What are net calories?

trustinwhatworks
trustinwhatworks Posts: 9 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Can someone explain this to me, please? Will I really lose weight if I net 1200 calories at the end of the day? Say, even if I eat 2500 calories and then burn off calories until I am netting 1200?

Replies

  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    edited August 2018
    Net calories are what you have left after you've factored in any additional calories you've burnt above and beyond what MFP estimated for your initial goal.

    So if 1,200 is a deficit for you and you burn 200 additional calories, you can eat 1,400 and net 1,200. You're at your original deficit of 1,200, so you'll lose weight as expected.

    The trick is making sure that you have accurate estimates for how many calories you're actually burning. Burning 1,300 calories would be a very intense day of exercise for most people and probably not realistic for many of us.
  • Duck_Puddle
    Duck_Puddle Posts: 3,237 Member
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    Net calories are what you have left after you've factored in any additional calories you've burnt above and beyond what MFP estimated for your initial goal.

    So if 1,200 is a deficit for you and you burn 200 additional calories, you can eat 1,400 and net 1,200. You're at your original deficit of 1,200, so you'll lose weight as expected.

    The trick is making sure that you have accurate estimates for how many calories you're actually burning. Burning 1,300 calories would be a very intense day of exercise for most people and probably not realistic for many of us.

    All of this. I have lost ~75lbs while netting 1200 (and eating my exercise calories).

    However, I need to run a half marathon to burn 1300 calories. That’s a LOT of very hard exercise. I have run a half marathon (and longer) several times and do eat those calories back and I lose just as expected. But that’s not an everyday occurrence.

    So eat your exercise calories and go ahead and net 1200 and it’s good. But be realistic about how many calories you’re burning with your exercise.



  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10503681/exercise-calories-do-i-eat-these-a-video-explanation/p1
  • Seffell
    Seffell Posts: 2,244 Member
    Net calories = calories eaten - calories burnt from exercise
    So these are the calories your body is left with for all its functions. If yout body burns more calories then your net calories then you will lose weight.
    Your body burns calories to keep you alive and functioning. The major part of that is called BMR.

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