Net Calorie Clarification

Nhaas37

Hi,

So I've set MFP calories on my own not using their 1200 number. I went to scooby and put in my information and just put that I am sedentary because sometimes my exercise changes week to week and I wanted to know what I would need to eat if I did nothing. So some basic info...i'm 5'3" and 154 lbs. I put my info in and got a BMR of 1441, 1729 cals to maintain and 1383 calories to lose. Okay so i'm clear with that but I now comes in exercise, so my question is if I exercise and burn 200 and put that into MFP do I still need to make sure i am eating upto 1383 calories so my net at the end of the day should be 1383 and not less...

thanks

Mokey41

Yes? But you shouldn't be eating below BMR so I'd adjust that and eating back exercise would depend on how you're calculating those exercise calories. With a HRM for steady state cardio, eat back 75% if you want but numbers from machines or online calculators (MFP included) I wouldn't eat back more than 50%.

FJDodd

If you are exercising you need to eat those calories back, in addition to the original 1383 (or 1200) that you originally are set to eat. Especially because you set your exercise level at sedentary because then your calorie goal is not taking any exercise into account.

Nhaas37

Yes? But you shouldn't be eating below BMR so I'd adjust that and eating back exercise would depend on how you're calculating those exercise calories. With a HRM for steady state cardio, eat back 75% if you want but numbers from machines or online calculators (MFP included) I wouldn't eat back more than 50%.

Okay this makes sense. I use a HR monitor for everything I do. And this does explain why i've been hungry the last few days. Thanks!

dancephysics

Net calories = food calories - exercise calories

If you plan on entering your exercise into MFP, then don't consider your exercise when choosing your activity level. So when you burn 200 calories, you do need to eat and extra 200 calories to make sure you are still meeting your net calorie goal. Keep in mind, MFP usually over estimates how much each exercise burns, so you should probably eat back less than MFP tells you to. And I agree with Mokey that if your BMR is 1441, you shouldn't be eating below that, since BMR is basically the calories that your body needs just to function efficiently. I don't know how quickly you are trying to lose weight, but you are not that overweight, so I would probably set MFP to lose not more than 1 pound a week.

jpolinisse

Hi,

So I've set MFP calories on my own not using their 1200 number. I went to scooby and put in my information and just put that I am sedentary because sometimes my exercise changes week to week and I wanted to know what I would need to eat if I did nothing. So some basic info...i'm 5'3" and 154 lbs. I put my info in and got a BMR of 1441, 1729 cals to maintain and 1383 calories to lose. Okay so i'm clear with that but I now comes in exercise, so my question is if I exercise and burn 200 and put that into MFP do I still need to make sure i am eating upto 1383 calories so my net at the end of the day should be 1383 and not less...

thanks

Isn't Scooby's calc based on TDEE-20% method? If it is, then you don't eat exercise calories back, because it is already built into the "calories to lose" number.

Also the 1,200 is not their #, MFP gives a calorie goal based on what you tell it. But, if you did use the 1,200 you are supposed to eat back exercise calories.

I use MFP method, set to lose 1.5lbs per week and lightly active setting, and got 1,770 calories. When I exercise I get a total goal of about 2,400 calories, which is what I get when I look at the TDEE-20% method using Scooby's Calc.

Stage14

Hi,

So I've set MFP calories on my own not using their 1200 number. I went to scooby and put in my information and just put that I am sedentary because sometimes my exercise changes week to week and I wanted to know what I would need to eat if I did nothing. So some basic info...i'm 5'3" and 154 lbs. I put my info in and got a BMR of 1441, 1729 cals to maintain and 1383 calories to lose. Okay so i'm clear with that but I now comes in exercise, so my question is if I exercise and burn 200 and put that into MFP do I still need to make sure i am eating upto 1383 calories so my net at the end of the day should be 1383 and not less...

thanks

Isn't Scooby's calc based on TDEE-20% method? If it is, then you don't eat exercise calories back, because it is already built into the "calories to lose" number.

Also the 1,200 is not their #, MFP gives a calorie goal based on what you tell it. But, if you did use the 1,200 you are supposed to eat back exercise calories.

I use MFP method, set to lose 1.5lbs per week and lightly active setting, and got 1,770 calories. When I exercise I get a total goal of about 2,400 calories, which is what I get when I look at the TDEE-20% method using Scooby's Calc.

OP specifically said that the numbers put in did NOT include exercise. Yes, you are generally correct, but in this case, the TDEE is figured as sedentary, so OP should eat exercise calories back.