Confused about Net Calorie count?

karliwelhoelter

Ok so bear with me here. I figured out that my basic metabolic rate at my lightly active lifetstyle (light cardio, and some pilates videos every other day) is 1,900 cals. Now, to create a calorie deficit of 500, I'm taking 250 out of my diet, and 250 from exercise, so my net calories should be about 1400, give or take depending on my exercise.

So, if I eat 1650 cals (1900 - 250) and exercise off 250 (1650 - 250 = 1400) my Net calorie goal on my fitness pal should be 1400, and I'm looking at the "Food" tag to watch how much I'm actually eating. And I know MFP will say I'm "eating back" my exercise cals. So at the end of the day MFP will say
Goal: 1400 Food 1650 (or something close) Exercise: 250 (or something close) and Net should be 1400, does that sound about right?
Sorry if this sounds confusing haha!

pastryari

If your net goal is 1400, then yes. That's how it works.

taziarj

Not sure you're calculating this right. You shouldn't include any workout calorie burns in to your TDEE. You are doing pilates every other day, that shouldn't necessarily put you in to a lightly active lifestyle. What if you don't do the pilates for a week? Your lifestyle (normal daily activities) category shouldn't include any exercise. If you work a desk job all day, then you should indicate sedentary. If you run a daycare and are on your feet all day, you should probably indicate something closer to active. If you are a construction worker, it is more likely to be very active.

I assume that the 1900 calories you are indicating is your TDEE and not your BMI. If that is the case you should correctly calcualte your TDII based on your normal daily activities, sans workouts (pilates). If sedentary, this might give you a TDEE of say 2100, then you indicate how much you want to lose a week. It sounds like you want to lose about 1lb a week, so you would indicate such. MFP will then calculate your calories by taking your TDEE and subtracting the necessary deficit for 1lb loss per week. In the case of a 1lb a week it would be a 500 deficit. So with a TDEE of 2100-500, your calorie goal is 1600. This will result in a 1lb per week loss if you do no exercise. Then any exercise you do, you should input that in to MFP, that will bring down your net calories, then eat back those calories. Your net at the end of the day should be at the 1600. This in the end should result in a 1lb per week weight loss.

I think you are getting to the same result, but in a more complicated way. Basically, don't consider any exercise in to your MFP setting for your normal daily activities.

BrittanyKxo

I am confused about Net Calories/Calories as well. I just started on here a few days ago. It gave me a goal calories for 1,380 daily, and when I exercise it ups my calories. I have a net calorie of 705 for today after burning 447 calories and eating 1,152 calories. Is this bad?

Fozzi43

That kinda confuses me as well...when I gain my calories from working out I don,t use them but I always make sure I eat my 1200 cals a day,but I do find it hard to eat that many sometimes :laugh: