Calorie Deficeit ?
 

Can anyone please explain that.
Thanks

Let me take a stab at it. :)

Our bodies burn a certain amount of calories every day from exercise and regular activities of daily life.

If we eat the same number of calories that we burn, we're in calorie equilibrium. Our calories in = our calories out. Our stored fat stays the same.

If we eat more calories than we burn, we're in a calorie surplus. Our calories in are greater than our calories burned. Our bodies store the extra calories as fat. The scale goes up.

If we eat fewer calories than we burn, we're in a calorie deficit. Our calories in are less than our calories burned. So our bodies turn to stored fat for energy to make up the deficit. We lose fat. The scale goes down.

For example, let's say we want to lose 10 pounds of fat. Each pound of fat consists of 3500 stored calories. Stored fat looks like Crisco oil filling up our fat cells and is waiting there to provide energy for us. So we have 10 X 3500 calories = 35,000 calories that we need to burn off in order to get rid of the 10 pounds of stored fat.

In order to make our bodies use up those 35,000 stored calories, we need to create a 35,000 calorie deficit, which is the difference between the calories we eat and the calories we burn. Obviously we can't create that big of a calorie deficit in one day (darn it!) So most people recommend trying to create a 500 - 1000 calorie per day deficit, which is another way of saying eating 500 - 1000 calories less than one burns in a day. That translates into a fat loss of 1 - 2 pounds a week.

Calorie deficits can be create either through eating fewer calories or burning more calories through exercise, but preferably a combination of both. So if we eat 500 fewer calories a day and exercise to burn off an additional 500 calories, we've created a 1000 calorie deficit for the day. And we'd theoretically lose about 2 pounds a week, though that can be quite variable.

Does this make sense? :)

Well I see Meg's been here already.

nuf' said. ;)

Wow that's an awesome explaination!! Thanks Meg.

Robin, your stats are INCREDIBILE!!! WOW!!! Calorie Counting?

This is what I read that helped me to be a calorie counter.

Principles
Weight management may be difficult to achieve, but it certainly is not difficult to understand. When you consume food or drink, you consume calories. Your body burns calories to function, burning significantly more calories when you exercise. If you consume more calories than you burn, you gain weight. If you consume fewer calories than you burn, you lose weight.
Because your body requires energy simply to stay alive, you burn calories even when you are not exercising. In fact, you burn calories directly in proportion to your body weight. On average, a male burns 11 calories per day per pound of body weight. The average female burns 10 calories per day per pound of body weight. These figures are just averages. Some people will be higher or lower, since everyone's metabolism is a little different. Fitness Record allows you to specify the value which is appropriate for you. If you don't know, it is suggested that you start by using the average value for your gender.
For example, if John weighs 150 pounds, he burns approximately 150 x 11 = 1,650 calories per day. If he exercises, he will burn additional calories on top of that, depending on the exercise activity. However, if he does not exercise, he must eat 1,650 calories per day, just to maintain his body weight. If he eats more, he will gain weight. If he eats less, he'll lose weight.
For the purpose of calculating expected weight gain/loss, one pound is 3,500 calories. Each time you consume an extra 3,500 calories more than you burn, you will gain a pound. For example, Jane weighs 130 pounds, never exercises, and eats exactly 1,400 calories every day. Her metabolism is burning 1,300 calories per day, so she are consuming an extra 100 calories each day. If she does this indefinitely, she will gain a pound in 35 days, since 35 * 100 = 3,500.
Fitness Record uses another term, called Behavioral Weight. The idea is that over the long term, your weight is determined by your behaviors, and is best illustrated by example. Consider Jane above, who eats 1,400 calories per day. After 35 days of this behavior, she will weigh 131, instead of 130. This means her metabolism will burn slightly more calories than before. If she continues to eat 1,400 calories every day, she will continue to gain weight, but at a slightly slower pace. Eventually, she will weigh 140, at which time her metabolism will be burning 1,400 calories every day. At this point, she will stop gaining weight, since she is consuming the same number of calories that she burns. Therefore, by eating 1,400 calories in a day, Jane is behaving like a 140 pound person. Her "behavioral weight" is 140.
Exercise contributes to your calories burned. If Jane were to exercise, burning an additional 100 calories each day, then her calories burned would be in balance with her calories consumed. She could eat 1,400 calories per day, exercise 100 calories per day, and continue to way 130 indefinitely.
You may now be asking, "Why can't I just eat low fat foods?" You can eat whatever you want. But, non-fat foods can still have calories. Check the food label to find out if eating the non-fat version of a food is really saving you any calories -- sometimes it's not. Many programs recommend moderating your dietary fat intake, and that is obviously good advice. Eating low-fat foods happens to be an excellent guideline for keeping your calorie intake low. In addition, moderating your dietary fat intake may contribute to your health in other ways. However, it will not alter the mathematics of weight management -- you still have to eat fewer calories than you burn if you want to lose weight.
The problem with the way the human body works is that calories counting is tedious and difficult. Most weight-loss programs, as well as the so-called "fad diets", focus on other guidelines which are simpler to follow than calorie counting. However, none of these guidelines alter the underlying principles of weight management.

Here is a good website that helps get ya started~
www.caloriescount.com

thank you!

Yes, calorie counting COMBINED with eating mostly a whole foods (veggies, fruits, low fat proteins, SF/NF yogurt) diet while avoiding the sugar & refined carbs. Basically avoiding grains in general, include the whole wheat variety. Oh and adding in exercise including strength training.

Lori, just saw your picture...OMG!!! Unreal...your stats are INCREDIBILE as well. You are all so inspiring....
Thank you for the explaination. I have printed yours and Megs and will read, and re-read them.
Robin it's funny that you avoid the whole wheat and grain things, I found them very bloating, so I stay clear of them. I'm a big veggie person. Not so much fruit though. As for sugar, I do have my jack and diet coke on Saturday night:D:D. I also added Leslie Sansone's 2 mile Super Walk in...
I so appreciate each of your input back to me.
Thanks so much. I will let you all know how I'm doing. This board keeps me so motivated to continue counting calories. I'm lovin' it!!

P.S.

Oh, Lori, thanks for the website...it's great!!

Your so welcome & thanks so much~Maybe try http://www.caloriecontrol.org/exercalc.html
Too It's a great site to learn how many calories you burn for everyday things from dancing to walking to even doing the dishes!!
or the same site different page For all kinds of cool stuff For calorie counters~http://www.caloriecontrol.org/healthy-weight-tool-kit


GOODLUCK!!!

WOW Lori, thank you SO much,,,these website are FAB!! Love them both...Thank you!!

YW~L.J. ~keep in touch~Let me know how it all goes for you!!

I also had a hard time wrapping my head around the whole idea of the calorie deficit idea. BUT thanks to everyones great posts I get it now!!!! I have been counting calories for 3 weeks and this week didn't lose anything....so I added some EXTRA time on the elliptical and started keeping better track of calories in. (i have a habit of eating handfuls of things and not counting....BAD IDEA)