Am I doing/reading this right???

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Aljoneshop
Aljoneshop Posts: 17 Member
in Getting Started
I've been logging for a little over a week but for some reason I'm still confused on my net calories. Hoping I've been using this right the last week. Any thoughts/help??? My calorie goal is 1200 and on a slow day I have about 400 exercise calories burned on a good day 800-1000 (reading from my body bug). Should I be aiming for a net of 1200 meaning eating more like 1600 calories on a slow day? My net has been like 500 most days as I I'm gaining the exercise calories from my body bug but not eating them except a few hundred maybe. I just hear so much talk about 1200 calories being too low but if I'm not active that's my goal MFP gave me due to having a sedentary job Thanks for any advice you can give! I'm 32 5'7 and 223lbs if that makes any difference. Also always looking for friends as I'm hoping the more involved I am the more insented I am to login every day!
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  • amy1612
    amy1612 Posts: 1,356 Member
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    Yes, net 1200 (which means eat 1600 on exercise days).
  • EmmieBaby
    EmmieBaby Posts: 1,235 Member
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    a cool website to calculate how much you should be eating on a day you don't workout/do workout out is

    http://iifym.com/iifym-calculator/


    and I agree with Amy =)
  • jnmaddock
    jnmaddock Posts: 24 Member
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    To make things simple do you have a smartphone? iPhone? Samsung Galaxy or simiar?

    If so download Runkeeper and follow instructions to link it to MFP... It can log your walks or runs using GPS or you can manually add exercise for other types.

    The calories burned are automatically added to your daily allowance on here.

    So for example my daily calorie allowance is 1,760 but yesterday I ran and burned 897 calories... so my allowance automatically increased to 2,657. :))
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
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    Calorie goal is net. Net should equal whatever your goal is. My goal is 2000 calories, that means if I burn 1000 exercising, I need to eat 3000 to net 2000.
  • Aljoneshop
    Aljoneshop Posts: 17 Member
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    Thank you all so much. Sounds like I was reading it right but haven't been eating enough. Strange as I haven't lost much either. Hard to stomach I should eat more. Wonder if the body bug is calculating my calories burned high. I've heard it's pretty accurate so I'll just keep at it for a few weeks and try to reach that net a little closer before making any adjustments.
  • Aljoneshop
    Aljoneshop Posts: 17 Member
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    Thank you. I actually use something similar with the Body Media app. It links to MFP and automatically adds or subtracts (luckily that hasn't happened yet) from my calories. I just as normal am not seeing results but need to give it more time. Slightly overwhelmed with the amount of weight so am first focusing on calories in/out then will up exercise and eventually clean up the types of foods within those calories.
  • trudijoy
    trudijoy Posts: 1,685 Member
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    odd because in 11 months on MFP i've always targetted calorie intake rather than net. mind you I'm doing TDEE so that might be why it's still working?
  • ldrosophila
    ldrosophila Posts: 7,512 Member
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    1200 makes me hungry just thinking about it
  • THECaptainObvious
    THECaptainObvious Posts: 399 Member
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    Hey all so being in the red is a good thing? I've been here for 30 days now and from reading various posts I might be doing something wrong.. Is being under the calorie goal a good thing or bad thing? I'm usually over
  • trudijoy
    trudijoy Posts: 1,685 Member
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    Hey all so being in the red is a good thing? I've been here for 30 days now and from reading various posts I might be doing something wrong.. Is being under the calorie goal a good thing or bad thing? I'm usually over

    your calorie goal is just that: a target. You're better off hitting it as close to dead on as possible. Being under is better than over for weight loss, unless you're over by a LOT then it can be awkward.
  • Aljoneshop
    Aljoneshop Posts: 17 Member
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    odd because in 11 months on MFP i've always targetted calorie intake rather than net. mind you I'm doing TDEE so that might be why it's still working?

    Can I ask what TDEE is? I've been basically targeting my 1200 but that can feel really low somedays so I do dip into the calories burned sometimes.
  • trudijoy
    trudijoy Posts: 1,685 Member
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    odd because in 11 months on MFP i've always targetted calorie intake rather than net. mind you I'm doing TDEE so that might be why it's still working?

    Can I ask what TDEE is? I've been basically targeting my 1200 but that can feel really low somedays so I do dip into the calories burned sometimes.

    total daily energy expenditure. ie how many calories you burn in a normal day. Basically you work it out then eat 80% of that, and don't eat back exercise cals.
  • QuietBloom
    QuietBloom Posts: 5,413 Member
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    odd because in 11 months on MFP i've always targetted calorie intake rather than net. mind you I'm doing TDEE so that might be why it's still working?

