Net calories

dread352

I'm sure this has been talked about before but I need help. So the net calories get added on to my daily calorie goal and I'm supposed to eat them am I understanding this right .......please help...thank you.

rfihn

Net calories are calories you consume minus calories burned. If you eat 1800 calories but then burn 300 you will net 1500.

HRLaurie614

It's exercise calories that are added to your base calories...and then you eat them back. Net refers to what you have eaten less what you have burned (as noted in the comment above)

michellekicks

Yes. MFP is designed so that you eat them back and still lose at the desired rate based on the goal you chose.

dread352

Thank you all.

CamillaHerold

This seems like a very complicated thing, so don't feel bad! I'm not sure I understand how this tool works, but there is some basic math we can all agree on. Let's say you are a somewhat sedentary guy and just being alive, sitting on the sofa, you burn 2000. If you eat 2000, and don't exercise, you will maintain your weight.
Now, let's say you sit there burning your 2000 cals, but you eat only 1500 cals. You have created a net loss or deficit of 500 cals. If you don't exercise and kept this up each day for one week, that's 7 x 500 = 3500 cal or a POUND of weight. You would lose one pound that week, just from eating less.
Now let's say you decide to get up and do some exercise to burn more calories. So you take a nice long walk and burn 300 cals. Now your burn for the day is 2300. You were okay eating only 1500 cals, so you keep that up. The difference between 2300 and 1500 is 800 cals. If you do this each day for one week, that's 7 x 800 = 5600 cal or about a pound and a half. You would lose 1.5 lbs that week, from eating less and exercising.
Some will say its okay to "eat back your exercise calories" but you want to think hard about that. Eating back your exercise calories means that 300 cals you burned through exercise can now be consumed in food. You can now eat 1500 plus the 300 you burned in your exercise, or 1800 cals a day. Now your calorie deficit is smaller, 2300 - 1800 or 500 cals. Some will say that's going to give you more energy and trick your metabolism and other good things. I say don't do it; if you worked hard enough to burn those calories, don't eat them back. You will just slow your progress and give yourself permission to continue eating more than you really need. You CAN train yourself to eat less, a good portion of it is psychological. Keep it simple. Eat less than you need to, and exercise more than you have to. I hope this makes sense! It makes sense to me, but whatever you do has to make sense to YOU. Best of luck to you and keep working at it until you find your way.

NC_Sean

Yes. MFP is designed so that you eat them back and still lose at the desired rate based on the goal you chose.

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