Which one is it...calories net or total calories from food

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  • spoons81
    spoons81 Posts: 51 Member
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    I just set my activity level to lightly active and then I don't log exercise calories. I work out 4-5 days a week so it seems to balance my diet out. It's working for me anyway :)

    **I also have a desk job where I'm on my butt for 8 hours per day with a 1.5 hr commute...
  • alw141
    alw141 Posts: 59 Member
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    Just do what works for you... the forums are opinions on everyone else's journey, what works for one person may not work for another.

    THIS!!! Everyone is different. You have to find what works for you.
  • simplyeater
    simplyeater Posts: 270 Member
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    I use net calories. When I burn more I eat more. That being said, when I log my exercise, I edit the calories burned downward because I think MFP overestimates.
  • zaph0d
    zaph0d Posts: 1,172 Member
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    Just do what works for you... the forums are opinions on everyone else's journey, what works for one person may not work for another.

    No, actually it's simple math. SIMPLE math. How do you people balance your checkbooks?
  • daj150
    daj150 Posts: 815 Member
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    Despite what anyone says, you need to listen to YOUR body. This means that if you are on a 1500 calorie plan, eat 1500 calories, exercise and get 500 calories from your exercise, and are not hungry, then you don't need to eat your exercise calories. If you find your energy going down or you are hungry, consume as much food within the exercise calories to SATISFY yourself, not necessarily to make yourself stuffed. As other notes, it depends on the individual, which is 100% true.

    The MFP calories for activities isn't the most accurate thing. If you are using a heart rate monitor that tracks calories, then you can use that...not 100% accurate, but close enough. Please note, you MUST subtract your daily-do-nothing calories from your exercise calories. For example, if your heart rate monitor says you burned 500 calories in 2 hours of exercise, and you are on a 1500 calorie/day plan, then you need to subtract (1500 cal divided by 24 hours divided by 60 minutes) multiplied by minutes exercises, then subtract that from your exercise calories. So, for the example, you would subtract 125 calories, meaning you have 375 exercise calories to work with.
  • Rachlmale
    Rachlmale Posts: 640 Member
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    Just do what works for you... the forums are opinions on everyone else's journey, what works for one person may not work for another.

    No, actually it's simple math. SIMPLE math. How do you people balance your checkbooks?


    'us people' don't... and do just fine, thanks. I've seen many people get confused by this simple math and there's no need for it. Enjoy your math, I'll enjoy what works for me.
  • 3foldchord
    3foldchord Posts: 2,918 Member
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    You are supposed to eat back your exercise calories. The deficit is already built into the target. You need to eat to fuel that exercise!

    THIS

    The calorie goal on !FP has my weight loss deficit. When I do extra exercise, I use more fuel. I have to eat more fuel to have enough fuel to exercise and not leave my body starving and burning my muscles for fuel. I want to keep muscle and lose fat, so I have to feed my body so it can feed my muscles so my muscles can burn more fat.
  • zaph0d
    zaph0d Posts: 1,172 Member
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    Just do what works for you... the forums are opinions on everyone else's journey, what works for one person may not work for another.

    No, actually it's simple math. SIMPLE math. How do you people balance your checkbooks?


    'us people' don't... and do just fine, thanks. I've seen many people get confused by this simple math and there's no need for it. Enjoy your math, I'll enjoy what works for me.

    don't what? balance your checkbook? believe it math? what works for you? eating random calories every day?
  • Brunner26_2
    Brunner26_2 Posts: 1,152
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    If you eat your exercise calories back and you're not making progress toward your goal, it means your numbers are off. You're not accurately logging food or exercise, or your energy requirements are off, or both. This is assuming you're going by the MFP method of net calories, and not the average TDEE method.

    I'm not saying that it won't work, but people who say "I don't lose weight if I eat my exercise calories" are mistaken. A more accurate statement is that without exercise they don't create a very big deficit and don't lose weight.
  • Rachlmale
    Rachlmale Posts: 640 Member
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    Just do what works for you... the forums are opinions on everyone else's journey, what works for one person may not work for another.

    No, actually it's simple math. SIMPLE math. How do you people balance your checkbooks?


    'us people' don't... and do just fine, thanks. I've seen many people get confused by this simple math and there's no need for it. Enjoy your math, I'll enjoy what works for me.

    don't what? balance your checkbook? believe it math? what works for you? eating random calories every day?


