Swimming/ Ideal Net Calories?

tedioustrainingap

I've never explored the world of calorie counting before, so I'm becoming quite confused. Any help would be much appreciated! I joined in order to help track my exercise routine but I am finding the food diary aspect helpful, in realising the nutritional deficits in my diet.

Net calories are causing me some confusion. I'm eating 1100 - 1200 calories per day but using 400 - 600 per swim, 5 days per week. So my net calories are between 500 and 800 on those days.

What net calories should I be aiming for, to stay healthy? I don't have an enormous appetite. I did need to lose around 19kg to be within a healthy weight range (18kg as of today, after 5 days of swimming), so I do need to continue to lose weight but feeling well day to day and sustainability are just as important to me. I'm swimming my way out of a lengthy battle with M.E.

IsaackGMOON

You shouldn't really be eating 1100 calories. 1200 is a minimum for women.

If you're net is really 500-800, you really need to be eating those calories back. It doesn't matter whether you don't feel hungry or if you feel satisfied, what matters is that your body obtains its caloric needs and can get micro/macro nutrients which it needs to remain healthy.

tedioustrainingap

Thank you. I'm keen on staying healthy! So (apologies for being hard work!) I should be aiming for at least 1200 net?

gdyment

If you set a goal of losing a pound a week, you'll be told to eat 1200 or so. Balance to 0 more or less each day, you'll lose the pound a week. The swimming @ 400 cals means on those days you can eat 1600 and still balance to 0, and still lose the pound/week.

Careful with the swimming though as it doesn't burn nearly as much as you'd expect. Working HARD, maybe 100 cals for every 400m/yards.

Not sure about the 1200 minimum either - I'm male and my net target is 1370?

tedioustrainingap

I see, thank you very much for your explanation!

I had thought the MFP swimming calories seemed particularly generous but the weight loss this week (2.2lb) encouraged me to believe it may be true. I see now that I've possibly just been eating too little (depending upon whether the 1200 minimum is accurate)! I'm only five days in, so I'll make some adjustments and see what happens.

Thanks again!