Net Calories Under Weekly Goal

picasso66

I recently switched to MFP from Weight Watchers to save $$ but I've been struggling to fully understand how to actually do this. I'm consistently under my calorie goal and have a green negative number at the end of the evening. This week it shows I have a "Net Calories Under Weekly Goal" of 1759. From what I've seen, folks are praised on their newsfeed for being "under calorie goal" and sometimes I see folks with upward of 700 calories left over. I usually have about 200-300 leftover yet I'm not losing weight. Am I doing this all wrong and the net should be 0 at the end of the night and actually match the 1200 caloric goal after exercise from Fitbit is factored in? I'm actually eating more than the 1200 but with exercise, the net ends up in the 600-800 range.

I'm just wondering what I'm doing wrong. Before folks ask me to share my diary, I haven't yet gotten to the point where I'm ready to do this. I've noticed there are a lot of judgmental folks who have been successful and rather than being helpful, they critique in a very non-helpful way. I'm not here to be judged or criticized. I'm here because I have the desire to be healthy and lose weight and I'm learning a new way of living. Up until now, I lost 63 lbs on Weight watchers but I'd like to understand how some of the folks who lost 75+ pounds did it with MFP. If you've gotten this far, thank you for reading and hopefully shedding some light.

malibu927

Are you logging every bite that goes into your mouth and using a food scale to weigh everything? This is the type of thing opening your food diary would let us see immediately. Usually those who aren't losing are eating more than they think and/or burning less than you think.

Ideally, you should have 0 calories left over.

picasso66

Yes, I weigh everything as I was doing weight watchers before this so that I'm definitely doing that. I burn about 800-1000 exercise calories a day and usually eat some of that to balance out and leave a couple hundred leftover. But if I'm supposed to have 0 at end of night then it may be that I'm not eating enough even though I think I am. I eat 3x a day with 2 snacks

editorgrrl

picasso66 wrote: »

Am I doing this all wrong and the net should be 0 at the end of the night and actually match the 1200 caloric goal after exercise from Fitbit is factored in?

Your MFP calorie goal has your deficit built in, so you're supposed to eat within 100-ish calories of your goal.

Connect your accounts at http://www.myfitnesspal.com/fitbit

Set your goal to .5 lb. for every 25 lbs. you're overweight: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/change_goals_guided

Enable negative calorie adjustments: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/diary_settings

Ignore your Fitbit calorie goal and follow MFP's, eating back your adjustments. No need to log any step-based activity—your Fitbit is tracking it for you. Log non-step exercise (like swimming or biking) either in Fitbit or in MFP—never both. Exercise logged in MFP overwrites your Fitbit burn during that time.

You can learn more in the Fitbit Users group: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/1290-fitbit-users

picasso66

I have everything set in Fitbit as you recommend. What I was looking for was your answer about 100ish goal. Now I realize I haven't been eating enough to account for the Fitbit adjustments. I will try this and pray it works.

editorgrrl

If you follow my instructions, you'll be eating TDEE minus a reasonable deficit for your size. But you still have to log everything you eat & drink accurately and honestly. Logging works.

To understand how MFP works, read the Sexypants post: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1

snowflakesav

If you are doing exactly as you did with weight watchers that means that you may not be tracking fruit and vegetable calories.

yirara

picasso66 wrote: »

Yes, I weigh everything as I was doing weight watchers before this so that I'm definitely doing that. I burn about 800-1000 exercise calories a day and usually eat some of that to balance out and leave a couple hundred leftover. But if I'm supposed to have 0 at end of night then it may be that I'm not eating enough even though I think I am. I eat 3x a day with 2 snacks

How do you measure that and what do you do to actually burn such high numbers? It seems rather unlikely unless you do full power sports for more than 2 hours each day.

picasso66

I walk on the treadmill at the gym every day for 60 minutes at 4-6 incline. I work out with a personal trainer 3x a week and I take hour walks in the evening with my husband. I am notanually adding exercises into MFP, I let Firbit handle that. I use a scale to weigh all my food, including all my fruits (2-3 per day). I also weigh the oil or any caloric condiments.

picasso66

For instance, today I have 15.000 steps so far and did 1/2 hour strength training and in MFP it shows 1131 under the exercise column. Is that unheard of?? Again, I'm asking to correct whatever I may be doing wrong.

editorgrrl

picasso66 wrote: »

For instance, today I have 15.000 steps so far and did 1/2 hour strength training and in MFP it shows 1131 under the exercise column. Is that unheard of?? Again, I'm asking to correct whatever I may be doing wrong.

Click on the adjustment in your exercise diary to see the math MFP used to calculate it. It will say how many calories MFP expects you to burn every day (activity level minus deficit) and what MFP thinks your Fitbit burn will be at 11:59 p.m. tonight.

mommyvudu

I've read that there are a lot of overestimates of calories burned when it comes to exercise on this site. I've seen that statement made by others a few times in the past, but I'm not sure whether it's true or not. I tend to research what I'm doing and try to be conservative in my estimations. Better I short myself workout calories than give too much credit and accidentally eat a couple hundred extra calories a day!

editorgrrl

mommydie wrote: »

I've read that there are a lot of overestimates of calories burned when it comes to exercise on this site. I've seen that statement made by others a few times in the past, but I'm not sure whether it's true or not.

Your Fitbit burn is TDEE—way more accurate than any online calculator. The only way to gauge the accuracy of any device is to trust it for a few weeks, then reevaluate your progress. I eat back 100% of my Fitbit adjustments, lost the weight, and have kept it off for more than a year.

But you still have to log everything you eat & drink accurately & honestly.