NET calorie confusion

krissy_pooo
krissy_pooo Posts: 111 Member
edited September 24 in Health and Weight Loss
Ok I need help. What is my net supposed to be!? my minimum caloric intake is 1200/day but that is never my net once I add in exercise. Is this what everyone refers to when they talk about eating back your exercise calories? so I'm supposed to make my net 1200 after I work out? I don't know if I can make that happen! I think I'd be way too full!:indifferent: it's kind of frustrating trying to figure out what works for you!

Replies

  • melissatacker
    melissatacker Posts: 91 Member
    There is a division here, half the people believe you should eat back your exercise calories, the other's say DO NOT eat them back. I have never eaten them back and still stay below my normal calorie intake and it is working really well for me :happy: But that is just my two cents...
  • AggieCass09
    AggieCass09 Posts: 1,867 Member
    Net = food calories - exercise calories.

    Net should equal 1200 and therefore you will need to eat however many exercise calories you burn to reach this. Make sure you have a heart rate monitor to be sure that you are eating back the right amount.

    You need to eat the exercise calories back because when you exercise you are burning energy and need to re-fuel your body. Think of a car driving 300 miles, it needs to go to the gas station or it's not going anywhere for much longer.

    If you don't eat em back, you MAY lose initially but you will come to a hault in several months. Trust me, I found this out the hard way!
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,454 Member
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/61706-guide-to-calorie-deficits

    There are many many posts about this. It really depends on your individual situation. The thread above should help explain.
  • jenbk2
    jenbk2 Posts: 614 Member
    I think you should eat back at least some of you workout calories. If not your body will go into starvation mode. You do not want that. Don't forget your body needs fuel. I usually only eat 100-200 calories back.
  • shaunshaikh
    shaunshaikh Posts: 616 Member
    Think of it this way. You're calorie goal is based on how many calories you burn during a day just keeping yourself alive and what your level of activity is during the day (oversimplifying). If you just laid in bed and did nothing, you'd have pretty low maintainance calories! So, by exercising you're bumping up the amount of calories you used during the day, which in turn increases the amount of calories it takes to maintain your weight.

    If you try to live with a very high calorie deficeit, then your body will adjust accordingly and slow down your metabolism and store fat over time. So, thinking long-term, the best thing to do is to maintain a moderate calorie deficeit (400-700).
  • melissatacker
    melissatacker Posts: 91 Member
    If you eat back the calories you burned exercising...what is the point in exercising? It would be the same to just not exercise at all and consume 1200 calories.
  • kerriBB37
    kerriBB37 Posts: 967 Member
    If you eat back the calories you burned exercising...what is the point in exercising? It would be the same to just not exercise at all and consume 1200 calories.

    This is very true and kind of where I stood for a while as well. But when you exercise you gain muscle and strengthen your heart for the long term which is a very good thing =) I usually try to net 1200 but sometimes I have extras.
  • AggieCass09
    AggieCass09 Posts: 1,867 Member
    If you eat back the calories you burned exercising...what is the point in exercising? It would be the same to just not exercise at all and consume 1200 calories.

    Yep, I said this too. Then, I realized that when you are exercising (strength training in particular) you see definition in your body and your muscles continue to burn calories after your work out. Also, there is such thing as being skinny but un-healthy. The strength training tones your body and promotes overall well-being so you will be lean as opposed to thin but with flab.

    Plus, when you work out you can eat more :-D
  • MommyRobot
    MommyRobot Posts: 268 Member
    If you eat back the calories you burned exercising...what is the point in exercising? It would be the same to just not exercise at all and consume 1200 calories.

    Not to mention if you get gas (eat) before you drive 300 miles (exercise) then stop to rest (sleep) you are going to start the whole process again the next day. As long as you're getting enough gas to get you through those 300 miles or your exercise, then there isn't reason to add more fuel until you need it again...IMO.

