Calories Goal / Weight loss

[OVOJayYz]

Hi everyone,

Without exercise, I burn 2600 - 2800 calories per day. I just started a food plan with a deficit of -1000 calories per day for my goal to lose weight. I read everywhere that someone at my age, weight , height should eat around 1500 - 1800 calories per day in order to lose weight. If I do the math everything is perfect. I burn 2800 calories - 1000 deficit = 1800 calories I should eat as I read everywhere. 

The part I don't understand is why my Fitbit calories burn goal was generated at 3330 ? That means I could eat up to 2330 calories which is far from 1800. 

I started to go to the gym 4 days a week. On these 4 days I burn in average 3500 calories per day but still try to eat around 1500 - 1800 calories per day.

My question : Should I move my calories goal to 2800 to match the food plan ? All the training I do will then just be extra calories ? Or should I try to eat more and stay under -1000 deficit ? (meaning if I brun 3500 calories I need to eat 2500 calories)

I am a little bit lost with the calories burn goal and I am not sure I understand it properly. My main goal it to lose weight. I go to the gym 4 times per week. I skip breakfast, eat lunch and dinner (mostly chicken and turkey) . I am not sure how I should setup my account to really meet my needs.

Thank you for taking the time.

[JohnnyRow]

I would start right at your first sentence.

"Without exercise, I burn 2600 - 2800 calories per day."  Exactly how are you getting that?  Is that measure by Fitbit?  Is that total calorie burn for the day, or is it your BMR?

[OVOJayYz]

It's what my fitbit charge 5 says I burn when I look at my dashboard at the end of the day. Does that help ? 

[JohnnyRow]

Did you set a goad weight in Fitbit?  If so, doesn't Fitbit handle all this for you, without you doing outside research and trying to add your own figuring on top of Fitbit's recommendations?

[OVOJayYz]

Yes I did. I am just trying to understand what I am seeing. For exemple, today I trained and as per my Fitbit I lost 3500 calories. I logged my food and ate 1500 calories. Fitbit would want me to be -1000 calories deficit to realize my goal. If I follow that pattern from fitbit, I should ate 2500 calories instead of 1500 since I burned 3500.

I am trying to understand why my Fitbit calories goal is at 3300 per default. If reach my calorie goal everyday it would mean I need to eat 2300 calories to be in the -1000 food plan goal and I do find a lot.

[JohnnyRow]

It sounds like you are saying you are happy eating 1500 calories a day.  If that is the case, why are you even dealing with a plan to lose weight?

It sounds to me like you want a plan to lose weight but it's not extreme enough for you.

I really can't help you with the details.  My suggestion would be to just trust the plan fitbit sets out for you and see if it works.  But that's up to you.  Do whatever seems right for you.

[Gershon]

I log my calories. I eat when I've burned enough calories to eat another meal. I get my deficit between supper and midnight. May not work for those who go to bed late.

I'm always planning ahead a meal, so when I eat, I log the next meal. 

If a person doesn't lose weight after a couple of weeks of doing this, log a phantom meal of a couple hundred calories at the beginning of the day and see what happens.