What are your net calories on average a day?

Jillatha

Just wondering what everyone ends up with for the net calories - Today mine is 291

It is now 318 because I have had a cup of tea I am thinking about increasing it hence the post, I just need to find the balence between eating more to be healthy and slipping back into eating more and gaining.

Briacha

anywhere from 150-450!

kendraleem

Wow!!!! You lost 103lbs? That is so awesome :happy:

worldwarmichael

Your net calories should be whatever MFP has set for your daily goal. If its super low it means you're not eating back enough of your work out calories. This can make your body go into starvation mode which isnt a good thing.

ambie35

My net is usually as close to 1200 as I can get it . Although the past couple of weeks there has been some low days because of the stress I've been under. Don't think my net has ever been less then 600 though,even if I am stressed I try to at least get it over 900.

marthamae813

Mines 508. Whats net calories mean?

Briacha

Sorry! I meant that is what I dont eat, not what I do eat!!!

Shweedog

Mines 508. Whats net calories mean?

The amount of calories your body has to function off of for the day. So if you eat 1200 and burn 700 then your net cals are 500. Typically your net cals should not be under 1200.

stanvoodoo

Unless your way over 1200 calories per day, you really shouldn't have much if any leftover. If so, maybe it is time to re-do the profile and work towards the 1200 calories per day.

I do have leftovers but I am working back towards 1200 after surgery.

papastu

Your net calories should be whatever MFP has set for your daily goal. If its super low it means you're not eating back enough of your work out calories. This can make your body go into starvation mode which isnt a good thing.

bearing in mind she has lost 103lbs, i dont really think this proves that point

papastu

awesome work Jillatha by the way , mine is -135 today

goddessofmath

Mine tends to be around 200-400 leftover. I get nervous eating right up to 0 calories left for some reason.

Aesop101

I keep records of this to a point. I could compute the net but My leftover calories is 1072 average per day. Amazing to me.

taso42_DELETED

average around 2000 net or 2200-2400 total.

you folks in the triple digits - you're doing it wrong.

FearAnLoathing

my net lately has been around 1000

baisleac

As close to my MFP goal as possible.

goddessofmath

average around 2000 net or 2200-2400 total.

you folks in the triple digits - you're doing it wrong.

You mean people netting (eating) in the triple digits? I totally agree. That's not enough fuel.

Celo24

Your net calories should be whatever MFP has set for your daily goal. If its super low it means you're not eating back enough of your work out calories. This can make your body go into starvation mode which isnt a good thing.

bearing in mind she has lost 103lbs, i dont really think this proves that point

Disagree. The reason the OP has lost 103 pounds is because she had that excess to lose. As a person get closer and closer to their ideal weight, the body will no longer have those fat reserves to call upon and will start using muscle for energy rather than fat. So, while the OP should be commended for losing that much weight and working so hard, I would encourage her and everyone else to eat your exercise calories. If you don't or can't eat them all, at least try to get half of them down.

When you are just starting on here and have a lot to lose, it may not make that much of a difference whether you eat them or not. However, part of MFP is learning how to live a healthy lifestyle with good habits and sustainable weight loss. Fueling your body properly is an essential part of that process and one that we all have to learn at some point.

I would suggest reading the two links in my signature for more detailed info on why eating those exercise calories is so important. Good luck to you all.

Jillatha

average around 2000 net or 2200-2400 total.

you folks in the triple digits - you're doing it wrong.

I can't be doing it that wrong though, I admit I may be netting too low now I have increased my exercise hence this post to see what others are doing

shellbell2312

isn't your net calories how many calories you've eaten? Like today I've had 914 which means my net is 914

rainbowdarling

Usually around 1500, but it varies day to day. Yesterday I barely broke 1200 but there are days when I struggle to stay in my range. Never netted below 1200, though.

baisleac

average around 2000 net or 2200-2400 total.

you folks in the triple digits - you're doing it wrong.

I can't be doing it that wrong though, I admit I may be netting too low now I have increased my exercise hence this post to see what others are doing

You posted in another thread that you'd "gotten complacent" and gained some weight back. You may have hurt your metabolism by undereating, even though you continued to lose weight.

Biert

Your net calorie = Food (cal)- Exercise (cal)

Your goal is the amount of calories your body needs to lose weight in a healthy way.

