net calories question...

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c1aireee
c1aireee Posts: 269 Member
edited January 24 in Health and Weight Loss
should your net calories be the same amount as your goal calories by the end of the day?

Replies

  • dorthymcconnel
    dorthymcconnel Posts: 237 Member
    bump
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
    Yes your daily goal at MFP is already at a deficit - meaning eat to goal every day, do zero exercise, and you'll lose weight. When you exercise and burn more cals, you're creating too large a deficit - this is why MFP adds those calories back into your daily goal when you log your exercise - you are supposed to eat them back so that your NET cals for the day are at or near goal.
  • TomTomato
    TomTomato Posts: 223
    In general, yes, but it really depends on how you are tracking your exercise calories.
  • Daniloveshockey94
    Daniloveshockey94 Posts: 348 Member
    Yes your daily goal at MFP is already at a deficit - meaning eat to goal every day, do zero exercise, and you'll lose weight. When you exercise and burn more cals, you're creating too large a deficit - this is why MFP adds those calories back into your daily goal when you log your exercise - you are supposed to eat them back so that your NET cals for the day are at or near goal.
    Yeah but if you DON'T use MFPs cal suggestion and change it to let's say 1900??
    How does that work?
  • Katina3333
    Katina3333 Posts: 259 Member
    I've read so many different answers on this. Some people say eat them all back, your body needs them. Some people say eat only half, see what your body needs. And some say don't eat any at all. UGH! I have no clue!
  • tonytoo
    tonytoo Posts: 307
    Try both methods and see what works for you.

    Personally I don't eat back exercise calories. But if I hit a plateau I might try it.
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
    Yes your daily goal at MFP is already at a deficit - meaning eat to goal every day, do zero exercise, and you'll lose weight. When you exercise and burn more cals, you're creating too large a deficit - this is why MFP adds those calories back into your daily goal when you log your exercise - you are supposed to eat them back so that your NET cals for the day are at or near goal.
    Yeah but if you DON'T use MFPs cal suggestion and change it to let's say 1900??
    How does that work?
    Depends on how you arrived at changing your daily goal to 1900. My daily goal is 1950 - that's my TDEE minus 10-15%, and since I included my exercise in my activity level when I was calculating TDEE, I don't eat my exercise cals (unless I have an usually high burn day with a long run or walking 18 holes of golf, then I make sure I'm at least netting my BMR, which is around 1400).
  • TomTomato
    TomTomato Posts: 223
    If you track exercise calories on MFP, it adds them to your calorie goal. Here's the problem: If you exercise for 60 minutes and burn 600 calories, it adds 600 to your goal. But it doesn't subtract the calories you would have burned not exercising. For example, if my goal is 1,800, that equates to 75 cals/hour x 24 hours. So really I should subtract 75 from the 600 calories from exercise and only add 525. But wait. If you were using TDEE minus 20% for your goal, you should subtract 20% from the 525 before adding it to the 1,800. 20% x 525 = 105. 525-105=420. So you add 420 to 1,800 to get a goal of 2,220.

    That's how I do it. I calculate my TDEE as sedentary since most of my job is sedentary and I track exercise calories separately since my activity level varies.
  • SanteMulberry
    SanteMulberry Posts: 3,202 Member
    should your net calories be the same amount as your goal calories by the end of the day?

    I always try to leave 50-100 calories at the end of the day to cover any errors in measuring food or any exercise that was not as calorie-burning as MFP gives credit for. But I try to never net below 1,200 on any day. My normal allotment is 1,360 calories (my macros are set to "1 pound a week") and MFP says I expended 500 calories at the pool--so that takes me to 1,860 calories. I've planned out my day in advance and I will probably end the day with a little over 100 calories more allowed than I will eat, but my net would only be around 1,250 or so. I find that if you are eating nutrient-dense food, it is hard to eat any more than 1,300 calories (at least that seems to be so for me).
  • bevtyndall
    bevtyndall Posts: 72 Member
    bump
  • SanteMulberry
    SanteMulberry Posts: 3,202 Member
    If you track exercise calories on MFP, it adds them to your calorie goal. Here's the problem: If you exercise for 60 minutes and burn 600 calories, it adds 600 to your goal. But it doesn't subtract the calories you would have burned not exercising. For example, if my goal is 1,800, that equates to 75 cals/hour x 24 hours. So really I should subtract 75 from the 600 calories from exercise and only add 525. But wait. If you were using TDEE minus 20% for your goal, you should subtract 20% from the 525 before adding it to the 1,800. 20% x 525 = 105. 525-105=420. So you add 420 to 1,800 to get a goal of 2,220.

    That's how I do it. I calculate my TDEE as sedentary since most of my job is sedentary and I track exercise calories separately since my activity level varies.

    Ah--maybe THAT'S why I haven't been losing at the expected rate of 1 pound a week and instead only losing about a half-pound per week. Hmm. Interesting.
  • Sactown900
    Sactown900 Posts: 162 Member
    I got through a "loss-wall" when I stopped eating my exercise calories. At 6' 1" and 240 lbs, MFP had me at 1860 al per day. With two workouts a day, I lost 20 then sat there for two weeks. I stopped eating my workout calories started loosing again.

    Its very tough, but worth it. I am 213 today and on an early course to 195 lbs.
  • gigi_RN2013
    gigi_RN2013 Posts: 141 Member
    This always confused me too ...
  • bacitracin
    bacitracin Posts: 921 Member
    I plateaued at 1800 calories a day.

    Bumped it up to 2000 a day and am losing weight again. /shrug.
  • EmmaKarney
    EmmaKarney Posts: 690 Member
    I eat my exercise calories back and I am losing nicely.

    I've been consistent since January so I'm now going from my own personalised data.
  • c1aireee
    c1aireee Posts: 269 Member
    wow thanks for the replies, after reading them I realise I am confused about whether I should eat back my calories or not i isually dont but I have been the same weight for the last 2 weeks so maybe I should try it???
  • EmmaKarney
    EmmaKarney Posts: 690 Member
    Are you weighing all your food and logging everything that goes into your mouth?

    If you eat your exercise calories back it's even more important to be as on point with logging accuracy.
  • c1aireee
    c1aireee Posts: 269 Member
    Are you weighing all your food and logging everything that goes into your mouth?

    If you eat your exercise calories back it's even more important to be as on point with logging accuracy.

    I don't weigh my food but I do log everything I eat even naughty food I log there's no point cheating myself!
  • EmmaKarney
    EmmaKarney Posts: 690 Member
    Are you weighing all your food and logging everything that goes into your mouth?

    If you eat your exercise calories back it's even more important to be as on point with logging accuracy.

    I don't weigh my food but I do log everything I eat even naughty food I log there's no point cheating myself!

    Eyeballing can be quite inaccurate - I would definitely invest in a digital food scale. You may be surprised at what portion sizes actually look like. E.g. 40g of breakfast cereal is barely enough to fill a toddler.

    You could well be under estimating your food intake.
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