Net calories vs total calories

LauraSrock18

Do y’all focus more on “net calories” or just the total calories you’ve eaten without deducting exercise?

I use my Apple Watch for exercise calories.

kami3006

Always net. Using this app’s numbers, if I ignored exercise calories I would not maintain my weight.

When I was losing, I would’ve had too large a deficit and my lifting would have suffered. And I would not have been able to stick my plan as I would have been hungry all the time.

spiriteagle99

Definitely net calories. My exercise calories change every day, so does what I eat. I try to make them balance, if not on a daily basis, at least on a weekly basis.

NorthCascades

I need about 2,300 calories to get through day in a healthy manner. If I eat 2,300 but burn 300 with exercise, then I don't have the 2,300 I need for the day.

Think of it like how much gas you have in the car. If you make some extra trips and burn more, you have less in the tank because you used some. Seems different with people because we can run on fumes for a while, but that's unhealthy and catches up with people.