This means that your NET calorie should be close to your Goal calorie.

If you are really low with your net calorie intake this means your body will go into starvation mode and stop/ lower normal energie (i.e. calorie) usage.

pls read http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10665-newbies-please-read-me-2nd-edition it has a bunch of posts explaining.

Jillatha

average around 2000 net or 2200-2400 total.

you folks in the triple digits - you're doing it wrong.

I can't be doing it that wrong though, I admit I may be netting too low now I have increased my exercise hence this post to see what others are doing

You posted in another thread that you'd "gotten complacent" and gained some weight back. You may have hurt your metabolism by undereating, even though you continued to lose weight.

The weight gain was almost 8 months ago now, and I have lost all I had gained. I have been eating 1200 calories a day and only been full on exercising for about 2 weeks now

Celo24

isn't your net calories how many calories you've eaten? Like today I've had 914 which means my net is 914

No. Your NET is calories eaten - calories burned through exercise. So, if you eat 2000 calories and burn 600 on a run, your NET would be 1400. VERY important to know the difference.

taso42_DELETED

average around 2000 net or 2200-2400 total.

you folks in the triple digits - you're doing it wrong.

I can't be doing it that wrong though, I admit I may be netting too low now I have increased my exercise hence this post to see what others are doing

This path can lead to health problems or an eating disorder. Just because you lost weight doesn't necessarily mean it's healthy. As an analogy - Some people never change the oil in their car and it seems to run fine, for a while. So they might be inclined to think, oil changes aren't necessary. Over time, the engine gets internal damage, severely limiting it's lifespan, or just seizing one day. Your body is not a car, but it needs some basic maintenance. Unlike a car, you can't get a new one.

Celo24

average around 2000 net or 2200-2400 total.

you folks in the triple digits - you're doing it wrong.

I can't be doing it that wrong though, I admit I may be netting too low now I have increased my exercise hence this post to see what others are doing

This path can lead to health problems or an eating disorder. Just because you lost weight doesn't necessarily mean it's healthy. As an analogy - Some people never change the oil in their car and it seems to run fine, for a while. So they might be inclined to think, oil changes aren't necessary. Over time, the engine gets internal damage, severely limiting it's lifespan, or just seizing one day. Your body is not a car, but it needs some basic maintenance. Unlike a car, you can't get a new one.

To add to taso's post (in which he is absolutely right), you also lost that much weight because you had 120 pounds to lose when you first started. Now that you are so close to your goal, you NEED to give your body more fuel or it will NOT cooperate and you will hit a plateau that so many people on here get frustrated with. Your NET calories should equal your MFP target at the end of every day to avoid causing yourself serious frustrations and potential medical problems down the road.

papastu

so on a typical Saturday due to my work and hobby I tend to burn about 4000 calories, add that to the 1950 i should eat you guys are saying I should eat 5950 calories, to be honest I would rather not exercise at all and stick to the daily amount, read the other posts, just doesnt make any sense

taso42_DELETED

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overtraining

Oishii

I'm trying to maintain at 1790 net, and I'm certainly not gaining. I do wonder if this is partly because I haven't screwed up my metabolism with really low net calories (lowest just a few calories short of 1200). My friend has been on 600 calories a day with Cambridge and it's scary how fast she piles on weight if she stops the diet for a bit. For me the big advantage of mfp is that when I was losing I ate MORE than I would if I was trying to diet by myself.

I hope you can find a net calorie goal that works for you in the long run, and personally I would up the calories now in preparation for that time.

donicagalek

Today it's looking like 525 - but I might get another 10-20 minute of cardio in this evening. Yesterday it was 359.

Here's the thing:

1. My caloric intake is anywhere between 900-1150 on any given day I think. I don't own a food scale. I eyeball meat and use measuring cups for grains/veggies/fruit. I measure fats with measuring spoons. I could be, realistically a hundred calories to two hundred calories off on any given day.
2. Workout calories are never perfectly accurate in their estimation. EVEN if I had an HRM. I'm sure there are some HRMs that are very nice - I'm unwilling to lay out that kind of cash for one.
3. Given that fluctuations in both of these factors could work against me on any given day, I accept the fact that they could work for me as well. If I'm hungry, I'll eat. Something SENSIBLE. And I'll log it. :-)