    OP-Everyone's body is different, and not everything is going to work for everyone. There is no one size fits all answer here. Trial and error is going to be the best way to find what works for you!
  • melissatacker
    melissatacker Posts: 91 Member
    Don't get me wrong, I believe everyone should definitely exercise to be healthy, I'm just addressing the part about eating back the calories burned from exercising. You definitely have to exercise, plus as an added bonus I find that light exercise helps relieve some of my hunger pain which is an added bonus to getting more fit :)
  • shaunshaikh
    shaunshaikh Posts: 616 Member
    You don't have to exercise to lose weight, you're absolutely right. Losing weight shouldn't be the sole reason you're exercising. Exercising will make you healthier, happier, have more energy. It'll boost your metabolism so you can eat more. If you gain muscle mass, your metabolism will increase also. Plus, when you're skinny -- what do you want to look like? Flabby and wimpy or toned and fit?
  • krissy_pooo
    krissy_pooo Posts: 111 Member
    Think of it this way. You're calorie goal is based on how many calories you burn during a day just keeping yourself alive and what your level of activity is during the day (oversimplifying). If you just laid in bed and did nothing, you'd have pretty low maintainance calories! So, by exercising you're bumping up the amount of calories you used during the day, which in turn increases the amount of calories it takes to maintain your weight.

    If you try to live with a very high calorie deficeit, then your body will adjust accordingly and slow down your metabolism and store fat over time. So, thinking long-term, the best thing to do is to maintain a moderate calorie deficeit (400-700).

    ok i just checked, at the end of each day (when I exercise) I usually have between 400-600 calories left over... and I have eaten my 12 or a bit more. Is this what you're referring to here with the deficit of 400-700? Im sorry Im just soo confused over all of this! thanks everyone for your help lol
  • petey49
    petey49 Posts: 58 Member
    Hi: This is the best explination I have seen on this topic http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/173853-an-objective-look-at-eating-exercise-calories

    It should be a sticky
  • iamhealingmyself
    iamhealingmyself Posts: 579 Member
    Ok I need help. What is my net supposed to be!? my minimum caloric intake is 1200/day but that is never my net once I add in exercise. Is this what everyone refers to when they talk about eating back your exercise calories? so I'm supposed to make my net 1200 after I work out? I don't know if I can make that happen! I think I'd be way too full!:indifferent: it's kind of frustrating trying to figure out what works for you!

    calories in - exercise = net calories

    if you eat 1500 calories all day then exercise after dinner, you need to burn 300 calories to have met your 1200 calorie goal for the day.

    If you exercise in the morning and burn 500 calories before you eat anything, you can plan your meals around 1700 calories and still meet your 1200 calorie goal.

    Hope that makes it easier to grasp. If you do either but don't eat back all of your calories, you will have a bigger deficit for that day and will (if done regularly) lose more weight than planned for. However, 1200 is pushing it already so I (and most others) wouldn't recommend not eating back your exercise calories.
  • iamhealingmyself
    iamhealingmyself Posts: 579 Member
    If you eat back the calories you burned exercising...what is the point in exercising? It would be the same to just not exercise at all and consume 1200 calories.

    This is very true and kind of where I stood for a while as well. But when you exercise you gain muscle and strengthen your heart for the long term which is a very good thing =) I usually try to net 1200 but sometimes I have extras.

    don't forget that muscle burns more calories at rest too so it pays to exercise to keep you in a better metabolism to burn more efficiently all day long. Wouldn't it be great to know you need 4000 calories a day to lay in bed (I guess you'd need to be built like Arnold in the early days though lol)

    Essentially that's the point, but sometimes we're just hungry but don't want to go over and ruin our efforts. At least this way you know there is no loss or gain if you eat what you burn.
  • iamhealingmyself
    iamhealingmyself Posts: 579 Member
    Think of it this way. You're calorie goal is based on how many calories you burn during a day just keeping yourself alive and what your level of activity is during the day (oversimplifying). If you just laid in bed and did nothing, you'd have pretty low maintainance calories! So, by exercising you're bumping up the amount of calories you used during the day, which in turn increases the amount of calories it takes to maintain your weight.

    If you try to live with a very high calorie deficeit, then your body will adjust accordingly and slow down your metabolism and store fat over time. So, thinking long-term, the best thing to do is to maintain a moderate calorie deficeit (400-700).

    ok i just checked, at the end of each day (when I exercise) I usually have between 400-600 calories left over... and I have eaten my 12 or a bit more. Is this what you're referring to here with the deficit of 400-700? Im sorry Im just soo confused over all of this! thanks everyone for your help lol

    remember your goals set on MFP already allow for you to lose weight without exercise. So if your goal is 1200 calories that's how much it would take to lose whatever weight you said you wanted to lose per day... if you WERE eating 2000 calories and MFP put you down to 1200 that's 800*7=5600 calories less a week you are eating so you will lose weight. If you are exercising and using more of those 1200 calories but not replacing them lets say 500 a day *5 days, that's 2500 MORE caloires you are NOT eating so you will have a bigger weight loss than originally planned for on here.

