So is it 1200 NET calories, or just 1200 calories?

Genem30

This has probably been covered, and I probably read it, but since I tend to lose interest in anything longer than a post on Twitter unless it's in audiobook form, I just need verification on way or the other. When people talk about eating at least 1200 calories a day, is that 1200 Net calories that I need to be up after exercise, or is it just 1200 calories that I need to eat? A lot of days after I'm done burning, I have eaten 1300-1500 calories for the day, but because I've exercised, I still end up in the negative on Net calories, or just a bit above.

I'm north of 350lbs, so I want to lose as much as I can safely, but I also don't want to fudge up my dietary system so that I'm not losing as quickly as I could be if I was eating more to cover the calories I burned working out or cleaning or...whatever I'm doing.

Thanks for any input.

rachelleahsmom

As you will read many times, you are supposed to eat back your exercise calories. So, if your MFP plan allows you 1200 calories and you exercise 500 calories, you should eat 1700. 1200 calories is not very much - you definitely burn more than that just getting out of bed and living your day, so that 1200 has weight loss already built in. If you are over 300 pounds, I find it hard to believe that 1200 is your recommended calorie allotment. Good luck with your journey!

lor007

It is net.

And if you are a male over 350 pounds, net 1,200 probably isn't enough. How many does mfp suggest you eat?

hroush

Yes, you should eat at least 1200 calories per day.

BUT

Since you are a male, you should actually be eating north of 1700 net calories per day in the hopes of keeping your muscle, prevent problems, etc. Also, do strength training to help keep and build your muscle. If you don't do this now, you'll be kicking yourself later (believe me).

I was 280 at one time. I lost 2 lbs a week for 7 months just doing two spin classes a week and eating 3000+ calories per day (not sure how much was muscle though :grumble:). I am now working on building the strength back that I lost.

taso42_DELETED

6'4" eating 1200? I would call that breakfast...

Seriously. Some calculation must be off somewhere. I'm a little shrimp compared to you and eat literally 2x as much....

kristen_lynn

EAT your exercise calories!! You have to hit the sweet spot by having a reasonable calorie deficit. MFP does the calculation for you and gives you the number you should be NETTING every day. If you're too under, your body will not trust that it's gonna get adequate nutrition and it will hold on to every last pound you have out of desperation. That's why starvation doesn't work! Our bodies have defenses against it. Also --- Make sure your profile stats are accurate too, if you're 350 lbs your body burns considerably more than 1200 calories by just being alive. Tell MFP the truth, about your activity level, height, weight, exercising, etc -- otherwise, the only person you're cheating is yourself!

Genem30

It is net.

And if you are a male over 350 pounds, net 1,200 probably isn't enough. How many does mfp suggest you eat?

It's telling me 2600/day, which seems crazy to me, I wasn't eating that much before. I can hit 2000 pretty easily I guess, but once I work out that adds another 1000-1500 some days. I can't afford to eat that much!

stanvoodoo

Its Net but for Men it's 1500!

You will find some eat back those exercise calories and some do not. But it is really encouraged when you are down at the Min calories.

What you don't want to happen is for your body to try and survive on say 700-800 calories a day because you eat 1500 and exercise and burn another 700-800 calories.

This is not good for your body, you burn muscle and instead of build muscle.

Just kind of adjust as necessary or best of all check with your doctor.

You Can Do It!

taso42_DELETED

I can't afford to eat that much!

Keep an eye out for sales at your local grocery store. Buy in bulk. Consider a Costco membership. Cook at home instead of eating out. It doesn't have to be that expensive...

stanvoodoo

If it gives you 2600 and you are eating less than that just log in what you are eating, then reduce slowly til you get to 1500.

Don't try to drop all at once, your body will hold on to everything, you have to ease into it!!!

It will happen!

ShrinkingNinja

I aim for 1350 on here.... If I eat below 1200 whether I have worked out or not MFP will scold me for not eating enough. If I eat 1200 calories and then workout and say burn 500 calories MFP doesn't scold me. So I take that to mean I need to eat at least 1200 calories.

I personally do not believe in eating back your workout calories. Just seems counter productive to me.

hroush

I eat around 2000-2500 calories per day and I pretty much average ~$1 a meal or less. I'm talking whole foods as well (eggs, veggies, meats, etc), no prepackaged stuff and have around 6 meals a day.

ChitownFoodie

WHOA! You should totally be eating more than that. I just checked out your diary and you eat only a little more than me and I am 1/3 your size. I know that eating bulky foods can be hard to get down. Try upping your calories with healthy fats, like avocado, almonds and olive oil. They are super high in calories and are NOT filling. 1 tablespoon of olive oil is already 110 calories.

cmonskinnylovee

Since you're a man, you probably should be eating more than 1200 calories a day anyways BUT we won't get into that right now.

You should be eating 1200 AT LEAST, and eating a net of 1200 isn't going to hurt you.

I guess it's up to you, but you should be eating more than that.

Genem30

WHOA! You should totally be eating more than that. I just checked out your diary and you eat only a little more than me and I am 1/3 your size. I know that eating bulky foods can be hard to get down. Try upping your calories with healthy fats, like avocado, almonds and olive oil. They are super high in calories and are NOT filling. 1 tablespoon of olive oil is already 110 calories.

Thanks, I'll have to remember the olive oil thing.

Thanks for the all advice, I guess I'll start eating more and then maybe try to dial it back a little at a time over the next 6 months or so.

Genem30

I can't afford to eat that much!

Keep an eye out for sales at your local grocery store. Buy in bulk. Consider a Costco membership. Cook at home instead of eating out. It doesn't have to be that expensive...

Yeah, we have a Costco membership. Guess I'll have to start going myself instead of just letting the wife decide what we're going to eat, lol.

robin52077

Yeah, I eat close to 2000 a day at 5'2" 108 lbs.

