How To Create Calorie Deficits for Weight Loss | How to Use MyFitness Pal

Weight loss seems like a magic trick to accomplish some days. But I promise, it’s much easier than that! In order to lose weight you need to be in a calorie deficit. Pretty simple, right?

There are a a couple ways to create a calorie deficit.

You can create that deficit in 2 ways:

1. Nutrition
2. Exercise

You can eat less calories per day than normal to create the deficit. Or you can move more than normal to create that deficit. You can do both if you want to be fancy!

✨Creating a Calorie Deficit with Nutrition✨

Eating 200-300 less calories per day over a period of time can help create the deficit you may need. This can be done easily by swapping that sugar filled soda for water instead. Maybe you can swap out that cheeseburger for lettuce burger wrap. Small changes can lead to huge results!

✨Creating a Calorie Deficit with Exercise✨

If you choose to move more, that can also create the calorie deficit. The more you move, the more calories your body burns. If you haven’t been very active for awhile, adding in a 30 minute workout will create that deficit. Increase the intensity (put in more effort during that 30 minute workout)and it will burn even more!

The issue with weight loss occurs when people decide to move more, but also eat more. It defeats the purpose. Yes, you may feel a bit hungrier because you were more active. That’s actually a great sign. But you want to choose foods that are nutrient dense when you do decide to eat, and be mindful not to overeat so that you don’t cancel out the calories burned. Thus, no longer being in a calorie deficit.

✨How To REALLY Use MyFitnessPal to Track Calories✨

If you have 0 calories remaining, that means there was no deficit for the day. The amount of food you consumed, and the amount of movement/exercising you did were exactly the same for the day.

If you have (-) calories remaining, this means you overate for the day or didn’t move enough for the day. You want to avoid this if you are trying to lose weight.

If you have calories remaining, you are at a deficit! This is what you want if you are trying to lose weight or body fat (yes, there is a difference)

And FYI: just because MyFitnessPal tells you that you have calories remaining, doesn’t mean you need to eat that many more calories. If you consume those calories remaining… you are no longer in a deficit because the app is calculating the calories in and calories out.

Also, this is not my total consumed calories for the day. I’ll be consuming more! And I’ll be moving more too! 😜

The more you know, the easier this journey can be and I want to help make this easy for you!

So tell me…Would you prefer to move more or eat less to create your deficit?

What other questions do you have that I didn’t answer? I’m happy to help! Someone else may have the very same question!