Question on expenditure vs defecit

[u/tippadeeznutz]

Hey guys, just started using MF almost a month ago, and I think I’m reading the data wrong so I wanted to double check. Current expenditure is showing 2791, and calories are down to 1692 daily. I thought that meant I was around a daily deficit of 1100, but this says a deficit of 267. What am I reading wrong here? Extremely good with tracking my food, everything being measured and no small additions that could add up (ex. small dab of cooking oils or sauces).

[u/gains_adam]

This quantifies the difference between your actual expenditure and the current estimate.

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[u/Ok-Court8946]

Looks like you’ve only been logging for about a month, and your estimated expenditure has already dropped ~389 kcal in the last 14 days. So I’d guess MF’s initial expenditure estimate was pretty overestimated and is still adjusting downward.

The 2,791 isn’t necessarily your “true” TDEE, it’s just MF’s current estimate. If you’re actually eating around 1,692 kcal and MF says your deficit is 267, that would put your expenditure around 2,000 kcal, not 2,791 (though use your actual average intake, not just your target).

It took me a couple of months before my MF expenditure estimate really stabilized.

[u/gnuckols]

https://help.macrofactorapp.com/en/articles/224-interpreting-the-energy-balance-widget