Calorie Deficit confusion

[nicky1306]

Hi

I am new to this and looking for some help!

I have set myself a weight loss goal of 1.5lb per week, fitbit tells me to do this I will need a calorie deficit of 750.

todays stats are as follows:

14,880 steps

2,618 cals burnt/out

1048 cals in

1,737 left to eat

my question is do I take away the 750 cals myself or has this already been done?

1,737 seems like a lot of calories left to eat, struggling to see how I will loose weight if I do this.

Thanks in advance

x

[Hummingbirt]

This is very confusing. Very. Needlessly confusing. I may but an apple watch instead. Too confusing. Makes no sense

[Dominique]

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@Hummingbirt wrote:

This is very confusing. Very. Needlessly confusing. I may but an apple watch instead. Too confusing. Makes no sense

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Maybe it would help if you explained in more details what it is about Fitbit’s way to deal with caloric deficits you find confusing.

An Apple Watch is just a device. If you want to use it for weight loss, you’d still need an app. All the device does (if you’re wearing it 24/7), whether it’s from Fitbit, Apple or anyone else, is provide an estimate of your energy expenditure (calories out). It won’t track your intake (calories in) for you: you’ll need an app for that, whether it’s Fitbit, MyFitnessPal, LoseIt etc.

[BeenThere25]

I'm sorry, but I just don't get it. Before Fitbit, I was struggling to lose weight at 1200 calories a day with exercise. I am petit and female, so how in the world could a person ever lose weight eating 3000 calories a day?

[BeenThere25]

Complicated, but I am trying to understand this. Thank you!

[Dominique]

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@BeenThere25 wrote:

I am petit and female, so how in the world could a person ever lose weight eating 3000 calories a day?

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As a petite female, you certainly won’t be able to lose weight eating 3000 calories. However, this doesn’t mean everyone else is in the same situation. Take @NilsNitro (who started this recent topic). He’s a  32-yo male, 182 cm tall ( 6"0), weighs 112 kg (249 lbs) and has a physical job that makes him very active. As such, he’s quite likely to be able to lose weight while eating 3000 calories. Size definitely matters for weight loss. So do age, gender and activity level.

[Onyxwar]

It may be because your body was going into starvation mode. I’m not sure exactly how it works but I do know that now that I’m eating more than the 900-1,100 I was I’m loosing weight. Activity is the same, I just eat more and what I do eat is more balanced. Eating more protein makes me feel better too, more energy and sleep better too. It was hard to eat more at first since I wasn’t hungry and got full easily, but it’s better now. I still don’t get hungry often but it’s not as hard to eat more. For more info on starvation mode do an internet search and check a few pages out. There’s some medical web pages that I found most useful. Hope that helps. 

[Mysticmiseray]

While I applaud your competence in the subject, the fact that there are countless threads (let a lone one I. Depth) on how to read and properly interpret the algorithm, leads me and many others to believe that the system needs some form of simplification.

This comes off as more in depth which to be fair, is useful if you put the time in to understand it.

The primary function would benefit if it's first setting was just that.

What is my caloric deficit each day? 500-1000

How many calories have I burned?

Where is my caloric deficit in relation to this?

How much more am I now allowed to eat?

What is recommended?

How much more do I have left to meet my goal this week?

I am sure this is all factored in the system, but it is not broken down clearly enough.

It is indeed in depth, but not simplified enough.

A systematic break down point by point and stay by stat would help greatly using the points illustrated.

[Onyxwar]

I did a bit more research and found that the whole starvation mode thing is bogus. Most likely what’s happening, for me anyway, was when I skipped meals I’d get really hungry and eat something really high in sugar, fat and carbs. I never realized how much fat, sugar and carbs were in the packaged junk I ate, especially granola and protein bars. Most of those are full of fats and sugar/carbs to make them taste good. I’d  also force myself to eat dinner with the family, even when I wasn’t hungry, that consisted of stuff like white flour pasta, bread and loads of fat filled sauces. Pasta is cheap and easy, it also doesn’t stick with you for long. I still eat that stuff but fill up on a large salad and lean meats before digging into the pasta. I get the satisfaction of eating the stuff I love but eat considerably less of the carb/fat filled foods, sometimes only 1/4 a serving!
If starvation mode was a real thing starvation wouldn’t happen. There are people who only eat once a day and they loose too much weight. The problem is when people don’t get enough protein, good fats and good carbs they will loose more muscle along with the fat. 
I just got a scale that measures fat, muscle, water and bone mass. What I discovered is that my fat went down, muscle up and water up. So when I thought I put on weight or didn’t loose I was actually holding onto water and gaining muscle. Water weight was worst just before and at the start of my monthly cycle and also the day after I ate a lot of sodium filled stuff.
Anyone who thinks they are not loosing weight may want to look into getting a scale that checks fat and muscle %, as well as water weight and bone mass. I got a nice one at Target for $35, not much more than one without those options. Just do some research and look at reviews before buying one, some of the less expensive ones are better than the more expensive ones according to reviews. 
As we loose weight our bodies need fewer calories to maintain weight. Making sure you have a good balance of macros when dropping calorie intake will help a lot in loosing the right weight (fat not muscle). It’s also important to log EVERYTHING! That includes things as small as a piece of gum, cough drops, gummy vitamins, a taste test of something being cooked, the stuff some people put in their water flavoring and so on. My son loves powders that flavor water. I personally wouldn’t add that stuff due to all sodium and sometimes sugars. 
I wish everyone who is trying to loose weight the best of luck. Just keep in mind that this is a process and takes time. Crash diets don’t work in the long run. Find something you can maintain for life. Otherwise all the weight will come right back on. And do NOT deprive yourself of the foods you love. Just eat smaller amounts less often. That will help make maintenance so much easier!

[Gigi2355]

Very well said.

[Nichlk]

That's nice,,

[Nichlk]

great reply