    I don't balance my cheque book, I don't have one. I use debit accounts, money goes in money goes out with a statement at the end of each month. I follow MFP's allowances for me, it's been working for me.
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
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    You should be eating enough to not need to eat your exercise calories. If you're feeling weak and faint from lack of food then you need to up your food intake and not by exercising to earn it. Most people on here are no where near the fitness level that requires refueling for exercise and unless you're using a HRM and deducting your BMR from that then you're probably over estimating your exercise to start with.

    Exercise is to gain fitness, diet is to lose or maintain weight. They really don't need to have anything to do with each other except making sure you have good nutrition for both. Way too many people have their budgets set to 1200 calories and then log exercise for house cleaning, slow waddle with the dog or shopping in order to "earn" the food they need to survive.
  • mustdothis40
    mustdothis40 Posts: 45 Member
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    I was wondering the same thing. I workout 5 days a week with a trainer. I log my calories burned by what my HRM says. If I am told to ear 1200 calories a day, should I add those back into my allowed calories for the day? This is new to me and I am working hard on exercise and food choices, so that I can anticipate success.

    Thoughts?
  • kaypat09
    kaypat09 Posts: 130 Member
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    I always eat them back now. I had stopped losing weight for weeks and couldn't figure out why. I did some research, upped my calorie goal to 1450 and now I NET my goal. I use a HRM to track accurately. Since then I've readjusted my numbers and my daily goal is 1428, but I still track the same way.

    If I burn 300 extra cals with exercise, then I eat and extra 300 cals for the day. I've also found that it motivates me to get out there and get my workout done....That means I get dessert!! :)

    THIS!!!!

    For the win.
  • 3foldchord
    3foldchord Posts: 2,918 Member
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    It also depends on your activity setting.
    Set to sedentary - log everything and eat back calories
    Set to lightly active- log exercising 3-4 days a week, but not the other days, eat back to calories on the logged days
    If you exercise 5-6 days a week, set it to highly active and don't log exercise.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
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    MFP always says you burned waaaaay more than you actually burned. I don't log my exercise because I don't plan on eating them back. The only time I'll log exercise is on special occasions like thanksgiving when I might eat a little more. Even then, I only eat half of them back.

    I think it must be the opposite for me. According to MFP, I should only be losing 1/3 of a pound each week, yet I am actually losing over two pounds a week.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
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    Just do what works for you... the forums are opinions on everyone else's journey, what works for one person may not work for another.

    No, actually it's simple math. SIMPLE math. How do you people balance your checkbooks?

    I wonder that too sometimes. :ohwell:
  • lizziebeth1028
    lizziebeth1028 Posts: 3,602 Member
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    I'm just curious how many of you consider calories net to be your total calories for day or just look at your total calories from food intake....I've never looked at my net because if I did I would probably eat back my exercise cals if that makes sense? Please share your thoughts on this...


    MFP is designed with the intent that you eat back your exercise calories. So I always go by my net.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
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    I don't balance my cheque book, I don't have one. I use debit accounts, money goes in money goes out with a statement at the end of each month.

    This explains it.

    Whatever works. I would be broke all the time if I didn't budget my money. It must be nice to have so much money that you don't have to keep track of it.

    Best wishes on your fitness goals. :flowerforyou:
  • rose313
    rose313 Posts: 1,146 Member
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    The ideal way to use MFP is to put in your activity level NOT INCLUDING EXERCISE and eat your exercise calories back because MFP already builds in a deficit for you. Don't eat them back, and you're creating a larger deficit. Sometimes that's okay, but sometimes that means you'll net too low.

    If you use MFP a different way, such as manually adjusting your calorie goal to a 15% cut from TDEE, that's fine, and the exercise calorie issue is obviously going to be different if you are using MFP a different way.
  • zaph0d
    zaph0d Posts: 1,172 Member
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    Just do what works for you... the forums are opinions on everyone else's journey, what works for one person may not work for another.

    No, actually it's simple math. SIMPLE math. How do you people balance your checkbooks?


    'us people' don't... and do just fine, thanks. I've seen many people get confused by this simple math and there's no need for it. Enjoy your math, I'll enjoy what works for me.

    don't what? balance your checkbook? believe it math? what works for you? eating random calories every day?


    I don't balance my cheque book, I don't have one. I use debit accounts, money goes in money goes out with a statement at the end of each month. I follow MFP's allowances for me, it's been working for me.

    MFP's allowances for you have exercise factored out of the equation. So it happens to be "working" (whatever working means to you) despite the fact that your accounting is off. This would bother me greatly. But luckily, I am not you.

    It would be like you finally checked the statement of your debit account, and the final balance was thousands of dollars off.

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