Total calories vs. net calories.

HeidiLynn

Hello all! I'm new to this website and I've been doing this for two weeks and I'm curious, if you exercise and you gain so many "extra" calories from that, do you have to still stay at your calorie goal to lose weight? My net calories are ALWAYS under 1200, but my total calories for a day have ranged from the 1100's to the 1500's. So do I got with Net or Gross? Thanks for any advice.

I must say that my iPod app says a different Net than the website. I'm referring to the application Net, not the website. i.e. today my website says my net is 274 (which is calories remaining) but my iPod app says 974 (calories consumed after exercise calories have been subtracted).

bobbyboy16

Hi

Best to bag the excercise cals and not use them if you can.

There is some debate on it but generally its all down to what you burn a day naturally vs what you consume for steady weight loss.
The excercise helps to knock your cal rate in back a bit, but do not rely on it. Two or three weeks in you may like me hit a stall on weight loss, but do not loss faith your body is just adjusting to the new regime

My ipod app is same as yours, it does not always tally, so best check out on laptop at night or during day if possible.

Take it easy and good luck


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deckerp

... if you exercise and you gain so many "extra" calories from that, do you have to still stay at your calorie goal to lose weight?...

I don't know about the iPod app versus the website, but I do know what the goals are regarding exercise and calorie intake. You should "eat your exercise". The calorie goals you calculated on the website were assuming no exercise. They are calculated to help you lose your goal of 1 or 2 lbs per week. That equates to a calorie deficit of 3500 calories per week. If you exercise each day and burn 500 calories then you need to increase your calorie intake to maintain the 3500 calorie per week deficit. If you don't, your body will start to go into "starvation mode". That will put you on a path to a plateau that is hard to break out of. The long term steady loss is what you want.

Hopefully this makes sense.

KatWood

I think it really depends on how many calories you are burning but you really should keep your net calories high enough to properly fuel your body and extra work means it needs extra fuel.

I tend to burn a lot of calories when I work out, especially now that I am training for a 1/2 marathon. I burn between 500-1000 calories and I always make sure I eat at least some of them back.

HeidiLynn

Thanks for your advice! I wasn't eating my calories from exercise and was putting myself at risk for starvation mode. No wonder I was so hungry...duh.