Net Calories

rachiefofo

I see all this buzz about Net Calories, can someone please explain thanks!

seena511

if you eat 1500 calories, and burn 500, you've effectively only taken in 1000 calories. you could achieve the same result by simply eating 1000 calories and not exercising. MFP sets your goal based on net calories - you are expected to eat back your calories you burn through exercise to create a reasonable net deficit. not eating them back can cause too large of a deficit and either stall your weight loss or cause you to lose weight too fast.

leslieschoenle

I think it all depends on the person... there are days when I eat back my calories and there are days that I don't. If I do eat them back I make sure that they are worth while calories. Some days I'm just not physically hungry and can't force myself to eat back my calories.

P.S.
Love the HRM!!! I have the same one!

Fitfully_me

I see all this buzz about Net Calories, can someone please explain thanks!

Here you go
http://myfitnesspal.desk.com/customer/portal/articles/12031-what-are-net-calories-

deksgrl

MFP calculates your calorie deficit not including any exercise, so you would lose weight if you were sedentary, just through diet alone. When you do exercise, you need more fuel for that. MFP adds more calories for you to eat. So your target goal they gave you to begin with is your NET calories.

Example: MFP tells you to eat 1500 calories a day to lose 1 pound a week. 1500 (food) - 300 (exercise) = 1200 + 300 (more food for fuel for the exercise) = 1500 NET

rachiefofo

gotcha!! thanks all!!!

ilene_marlett

It is interesting that this does not take into account that your body, just basic functions like breathing, pumping blood etc., actually burns calories (this is known as your Resting Metabolic Rate or Basal Metabolic Rate). Even if you are sedentary, you are burning calories, just not very quickly. The Net Calorie calculation explained here by myfitnesspal is simplistic but it serves its purpose of helping you lose/maintain. You can lose weight by just eating less, though you will not be getting in the cardiovascular work out your body needs.

In reality, here is how it works:
Calculate your BMR based on your height, age and weight: http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/
Once you know your BMR, you can calculate your Daily Calorie Needs based on your activity level using the Harris Benedict Equation.
Harris Benedict Formula:
To determine your total daily calorie needs, multiply your BMR by the appropriate activity factor, as follows:

•If you are sedentary (little or no exercise) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.2
•If you are lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.375
•If you are moderatetely active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.55
•If you are very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.725
•If you are extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.9

Once you know the number of calories needed to maintain your weight, you can easily calculate the number of calories you need to eat in order to lose weight: Reduce calories by 15-20% below your BMR. BMR*.8 = the number of calories you can eat and still lose weight. Or you can simply subtract at least 500 calories from your BMR.

If you want to lose fat, a useful guideline for lowering your calorie intake is to reduce your calories by at least 500, but not more than 1000 below your maintenance level. For people with only a small amount of weight to lose, 1000 calories will be too much of a deficit. As a guide to minimum calorie intake, the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends that calorie levels never drop below 1200 calories per day for women or 1800 calories per day for men. Even these calorie levels are quite low. - From BMI-Calculator.net

monchandler

Most of the time, I am finding it really hard to reach 1200 healthy calories (I am eating healthy fats,veggies, protein and legumes). I am limiting bread, rice and pasta. I am insulin resistance and want to watch how many carbs I am eating. Sometimes at the end of the day, I may still have 300 calories and have eaten all day..not in the least hungry. I do exercise most days, so then I have even more calories to eat? The truth is..i find it hard the concept of eating back the exercise calories I just tried SO hard to burn!!! LOL If I ate things I used to eat the calories were no problem to reach, but most of the healthy foods are not too high in calories.

suggestions please

deksgrl

The following is a meal plan for: 1500 calories / 118 gm effective grams of carbohydrate. You might need to substitute some of these higher carb things for other things, but I'm sure you can find substitutes. Google "low carb 1500 calorie meal plan" and see what else you can find.

Breakfast:
One oz. oatmeal (14 gm e.c.)
½ cup cottage cheese (3 gm e.c.)
½ cup blueberries (8 gm e.c.)
Total: 220 calories/ 25 gm e.c.

Lunch:
Grilled chicken, 4 oz.
2 cups greens
1 cup assorted vegetables (approximately 5 gm e.c.)
½ cup kidney beans (14 gm e.c.)
1 apple (18 gm e.c.)
2 tsp olive oil, unlimited wine vinegar
Total: 490 calories/37 gm e.c.


Snack:
1 oz low fat mozzarella stick (1 gm e.c.)
6 Finn Crisp crackers (22 gm e.c.)
Total: 180 calories/23 gm e.c.

Dinner:
Poached salmon, 5 oz
½ cup spinach (4 gm e.c.)
salad, 1 cup greens, ½ cup assorted vegetables (approximately 3 gm e.c.)
1 tsp olive oil, vinegar
½ cup brown rice (20 gm e.c.)
Total: 485 calories/ 27 gm e.c.

Snack:
1 oz. dry roasted soynuts ( 9 gm e.c.)
Total: 134 calories/9 gm e.c.

Tmoxson

Hi all,

I'm new at this (been keeping a diary for a week) and I am concerned about the net calories, don't want to start off on the wrong foot.

My daily goal is 1200 (temporarily, starting with the 2 lbs/wk loss for a few weeks and then moving up to 1 lb/week to complete the program). My numbers fluctuate, but I am coming in under the daily goal. I am wondering if I come in like below, is this dangerously low?

Totals: 1365
Daily Goal: 1637 (accounting for the 437 earned from exercise)
Remaining: 272

Is it bad to have remaining, even if the remaining is low? Let's say out of 7 days, 4 days I come in with 100-300 remaining, 2 I get to goal, and one I go over by a couple of hundred. Am I going to go into starvation mode or otherwise not make progress? Please advise. I don't find it difficult to eat 1200-1500 calories/day, but when the goal gets much higher due to exercise I fear I will always come in "remaining" on days I work out unless I stuff myself with peanut butter or oils at the end of the day! :noway:

FYI, I'm 5'5", 165 and trying to lose 20-25 pounds but, more importantly, trying to lose inches/sizes. I am only weighing myself once/month with a goal of losing 6-8 pounds the first month and a slower rate of loss from that point forward. Obviously fine with losing more than my goal at the beginning, but want to sustain. I'm doing a combination of strength 3x/week with cardio 4x/week. My earned calories from exercise have ranged from 150 to 650ish, depending on what I did that day.

Thanks,

Traci

deksgrl

It should average out over the week. Also be aware that many people say the the calories given for exercise can be inflated, so if you are not using an HRM or a Fitbit or something like that, then it is a good plan to eat maybe 75% of the calories burned.

Cath_active

little question.
I recently understood what NET calories really meant. My question is...how low is starvation mode (aprox)?
I can see when I really am but if my calorie goal is 1200 and I have 1100 net...is it really bad? of course i get that 700/800 is.
thanks

deksgrl

"Starvation Mode" - you will get people saying this is a myth, you won't starve, blah blah.

But it is a widely used (if misleading) term to mean your metabolism will slow down, your hormones will become imbalanced, making it more difficult to lose weight. In addition to not having energy to exercise.

You need to NET at least 1200 calories.

1200 (food you eat) - 400 (calories you burn) = 800 + 400 (more calories to eat) = 1200 NET.

Or, 1200+ 400 = 1600.

Cath_active

Thank you