Surely 1200 is starving yourself for a man your size. Which will result in a whole host of problems, the least of which will be stalled weight loss.

Lonnellrose

I was 355 and my doc asked me to do 1200 calorie a day diet. Only 3 meals per day, not over 400 each, and no snacking at all. I've lost 11 lbs in 2 weeks so far. This week tho no weight loss, so maybe it was water I lost. So yes, we big people don't always eat huge amounts of food. Everyone is different. I gain weight with 2000 calories. Anyway... I don't know what NET calories are. I just go off what the nutrition facts say the calories are per serving.
The app tells me to consume like 4500 calories or something crazy like that, and deduct excersize. Ya right, I'd be gaining weight like mad. Oh hey, that must be what NET means. Lol

freedomwriter88

So, if I have a net of 60, that is bad?

RGv2

So, if I have a net of 60, that is bad?

Really?....Yes, that would not be using MFP as intended. You're supposed to net your goal.

It's telling me 2600/day, which seems crazy to me, I wasn't eating that much before. I can hit 2000 pretty easily I guess, but once I work out that adds another 1000-1500 some days. I can't afford to eat that much!

What do you mean by 2600 being crazy and that you weren't eating that much before?

freedomwriter88

So, if I have a net of 60, that is bad?

Really?....Yes, that would not be using MFP as intended. You're supposed to net your goal.

It's telling me 2600/day, which seems crazy to me, I wasn't eating that much before. I can hit 2000 pretty easily I guess, but once I work out that adds another 1000-1500 some days. I can't afford to eat that much!

What do you mean by 2600 being crazy and that you weren't eating that much before?

Let me verify: I need to net 1200, after exercise.

Also, no need to be snarky. I am new here, and I am learning.

Kalikel

I personally do not believe in eating back your workout calories. Just seems counter productive to me.

I agree.

Unless I do a bunch over my normal amount, I don't count it at all and don't eat them back. I gage by hunger. I if I'm hungry, I eat extra. If I'm not, No Way that I'm shoving in food just to eat up to a number.

devil_in_a_blue_dress

...

You need to eat the 2,600. Peanut butter is cheap. Eat a few spoonfuls. Eventually eating this low will burn you out and you will quit.

wrbiii

It is net.

And if you are a male over 350 pounds, net 1,200 probably isn't enough. How many does mfp suggest you eat?

It's telling me 2600/day, which seems crazy to me, I wasn't eating that much before. I can hit 2000 pretty easily I guess, but once I work out that adds another 1000-1500 some days. I can't afford to eat that much!

That's definitely off. I'm at 369 and it's giving me 2370 a day....

RGv2

So, if I have a net of 60, that is bad?

Really?....Yes, that would not be using MFP as intended. You're supposed to net your goal.

It's telling me 2600/day, which seems crazy to me, I wasn't eating that much before. I can hit 2000 pretty easily I guess, but once I work out that adds another 1000-1500 some days. I can't afford to eat that much!

What do you mean by 2600 being crazy and that you weren't eating that much before?

Let me verify: I need to net 1200, after exercise.

Also, no need to be snarky. I am new here, and I am learning.

You need to net your MFP goal, weather by eating back portions of exercise calories, or not exercising and properly logging. By netting 62 calories, that would be like doing zero exercise and having 2/3's of a 100 calorie snack pack for your entire day of eating.

BTW, that's not snark :drinker:

Blueseraphchaos

You should eat back your exercise calories and net your goal. Eat back your calories because mfp is built to factor in so much activity based on what you set your activity level at, and anything over that equates to calories you can eat back (and should, since the goal is to lose weight in a maintainable way, not lose weight as quickly as possible).

Sorry I'm on my phone and don't have it ready, but find the guide to sexy pants and read it...among some of the other stickied topics here.

I eat back my exercise calories (however, mfp grossly overestimates calories burned, so if you use it to estimate calories burned maybe only eat back half or so, or measure calories burned in some other way). What i am doing and have been doing has been working. I net 1490 calories per day currently with my activity being lightly active (5'4", 34 years old).

Liftng4Lis

Remember you want to eat enough so that this is sustainable. Anyone can just "not eat enough" for a month or two, (usually the ones who gain it all back +). For a man of your size 1200 is ridiculous. I'm 5'3 and did 1300 for the first 3 months here (totally doable), but it turns out it wasn't enough calories for my body. Feed yourself and work on a goal that you will be able to maintain long term.
Best of luck!

freedomwriter88

So, if I have a net of 60, that is bad?

Really?....Yes, that would not be using MFP as intended. You're supposed to net your goal.

It's telling me 2600/day, which seems crazy to me, I wasn't eating that much before. I can hit 2000 pretty easily I guess, but once I work out that adds another 1000-1500 some days. I can't afford to eat that much!

What do you mean by 2600 being crazy and that you weren't eating that much before?

Let me verify: I need to net 1200, after exercise.

Also, no need to be snarky. I am new here, and I am learning.

You need to net your MFP goal, weather by eating back portions of exercise calories, or not exercising and properly logging. By netting 62 calories, that would be like doing zero exercise and having 2/3's of a 100 calorie snack pack for your entire day of eating.

BTW, that's not snark :drinker:

Thanks for the info!

(I am snarky, so I tend to read things in a snarky tone.)

Atrocity108

im 6'4 and now weigh 260lb. Since I started this, I have been trying to keep it at 1200 a day, regardless of how much I burn off. My health has been fine, and I have been working out as much as I can.

With that being said, I am under a doctors watch while I am doing this. Always consult a doctor before trying that method.

FindingAmy77

my hubby is 200 and mfp gave him 2100 a day without the added exercise calories. I think you need more.