Net Calories Question! Please Answer If Any Advice

AnvilHead

^ That's the bottom line. I hope you explained it more clearly than I apparently have.

SaintsGal

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If you followed Helloitsdan's instructions on the Roadmap and took a 20% cut from you TDEE including exercise then you do NOT eat your exercise calories back as they are already factored in.

If you are using the MFP calculator to get your numbers then you DO eat your exercise since MFB does not include it in your calculations. They ask you about your activity only so they can help you schedule your activity.

So decide which method you are going to use - Dans is easier since you don't have to chase after our exercise calories.
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The website I used was not the MFP calculator it was a separate website for TDEE:

http://www.healthyweightforum.org/eng/calculators/calories-required/

If you would have a look then you will see that exercise is factored in and hopefully you will understand why it has been hard to understand as all I asked was for someone to look at the site and tell me if I needed to eat back the exercise calories or not?

geekyjock76

Think of this scenario:

Let's say I give you $10 to buy breakfast but you need to be left with $5 in change to hand back. The goal is to come back with $5. If you buy food that cost $8, that leaves you with only $2 in change. Your goal, again, is to return $5. So if you spend $8, you need to add $3 from some other source to be able to meet your goal of handing me back $5.

Now think of the above and relate it to the following information you provided.


Terms:
TDEE = 2331 (the $10)
Deficit = 552 (the amount you are permitted to spend = $5)
Net (or goal) = 1779 (the amount of change you need to have left over = $5)

TDEE - (less calories eaten + exercise calories = Deficit) = Net

2331 - (eat 350 calories less than TDEE + 202 exercise calories = 552 deficit) = 1779 Goal

2331 - 552 = 1779 Goal

So eat a total of 1980 calories of food and burn 200 calories from total exercise.

SaintsGal

I understand what you are saying it's just that I have read that you don't need to eat back calories if your TDEE includes the level of exercise.

Sorry if I have got this wrong
x

2hobbit1

Hi,
I just PM'ed you.

Let me run your numbers so I can see where you stand and what method you used.

geekyjock76

TDEE calories is what you need to eat if you wish to maintain your weight. For you, you can eat up to 2331 calories while doing whatever activities you are currently doing (exercising 3-5 times a day) and not change weight.

However, you do not want to net 2331 to maintain weight because your goal is to lose weight. Thus, you need to net less than 2331 to lose weight. That's why the site gave you a deficit of 552 calories and a goal of 1779.

The 552 deficit is a general deficit: its not specific in the sense that it states how much comes from eating less or exercise calories. It's just the sum of both variables of eating less and exercise calories. You can decide how much of the 552 comes from eating less calories and exercise calories. That's why I provided the example of eating 350 calories below 2331 and engage in a total of 200 calories of exercise.

iluvco3

Based on that website, you would NOT eat your calories from exercise. They are figured into the TDEE, so you take the 20% from that number and those are your calories needed/day.

wild_wild_life

O I always thought that when you calculated your TDEE with activity level included you didn't need to eat back your exercise calories as they were already included in the deficit?

Or have I got this wrong?

Sorry but I am new to this and am still finding it confusing
x

You have got it right.

When you calculated your TDEE, did you include exercise when determining your activity level? Most TDEE calculators include exercise.

If yes, don't eat more for exercise because then you would essentially be counting it twice.

wild_wild_life

The 1779 is the energy availability after factoring in the deficit which was subtracted from your predicted TDEE of 2331. The deficit of 552 is the sum of eating less and exercise calories. So you have several choices:

So the 1779 is what I should be eating in order to meet my 2 week goal of losing 1kg.

1)Eat 2331 calories and engage in 550 calories of total exercise to hit the goal of 1779.
2)Eat 1779 calories and engage in 0 exercise to hit the goal of 1779 (not recommended).
3)Eat 1981 calories (350 less) and engage in 202 calories worth of total exercise (preferred option).

So if I ate 1779 calories but also went to the gym and burnt 400 calories would I need to eat the 400 calories back or not? As the exercise deficit is already included?

x

Yes! You eat the extra 400 otherwise you NET would only be 1379

Sorry, but no. The exercise she does to burn those 400 cals is already included in the TDEE calculation. When you use the TDEE method to determine your deficit, you should not eat more for exercise.