net calories?

mommycordillia

so on days that I work out, I still only eat between 1200-1400 calories, which leaves me with a really low net cal, like 300-600....is this bad?? should I have 1200 in net?

ubermensch13

Yes, it is bad. you want at lest 1200 NET. Eat back your exercise calories. Eating that little can effect your energy level and make you more likely to binge.

IronSmasher

Yes. The term net calories is pretty self explanatory.

larryc0923

I disagree that it is bad to not "eat back your calories". In general I have not tried to eat back my calories although on some days when I am hungry I will and other days not. For example today I am not eating back my calories because I am not hungry. Yesterday I did eat back my calories (It was Friday and my wife and I went out to eat. ) My energy level has continuously increased over the 8 months of doing this. For example, 8 months ago I could not jog a quarter mile continuously and now my work outs include things like a run for 2 miles with a swim for a 0.5 mile. Hope this helps.

Vx3_

You don't NEED to eat back your calories. I lost a lot of weight by eating minimum 1300 calories and exercise. some people eat it back because it works for their body. others don't because they gain weight doing so.

Ari112233

I'm trying to eat 1400 calories a day (recently upped from 1200 a day). I don't try to eat back my exercise calories unless I am hungry but I try to make sure I don't eat below 1400 on days I exercise. This seems to work for me.

mommycordillia

thanks! I try to not eat unless I'm hungry ( I used to be a bored eater) and since I've been eating better and working out I'm not as hungry as I used to be...but a friend pointed out my net calories were too low and I started freaking out because I don't like to eat if I'm not hungry, lol but that would be the only way to up my net...

thanks for all the replies and advise!

IronSmasher

You can try more calorie dense food choices. The 'listen to your body' thing is why we all ended up on a calorie counting website. If you're not going to take your output into consideration, I see little point in monitoring your input.

ChinniP

I try to hit around 1500 calories total. Back in the day when i went to see a nutritionist she had me exercising and staying at 1500 calories and I lost quite a bit. Of course I'm older now but I don't see why it won't work. If i stall out I'll shake it up again. Of course I would not let myself be grumpy hungry if it comes to that.

LokiOfAsgard

Yes, you should eat back your exercise calories. What you have as your daily goal/limit is a little less than what your body needs to do it's normal, every day functions, like Breathing blinking and pumping blood. If you exercise and leave your body with 300 calories, your body doesn't have enough energy to do those things.

Now, it's set as a little less, because without having a little less, you won't lose anything. But 300 is WAY to less.

Dauntlessness

If your hungry eat some back, if you not. don't. Listen to your body not random people on here. haha

Mistyblu08

thanks! I try to not eat unless I'm hungry ( I used to be a bored eater) and since I've been eating better and working out I'm not as hungry as I used to be...but a friend pointed out my net calories were too low and I started freaking out because I don't like to eat if I'm not hungry, lol but that would be the only way to up my net...

thanks for all the replies and advise!

Your body will tell you what you need in calories- and at some times our end results in calories and calories out can be skewed as well