Net Calories

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Cbaka27
Cbaka27 Posts: 35 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm 30 days in to using MFP. I have lost 14lbs and stay under my 1500 calories most days. I use a Fitbit and it syncs with MFP. I feel like my fitbit gives me to much "credit" for steps walked. Today I walked 14.4k steps and it gives me an extra 1263 exercise calories. Am I still good if just stay under my net Calories? I feel like it gives me to much credit for just walking.

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  • CyberTone
    CyberTone Posts: 7,337 Member
    edited April 2017
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    Your Diary indicates you are eating (grossing) on average under 1400 Calories, so your Net Calories are way too low. You need to eat back more of those Fitbit Calorie adjustments. Not eating some or most of them back will increase the risk of you not only losing fat, but also losing muscle mass.

    I am 55, 5'8", 150 lbs, in maintenance, have a Fitbit Charge 2, and have MFP set at Sedentary. The last time I got 13,750 steps, I earned 1200 extra Calories as my Fitbit Calorie adjustment. I always eat back 100% of my earned Calories. I ate back 90% of them when I was losing a few pounds and had no problem netting 1700 Cals per day to lose those pounds. I do use a food scale to weigh all solids, measuring cups and spoons to measure liquids, and verify all food items I log through outside web sources and Nutrition Facts labels. I trust that my Calorie Intake is pretty accurate, and I trust my Calories Out is pretty accurate using the Fitbit.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
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    1500 is what you should be hitting after exercise, not staying under without
  • lemonychild
    lemonychild Posts: 654 Member
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    You're eating too little. I'm a female and I burn about an extra 800 cals for 14k. So yes, you're a male and heavier so u probably are burning an extra 1200.
  • Cbaka27
    Cbaka27 Posts: 35 Member
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    Just an update...I'm now 57 days in and down 24.4 lbs. I stay below my net calories every day and below my 1500 most days. There are days when I earn 1500-2000 extra and I just cant imagine eating those. I have grown accustomed to eating way less and not being hungry.
  • nuttallf
    nuttallf Posts: 10 Member
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    I'm similar to you. I stick below my cals and don't eat ones I earn. I'm feeling much less hungry and loosing steadily. Well done
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
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    Cbaka27 wrote: »
    Just an update...I'm now 57 days in and down 24.4 lbs. I stay below my net calories every day and below my 1500 most days. There are days when I earn 1500-2000 extra and I just cant imagine eating those. I have grown accustomed to eating way less and not being hungry.

    Just because you aren't hungry doesn't mean you aren't hurting your body. You're likely losing quite a bit of muscle mass. Start eating more.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    nuttallf wrote: »
    I'm similar to you. I stick below my cals and don't eat ones I earn. I'm feeling much less hungry and loosing steadily. Well done

    Okay but here's the thing........all weight loss isn't fat loss. Large deficits make it harder for your body to support existing lean muscle mass. Lowering your body fat % would be healthy weight loss.

    There's a reason MFP gives you exercise calories back................
  • Silentpadna
    Silentpadna Posts: 1,306 Member
    edited May 2017
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    Cbaka27 wrote: »
    Just an update...I'm now 57 days in and down 24.4 lbs. I stay below my net calories every day and below my 1500 most days. There are days when I earn 1500-2000 extra and I just cant imagine eating those. I have grown accustomed to eating way less and not being hungry.

    I know it's motivating to see the scale go down quickly. It's fool's gold for most. You can lose weight quicker, but you cannot lose fat quicker. The body will burn muscle too (and your heart is a muscle). I, and most of the veterans here (of which I am not one) would recommend you slow it down and work on retaining muscle in the process.

    If your motivation to lose weight includes the ability to do more stuff, which I sincerely hope it does, you'll be happier with the result if you keep both in mind. (Fitness and weight).
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
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    malibu927 wrote: »
    Cbaka27 wrote: »
    Just an update...I'm now 57 days in and down 24.4 lbs. I stay below my net calories every day and below my 1500 most days. There are days when I earn 1500-2000 extra and I just cant imagine eating those. I have grown accustomed to eating way less and not being hungry.

    Just because you aren't hungry doesn't mean you aren't hurting your body. You're likely losing quite a bit of muscle mass. Start eating more.

    exactly..our bodies actual will shut down the hunger signals if it feels we are starving to prevent issues etc.

