Quick RMR and calorie deficit question :)

[sprks79]

Ok, a quick question on RMR. As I understand the RMR is the basic calories needed to survive. I have also been told it is better to figure out all of the calories I burn in a regular day including exercise.


As an example : Mon - 5301 Calories burned this day

Tues- 2098

Wed- 5301

Thurs-3268

Fri -3919

Sat -2666

Sun -2666


Now, my question, we all understand that in order to lose a single pound that one must have a deficit of 3500 calories, is it as simple as taking my daily burned through activities and lowering intake by 500 or 1000 calories? All of the above numbers include my exercise routine which is approximately 3 hours daily and includes HIIT on tues and thurs. Also on Tues and Fri I do intermittent fasting. All numbers came from various calorie burned calculators and include even the little things such as showering and brushing teeth (as odd as it may sound, just wanted to be as close as possible). I understand that not all calculators are accurate. I am just wondering if my assumptions are correct.



Topic question - does my calorie deficit come from daily burn.


5301 burned

- 500 deficit

=4801 needed for the day?


Thanks for your time.

 

[PLB]

Technically, yes. If you're trying to create a 500 kcal per day deficit, then you should take your total calories burned in a day and subtract 500 kcal.... However, try to avoid getting too caught up in the calculations and remember that they are just ESTIMATES. If your main goal is weight loss, the simplest thing to do would be to pick a daily caloric target (for example 2400 kcal per day) based on your current weight and taking into account how many calories you currently eat, and carry on with your exercise routine as usual for a few weeks. If you are noticing gradual weight loss (think 1% of your total bodyweight per week max.), then that is a good caloric intake for you (for now). If you don't find that you're losing any weight, then decrease your daily caloric intake slightly (200-250 kcal per day) and see what happens over the next few weeks.


Keep in mind that most people underestimate the calories that they eat and drastically overestimate the calories that they burn through activity. So you can do as many calculations as you like, but you're likely not going to come up with accurate numbers unless you have access to high tech metabolic testing equipment.


I would suggest that you read this article http://body-improvements.com/resources/eat/. It is long, but it should answer a lot of questions you may have and simplify things for you.


Hope that helps!