What should my net calories be?

frb2012

My net calories for today are 328. What should it be and what does it even mean? I am currently on a 1200 calorie diet.
Also, should I be eating the extra calories it gives me after I exercise?

Thanks,
Felicia

bhb301

Yes, go to the search button at the top of these pages. There are several reasons listed why you should eat those cals. Good Luck

WomanofWorth

My net calories for today are 328. What should it be and what does it even mean? I am currently on a 1200 calorie diet.
Also, should I be eating the extra calories it gives me after I exercise?

Thanks,
Felicia

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/188509-my-take-on-exercise-calories-please-read-if-you-are-new

Best explanation of the calorie issue I've seen yet

erickirb

if your goal on MFP is 1200 then your net calories should be 1200. Otherwise you will not lose your goal amount of weight, maybe more, maybe less. The goal MFP gives you is NET. Eating 1200 and not exercising is like eating 1600 and burning 400 (1600-400) they both net 1200.

dietcoke281

Basically it should be as close to 1200 as possible. But it depends on whether you want to eat your exercise calories etc.

Celo24

My net calories for today are 328. What should it be and what does it even mean? I am currently on a 1200 calorie diet.
Also, should I be eating the extra calories it gives me after I exercise?

Thanks,
Felicia

Never mind. justsayit beat me to posting the link. And, justsayit, thanks for the compliment!!

tammy200678

I do not eat mine back and my net is usually low I figure I know my body and I eat according to how I feel and I have a lot of weight to lose so not going to be going into starvation mode any time soon and to me it defeats the purpose if u eat those calories back but that is just my opinion :happy:


And everyone will tell u u won't lose but I am and have not had no problems so everyone is different u know u better than anyone listen to your body!

kimmerroze

Read the link in my signature! its GREAT! and explains it in SUPER easy lamens terms!~

shanhawk

if your goal on MFP is 1200 then your net calories should be 1200. Otherwise you will not lose your goal amount of weight, maybe more, maybe less. The goal MFP gives you is NET. Eating 1200 and not exercising is like eating 1600 and burning 400 (1600-400) they both net 1200.

well said...I agree.

hpsnickers1

I do not eat mine back and my net is usually low I figure I know my body and I eat according to how I feel and I have a lot of weight to lose so not going to be going into starvation mode any time soon and to me it defeats the purpose if u eat those calories back but that is just my opinion :happy:

It has nothing to do with knowing your body. You are not defeating the purpose by eating your exercise calories. The deficit is already there. If you eat 1200 and you burn 400 you are taking in only 800 calories which isn't healthy and sustainable. Your body will stop burning fat, your metabolism will slow. Then your body will start eating into your lean muscle mass. Dieting and cardio exercise already cause muscle loss. You've lost 12lbs so far. A lot of that is probably muscle loss, not fat loss.

I will say that the bigger you are the less that applies. But as you get smaller you will have to take this into account. The link "an email response that might help some" does explain things very well.

smills3

holy moses, i finally GET it!
i've read all of the postings about this topic, and i was in debate with myself about whether I should try to eat all those leftover calories i get from working out or not. i workout a LOT and i find it hard to eat all those calories, so i always had about 500 leftover at the end of my day. i used this site for a month and saw no change in weight.
last week when i hopped on the scale, all of a sudden, i had lost 3 pounds. i was SO confused (and excited!). so i came online and checked out the past week and what could have sparked such a change. turns out over the past 6 days or so i had been eating more than i thought - i was actually over my recommended calories by 10-20 each day.
its a dream come true, i get to eat delicious healthy food all day long AND lose weight? wicked.
if you aren't sure people - just TRY it. give it a week or two and if you don't like the results go back to whatever you're currently doing calorie-wise. However, i'd imagine once you see the results, you won't want to go back.

roxie0920

Every person is different, and every person's weight loss goal is different. Depending on what you entered into MFP as your weekly goal weight loss, MFP has calculated how many calories you need to eat in order to lose that amount of poundage. Any exercise you do on top of that creates an even bigger deficit. My weight loss goal per week is .5 lb. So, if I don't eat back my calories, I don't worry too much about it; it just means I might loss a bit more than .5 lb per week. It really depends on your BMR and what you've entered into MFP. I'm not discrediting anyone who says it's a bad idea not to eat them back, or that it could be dangerous, or detrimental to your weight loss; all this information is correct, it just might not be valid for you.

hpsnickers1

holy moses, i finally GET it!
i've read all of the postings about this topic, and i was in debate with myself about whether I should try to eat all those leftover calories i get from working out or not. i workout a LOT and i find it hard to eat all those calories, so i always had about 500 leftover at the end of my day. i used this site for a month and saw no change in weight.
last week when i hopped on the scale, all of a sudden, i had lost 3 pounds. i was SO confused (and excited!). so i came online and checked out the past week and what could have sparked such a change. turns out over the past 6 days or so i had been eating more than i thought - i was actually over my recommended calories by 10-20 each day.
its a dream come true, i get to eat delicious healthy food all day long AND lose weight? wicked.
if you aren't sure people - just TRY it. give it a week or two and if you don't like the results go back to whatever you're currently doing calorie-wise. However, i'd imagine once you see the results, you won't want to go back.

This is so true!!! I spent last year barely eating and gained weight. When I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia I decided to change my eating habits rather than take an expensive pill. I now eat ALL DAY and lost weight. It's what I'm eating and of course exercise (especially strength training).