negative net calories?

KellieR56

I slept in way too late and missed breakfast. well lunch was 168 calories, and I worked out just now and burned 291 calories. my net calories says -123 calories. did I really lose all the calories even if they weren't in my system?

crystal_sapphire

I slept in way too late and missed breakfast. well lunch was 168 calories, and I worked out just now and burned 291 calories. my net calories says -123 calories. did I really lose all the calories even if they weren't in my system?

essentially, yeah. It doesn't mean you burned the food that's digesting in your system right this very second, but you burned more than what you've taken in so far on existing tissue in your body.

jbug100

Yes because mfp has already figured in a calorie deficit so that you lose weight. So I think this means that you have added 123 cals to that deficit.

elid

It isn't that the calories weren't in your system. Your body stores energy (from previous food you've eaten) in your muscles in the form of glycogen, along with fat and muscle stores. This article explains it well:

http://www.livestrong.com/article/264767-how-is-excess-glucose-stored/

iamhealingmyself

I slept in way too late and missed breakfast. well lunch was 168 calories, and I worked out just now and burned 291 calories. my net calories says -123 calories. did I really lose all the calories even if they weren't in my system?

It's looking at the calories you consumed (168) and subtracting the calories you burned (291) [168-291=-123] so essentially you burned more than you ate so far. The idea to lose weight is to consume less than you burn which is why if our bodies need 2000 cals and we eat 1500 we lose weight. As previously said, it's not taking the food you ate for breakfast but energy from the fat stored in your cells. Make sure you're eating healthy though or you could be burning muscle instead which is not good (dieting or otherwise)

You should still plan on eating your breakfast allotment of calories - either in a larger lunch or dinner or split among a few snacks. The system already plans your daily caloric need based on your BMR and the amount of weight you want to lose. What you're exercising off can be eaten back and you will still lose weight so long as your long term intake is on target. Some people will eat back their exercise calories and some don't. If you do you will still lose weight but if you don't you'll lose it faster than the system planned for you. That may or may not be a good thing depending on how much of a deficit you are creating by exercise. Listen to your body and eat if it needs the energy. You should not feel tired or light headed while dieting.