    If you can eat 1200 calories and exercise and not be hungry, then don't eat them back, but if you find on a day or two that you are hungry you know you can eat at least what you burned and still be on track for your entered goal on MFP.
  • krissy_pooo
    krissy_pooo Posts: 111 Member
    Think of it this way. You're calorie goal is based on how many calories you burn during a day just keeping yourself alive and what your level of activity is during the day (oversimplifying). If you just laid in bed and did nothing, you'd have pretty low maintainance calories! So, by exercising you're bumping up the amount of calories you used during the day, which in turn increases the amount of calories it takes to maintain your weight.

    If you try to live with a very high calorie deficeit, then your body will adjust accordingly and slow down your metabolism and store fat over time. So, thinking long-term, the best thing to do is to maintain a moderate calorie deficeit (400-700).


    ok i just checked, at the end of each day (when I exercise) I usually have between 400-600 calories left over... and I have eaten my 12 or a bit more. Is this what you're referring to here with the deficit of 400-700? Im sorry Im just soo confused over all of this! thanks everyone for your help lol

    remember your goals set on MFP already allow for you to lose weight without exercise. So if your goal is 1200 calories that's how much it would take to lose whatever weight you said you wanted to lose per day... if you WERE eating 2000 calories and MFP put you down to 1200 that's 800*7=5600 calories less a week you are eating so you will lose weight. If you are exercising and using more of those 1200 calories but not replacing them lets say 500 a day *5 days, that's 2500 MORE caloires you are NOT eating so you will have a bigger weight loss than originally planned for on here.

    If you can eat 1200 calories and exercise and not be hungry, then don't eat them back, but if you find on a day or two that you are hungry you know you can eat at least what you burned and still be on track for your entered goal on MFP.

    Thank you. This reinforces what I was already telling myself but I think I just needed someone to tell me how it is! This is why I like MFP so much!:flowerforyou:
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,454 Member
    If you are exercising and using more of those 1200 calories but not replacing them lets say 500 a day *5 days, that's 2500 MORE caloires you are NOT eating so you will have a bigger weight loss than originally planned for on here.

    If you can eat 1200 calories and exercise and not be hungry, then don't eat them back, but if you find on a day or two that you are hungry you know you can eat at least what you burned and still be on track for your entered goal on MFP.

    This is why people don't lose weight. This is a very unhealthy, unsustainable weight loss. Don't fall into this, you will sabotage your health and weight loss.

    This would leave you with a net calorie intake of 700 cals a day. Please please do some research - and not just listening to someone you don't know on a forum. This is dangerous.

    ____________________________________________________
  • iamhealingmyself
    iamhealingmyself Posts: 579 Member
    This would leave you with a net calorie intake of 700 cals a day. Please please do some research - and not just listening to someone you don't know on a forum. This is dangerous.

    :noway: OMG did you really just dis me for my post?

    I'M NOT CONDONING HER EATING 1200 CALORIES OR LESS (as I said in an EARLIER post
    ...If you exercise in the morning and burn 500 calories before you eat anything, you can plan your meals around 1700 calories and still meet your 1200 calorie goal.

    Hope that makes it easier to grasp. If you do either but don't eat back all of your calories, you will have a bigger deficit for that day and will (if done regularly) lose more weight than planned for. However, 1200 is pushing it already so I (and most others) wouldn't recommend not eating back your exercise calories.
    but gees if you're not hungry don't eat. I'm not saying to starve yourself because you can't have more than 1200 calories a day... EATING WHEN WE'RE NOT HUNGRY IS WHAT GOT US IN THIS MESS IN THE FIRST PLACE!!

    Wouldn't it be nice if people didn't take things out of context? And who are you to judge me or her for that matter. You don't know either of us any more than we know each other so what you said goes for you too. Nobody on here is encouraging her to eat less or end up with a less than 1200 calorie deficit but it's wrong to eat when you're not hungry too.

    Point is everyone has to do what WORKS for them no matter what ANYONE has to say. We're just explaining that if she eats back her exercise calories, she's not going over the limit set by MFP.
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