Gross vs Net Cal intake

donjtomasco

I asked this earlier and was told by a few that as a male, I should at a MINIMUM consume 1,500 cal per day, which takes into account -500 per day for a 1 pound loss per week.

Just to be sure, is this the total consumption during each day or the adjusted after accounting for working out.

So if I burn 300 calories on the treadmill should I WANT to eat those 300 more, or if I feel good at eating my 1,500 can I keep those as a credit?

What I would like to do this time is never go under what a minimum caloric intake per day would be. I am also lifting and doing cardio, so I don't want to eat into any muscle growth.

Oh and if it matters, I am 54 and 5'10", currently at 198 down from 214 in week 5 now. My weight loss per week has been 6.4 week 1, 3.0 week 2, 1.6 week 3, 5.2 week 4 (which was a surprise).

Thank you!

SezxyStef

Yes if you are following MFP method you should be eating back exercise calories. I typically eat until I net 1200 min and I will look at weekly and daily goals both. I don't consider them banked per say but if I go over on a Friday night and I was under most of the week it's all good.

Based on what I can see you are losing very fast....prob too fast.

If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal
If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal
If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal
If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal
If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal

The first week can be accounted for with water weight...but the rest of the time...eh.

DeficitDuchess

Basically no matter how much you desire to lose, your minimum intake is 1,500 calories; for even 2 pounds a week before exercise. If you only desire to lose 1 pound a week, your minimum intake is 2,000 calories; before exercise & you should just eat back, half of those exercise calories earned; since many calorie burn estimates are unrealistically high.

terbusha

I wouldn't recommend eating less than 1800 cal/day as a guy. Plus, if you can eat more and lose ~1-2 lbs/week, do it! What I do and what I recommend to people is to eat at a calorie level that allows you to make good progress towards your goal. If you are trying to lose weight, eat so you drop 1-2 lbs/week. This assumes an average calorie burn from you getting in all of your workouts. This will be different for everyone, so you'll have to do some trial and error to figure it out. I'd start ~2200 cal/day. Hit this goal, along with your macros and getting in your workouts, for 2 weeks. If you lose 1-2 lbs/week, you're good to go. If you lose too much, increase your intake and repeat. If you don't lose enough, reduce your intake a bit and repeat. After a few cycles, you'll figure out what works for you in your situation.

donjtomasco

Thanks to you all. SexxyStef, I think what is happening is I am not logging my lifting, because I have been doing it so slowly with my bad hip that I got replaced this last Monday. It is very difficult to come up with a net cal burn on lifting, plus, I am not a big lifter, but I still work the upper body and will work the lower when I recover from my surgery. I think I am accurate, yet most likely I errr on the side of logging on the higher intake side of things. It just gets to be too much work and takes too much time to get the food "that" accurate, and I don't want to get so serious that I weigh every little thing. I know when I use 1 tablespoon of butter because I cut to the line. If I get a chicken burger from Chik-fil-A, it is 330 or 340 calories, but I only eat one of the buns but log the total, so that I don't have to worry about missing the other way, which I am sure happens here and there.

But for sure, I will not want to go lower then between 185. Last year over 12 weeks I went below 185 and tried to maintain 180-185, and I just felt weak. I have learned on MFP to listen to your body, and I did this after last year. HOWEVER, if I am feeling really good at 185 this time, I will try to get to 180, since that is closer to what is considered healthy for someone my age. I am an avid tennis player, and it is not easy counting those calories either. I tend to have to cover my partner in doubles, so I burn more then websites estimate, but again, I err on the lower side.

Which is why my question was centered around if I should be consuming my gross or net (burned) calories. Most days I hit 1,800, but I have not (up till now) been eating back my 200-300 burned (not including my lifting which is nominal). So I figured at worse, if I was wrong, I would at least be hitting 1,500. But now I will shoot for 1,800 which would include eating back calories since you people confirmed that this should be what I should do. And, I am losing a little more then I need to be.

BUT, since I was overweight, I wanted to know as many pounds off as possible regardless of the pain in my hip, since rehab and pain after surgery is directly correlated to how overweight one is. Which is why my loss was higher. And mission accomplished, because I think my hip muscles were stronger by last Monday, and I was actually up and walking (gingerly and slowly) without a cane or walker that same afternoon. (The Anterior Surgery for total hip replacement is REALLY a beautiful thing). I am utilizing a cane now for safety, but my pain I think is less then I read and was told it should be, so this was a big goal for my weight loss. Now I would like to get back to 1-2 pounds a week so I can 'possibly' feel better this time when I get to 185.

Thanks again for your comments. I LOVE this site. So so so helpful for reasons like y'alls help!!!!!

SezxyStef

Just so you know you are eating less than a lot of women here...

I am 5 ft 7 150lbs and 43 and I maintain on 2200-2500 depending on my walk etc...I lose on 1800.

food for thought.

donjtomasco

MFP calculated my daily goal at 1970, add 500 a day for the pound per week, and my maintain is 2,470. What am I missing here?

SezxyStef

donjtomasco wrote: »

MFP calculated my daily goal at 1970, add 500 a day for the pound per week, and my maintain is 2,470. What am I missing here?

that's without exercise...so if you exercise there is more calories to consume.

donjtomasco

We are on the same page. Like I said in my last message, I will be eating back the calories that I burn now. Thanks!

JeromeBarry1

Yes to all the above. When your food logging is accurate, you can get a clear idea why your weight loss is happening. As you've described, your food logging is not and won't be accurate. That's your choice. However, reducing the chicken sandwich by 100 calories (remove a bun) and logging it whole, along with other calorie-reducing tricks you employ, just looks like you are building a bigger calorie deficit than you want and obfuscating the facts for yourself.

donjtomasco

Luckily MFP serves all types including people like me and I am able to actually use it to improve my health and fitness and lose weight. So far at least...

godlikepoetyes

I read your other post. You seem determined to restrict yourself like so many others on MFP. Why not follow MFP and eat all your calories and all your exercise calories and see what happens? I offer my opinion because you may stop the program altogether if you don't eat enough. I am 5' 6". When I started I weighed 270. I set my goal at one pound a week at sedentary. MFP gave me 1,800 calories. I'm at 183 now and I have never eaten below 1,600 calories. I urge you to reconsider how you're going about this. It doesn't have to be difficult.