    Exactly why it is working for you. You do either MFP OR TDEE.
  • ktsimons
    ktsimons Posts: 294 Member
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    odd because in 11 months on MFP i've always targetted calorie intake rather than net. mind you I'm doing TDEE so that might be why it's still working?

    Right...with the TDEE method the exercise calories are already "built in". You eat a farily level amount of calories every day regardless of it being a cardio, weight or rest day, right?? That is what I do...I have to have a more set schedule in order to plan my meals AND as an added benefit, it seems to make me work out on a more regular basis. I have a deal with myself...My TDEE is calculated on 5 hours of exercise per week...if i go one week without exercising 5 times (barring injury or illness) then i have to cut the next weeks calories down by 100 per day! so far I have not had to cut...
  • trudijoy
    trudijoy Posts: 1,685 Member
    Options
    odd because in 11 months on MFP i've always targetted calorie intake rather than net. mind you I'm doing TDEE so that might be why it's still working?

    Right...with the TDEE method the exercise calories are already "built in". You eat a farily level amount of calories every day regardless of it being a cardio, weight or rest day, right?? That is what I do...I have to have a more set schedule in order to plan my meals AND as an added benefit, it seems to make me work out on a more regular basis. I have a deal with myself...My TDEE is calculated on 5 hours of exercise per week...if i go one week without exercising 5 times (barring injury or illness) then i have to cut the next weeks calories down by 100 per day! so far I have not had to cut...

    yeah mines based on 3 x 45 and if i don't hit that then i undercut. I usually go over it , but don't use that as an excuse to eat extra.
  • trudijoy
    trudijoy Posts: 1,685 Member
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    odd because in 11 months on MFP i've always targetted calorie intake rather than net. mind you I'm doing TDEE so that might be why it's still working?

    Exactly why it is working for you. You do either MFP OR TDEE.

    i don't understand why people do the normal MFP one, but that's just me :)
  • MakePeasNotWar
    MakePeasNotWar Posts: 1,329 Member
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    Do you use your body bug for workouts only, or leave it on all day? The MFP target includes regular daily activities like housework and walking around, so if you leave your bug on you will double count it. Unless you are very large, 800-100 calories of exercise would be several hours of working out or a 10 mile run.
  • JayMri
    JayMri Posts: 241 Member
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    Thank you all so much. Sounds like I was reading it right but haven't been eating enough. Strange as I haven't lost much either. Hard to stomach I should eat more. Wonder if the body bug is calculating my calories burned high. I've heard it's pretty accurate so I'll just keep at it for a few weeks and try to reach that net a little closer before making any adjustments.

    We are similar ages and heights. I started out at 196 lbs and was not loosing till I put my target calories at 1400. Once I uped my calories to that I started to loose (and wasn't starving like I felt I was at 1200). I average between 1400 and 1600 most days but I don't worry about the extra 200 as I burn way more then that in my workouts. If you are eating too little your body stores more. I do think it takes some trial and error though.
  • Maggie_Pie1
    Maggie_Pie1 Posts: 322 Member
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    I've been logging for a little over a week but for some reason I'm still confused on my net calories. Hoping I've been using this right the last week. Any thoughts/help??? My calorie goal is 1200 and on a slow day I have about 400 exercise calories burned on a good day 800-1000 (reading from my body bug). Should I be aiming for a net of 1200 meaning eating more like 1600 calories on a slow day? My net has been like 500 most days as I I'm gaining the exercise calories from my body bug but not eating them except a few hundred maybe. I just hear so much talk about 1200 calories being too low but if I'm not active that's my goal MFP gave me due to having a sedentary job Thanks for any advice you can give! I'm 32 5'7 and 223lbs if that makes any difference. Also always looking for friends as I'm hoping the more involved I am the more insented I am to login every day!

    I don't like the whole 'net' calories thing. What I do is set it so that my goal is to maintain my weight, and then at the end of the day, I just look at the number for "Calories remaining". The "Calories remaining" number is my deficit, and I shoot for that to be 1000 (which is equivalent to 2 lb loss per week).
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    Exactly why it is working for you. You do either MFP OR TDEE.
    i don't understand why people do the normal MFP one, but that's just me :)

    MFP method works better for me as my daily (& weekly) exercise calories vary a lot.
    Lowest exercise burn in a day zero, highest 3942!

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