exercising)

Or

2) Eat 2,500 cals (at your activity level) AND factor in 500 worth of calories burnt through exercising – thereby creating a deficit of 500 calories through exercising

Reason I’m asking is that I use MyFitnessPal to track my calories and macros. The app factors exercises (assuming you log them of course) as part of the calculation towards your net calories on the day.

So if my maintenance is 2,500, and I consume 2,000, and on top of that log 500 worth of calories burnt through exercising, then now I’m 1,000 cals below maintenance.

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance

[mavajo]

#1. I don't eat back exercise calories.

IMO, unless you are extremely active or do excessive amounts of cardio, calculate your deficit based on sedentary TDEE and consider any exercise to just be a bonus to your deficit.

[matman1813]

You eat 500 below maintenance. You find maintenance by analysing rate of change in weight at a given intake, not a calculator in the internet.

[skyjumper]

You eat 500 below maintenance. You find maintenance by analysing rate of change in weight at a given intake, not a calculator in the internet.

Yes but its good to have a starting point. His question is a good one, one that I had as well. My thinking on it is that when you put in your activity level, you should put in what a normal work / play day looks like. If you work at a desk all day long and don't normally work out, then sedentary. If you move furniture for a living then up the activity level quite a bit. If you have a desk job but meet the guys for basketball a few times a week then you're active 3 times per week.

But as a guy above said, I look at extra workout beyond my normal activity (that I would do if not cutting) as a bonus. All that thing is doing is calculating your deficit. From a purely fat loss standpoint, you can do more cardio and eat a bit more, or do less/no cardio and eat less. Just keep in mind that properly estimating cals burned from activity is very difficult, even for the online calculator.

[matman1813]

Yes but its good to have a starting point. His question is a good one, one that I had as well. My thinking on it is that when you put in your activity level, you should put in what a normal work / play day looks like. If you work at a desk all day long and don't normally work out, then sedentary. If you move furniture for a living then up the activity level quite a bit. If you have a desk job but meet the guys for basketball a few times a week then you're active 3 times per week.

But as a guy above said, I look at extra workout beyond my normal activity (that I would do if not cutting) as a bonus. All that thing is doing is calculating your deficit. From a purely fat loss standpoint, you can do more cardio and eat a bit more, or do less/no cardio and eat less. Just keep in mind that properly estimating cals burned from activity is very difficult, even for the online calculator.

What? Why do you need a starting point? Start at 2500, keep overall intake the same on a weekly basis, adjust accordingly if you are not losing at your desired rate. It's not rocket science.

[skyjumper]

What? Why do you need a starting point? Start at 2500, keep overall intake the same on a weekly basis, adjust accordingly if you are not losing at your desired rate. It's not rocket science.

Why 2,500?

[MCrow]

The best thing to do is not eat back all of the exercise calories.

The issue is it is very hard to get a good estimate on how many calories you burn from exercise and it is very easy to over estimate.

What I recommend is to set an absolute calorie goal, regardless of exercise, and don't worry about exercise calories much.

For me, I set 2000 calories. I eat 2000 calories every day.

The only exception is on days where I know I'm doing more exercise/activity than normal.

So, I workout 4 times per week and eat 2000 calories 7 days a week.

If I were to do something like go hiking (something not part of my normal routine) for a day, I'll eat a few hundred more calories that day.


Set a reasonable goal for calorie intake and just eat that everyday. I estimate I burn and average I burn around 2800 (with workouts included) calories a day. If I eat 2000 a day I will have a 5600 calorie per week deficit. I'm really only aiming for a pound a week loss so this leaves me a little wiggle room for margin of error.

[matman1813]

Why 2,500?

Why not? Any starting figure you get is an estimate anyway.

[biggoron]

Don't eat back exercise cals unless you want to bulk. It's a bonus deficit. Calculate for zero exercise to get the lowest number.

[SPEEED]

Thanks all. Very appreciated.

[skyjumper]

Why not? Any starting figure you get is an estimate anyway.

Because for some people, it is very high and for others it is very low. I'm 49 and I have a desk job. The calculator says my TDEE is 1,869 and its probably a good estimate within a few hundred either way. If I start at 2,500 then I'm already nearly 700 high. A 5ft 1in, 25yo 130 pound female has a TDEE of 1,528. If she starts at 2,500, she is at a 1,000 calorie surplus.

Best to get a good estimate of what it probably is, then start adjusting from there.

[Tommy W.]

Maintenance changes EVERY DAY. Maintenance is BMR plus activity for the day. BMR of 1,900 and 600 cals exerted for the day would have you consuming 2,500 cals for the day to stay even, or 2,000 cals and additional 500 over maintenance the. FOLLOWING day to make up for it, It's best to work off of a weekly calorie equation actually and is a lot less stressful.