    I can't imagine eating so little food.
  • moonstroller
    moonstroller Posts: 210 Member
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    I would recommend setting up an appointment with your doctor, explain to him or her what you're doing to lose weight, especially your diet, and then make appropriate choices based on his or her advice.
  • Meelisv
    Meelisv Posts: 235 Member
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    First, you're most likely eating too little.

    Second, your fitbit or whatever you use for activity tracking counts something seriously wrong.
    It's very hard to burn extra 1500-2000 calories without doing some serious workouts for most of the day.

    Even running with decent pace burns 70-75 Kcal per km (100-120 per mile). Waking nets you no more than half of it. My Garmin watch for example reports ~26000 steps (19.5km) for today and converts it into ~400 Kcal, which seems about logical. Plus 90 mins. of weight training which gives. me another 650 Kcal.
    That is a bit over 1000 "extra" calories ( minus those I would have burned by just sitting around for same amount of time...)
    14.4k steps can't be 1200 calories even when running.
  • CyberTone
    CyberTone Posts: 7,337 Member
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    Meelisv wrote: »
    First, you're most likely eating too little.

    Second, your fitbit or whatever you use for activity tracking counts something seriously wrong.
    It's very hard to burn extra 1500-2000 calories without doing some serious workouts for most of the day.

    Even running with decent pace burns 70-75 Kcal per km (100-120 per mile). Waking nets you no more than half of it. My Garmin watch for example reports ~26000 steps (19.5km) for today and converts it into ~400 Kcal, which seems about logical. Plus 90 mins. of weight training which gives. me another 650 Kcal.
    That is a bit over 1000 "extra" calories ( minus those I would have burned by just sitting around for same amount of time...)
    14.4k steps can't be 1200 calories even when running.

    I beg to differ. See my above post. I weigh 150 lbs. and routinely get 1200 Calorie adjustments over Sedentary when I have over 13,000 steps. I maintain weight just fine.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    Meelisv wrote: »
    First, you're most likely eating too little.

    Second, your fitbit or whatever you use for activity tracking counts something seriously wrong.
    It's very hard to burn extra 1500-2000 calories without doing some serious workouts for most of the day.

    Even running with decent pace burns 70-75 Kcal per km (100-120 per mile). Waking nets you no more than half of it. My Garmin watch for example reports ~26000 steps (19.5km) for today and converts it into ~400 Kcal, which seems about logical. Plus 90 mins. of weight training which gives. me another 650 Kcal.
    That is a bit over 1000 "extra" calories ( minus those I would have burned by just sitting around for same amount of time...)
    14.4k steps can't be 1200 calories even when running.

    400 calories for for 19.5kms seem like a gross underestimate.
  • Silentpadna
    Silentpadna Posts: 1,306 Member
    edited May 2017
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    Meelisv wrote: »
    First, you're most likely eating too little.

    Second, your fitbit or whatever you use for activity tracking counts something seriously wrong.
    It's very hard to burn extra 1500-2000 calories without doing some serious workouts for most of the day.

    Even running with decent pace burns 70-75 Kcal per km (100-120 per mile). Waking nets you no more than half of it. My Garmin watch for example reports ~26000 steps (19.5km) for today and converts it into ~400 Kcal, which seems about logical. Plus 90 mins. of weight training which gives. me another 650 Kcal.
    That is a bit over 1000 "extra" calories ( minus those I would have burned by just sitting around for same amount of time...)
    14.4k steps can't be 1200 calories even when running.

    You're leaving one very important element out. It takes more force to move more mass, which over time means more energy, or calories. That's physics. You can't get around that. I will burn more walking or doing cardio now, while I'm 205 pounds than I will when get to 175 - for the same speed and distance. I burned more at 240 than I do now - for the same speed and distance.

    Your approximation above doesn't account for the difference in mass between people. That's why everybody's burns can be so different.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
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    OP, you are losing weight at a very aggressive pace. I am a 5'4" 130 lb woman and I eat more than you do while being less active. Depending on what your starting weight was, you could be losing serious muscle mass (your body can only burn so much fat at a time) and you are risking hitting the proverbial wall hard. Eat your exercise calories and look to settle into a pace of losing more like 2 lbs a week. You don't want to trade being overweight for some other health problem brought on by rapid weight loss!

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