Net Calories

rachiriot
rachiriot Posts: 24 Member
edited December 26 in Health and Weight Loss
I read on another site that for you to loose weight, your net calories must be in the minus.
My net calories today are 880, it's the end of the day and I still have 320 calories left to consume if I wanted, does this mean I will not loose weight? Confusion!

Replies

  • rachiriot
    rachiriot Posts: 24 Member
    You get what I meant :P My spelling sucks.
  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
    lose*

    Wow, that was helpful.

    Another site must have been set up differently or someone who didn't have a clue was talking.

    If you eat below TDEE you'll lose weight. I usually net 1700 and got to goal. 800 would eventually send me to a hospital.
  • rachiriot
    rachiriot Posts: 24 Member
    lose*

    Wow, that was helpful.

    Another site must have been set up differently or someone who didn't have a clue was talking.

    If you eat below TDEE you'll lose weight. I usually net 1700 and got to goal. 800 would eventually send me to a hospital.
    So should I eat more then? :) Thanks for the help :)
  • veganbaum
    veganbaum Posts: 1,865 Member
    You burn calories just by being alive, this is called your BMR (what your body burns to keep your organs and things functioning). Then your body burned calories through activity, both daily normal activities and exercise (this is your TDEE). In order to lose weight you need to eat less than your TDEE. So if MFP gives you 1500 calories to eat - EAT THEM. This does not mean eat 1500 then exercise to burn more than 1500. If you exercise and MFP adds those calories, you are supposed to eat those too. So let's say you burn 300 calories - you would be eating 1800 calories (BUT a lot of people eat only 50-75% of those exercise calories because the numbers could be off, so you could eat 150 and likely be just fine). You will still be below your TDEE, giving you a deficit to lose weight.

    I hope that makes sense. Good luck.
  • veganbaum
    veganbaum Posts: 1,865 Member
    lose*

    Thanks for your insightful contribution.
  • rachiriot
    rachiriot Posts: 24 Member
    You burn calories just by being alive, this is called your BMR (what your body burns to keep your organs and things functioning). Then your body burned calories through activity, both daily normal activities and exercise (this is your TDEE). In order to lose weight you need to eat less than your TDEE. So if MFP gives you 1500 calories to eat - EAT THEM. This does not mean eat 1500 then exercise to burn more than 1500. If you exercise and MFP adds those calories, you are supposed to eat those too. So let's say you burn 300 calories - you would be eating 1800 calories (BUT a lot of people eat only 50-75% of those exercise calories because the numbers could be off, so you could eat 150 and likely be just fine). You will still be below your TDEE, giving you a deficit to lose weight.

    I hope that makes sense. Good luck.
    That's cleared it all up, thank you so much! :)
  • veganbaum
    veganbaum Posts: 1,865 Member
    lose*

    Wow, that was helpful.

    Another site must have been set up differently or someone who didn't have a clue was talking.

    If you eat below TDEE you'll lose weight. I usually net 1700 and got to goal. 800 would eventually send me to a hospital.
    So should I eat more then? :) Thanks for the help :)

    YES! Your net should be close to whatever MFP has given you.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    Would you mind linking the site you are referring to? I'd like to read it. thanks.
  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
    lose*

    Wow, that was helpful.

    Another site must have been set up differently or someone who didn't have a clue was talking.

    If you eat below TDEE you'll lose weight. I usually net 1700 and got to goal. 800 would eventually send me to a hospital.
    So should I eat more then? :) Thanks for the help :)

    Enter your info here:
    http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/

    If you know your fat percentage enter that to for better accuracy. If you don't know it you can play with the numbers to see what happens as your fat percentage goes up.

    Now you have an estimation of your BMR. If I bonked the person who corrected your spelling over the head with a baseball bat and knocked them out, they would start burning their BMR until they became conscious again. A Sedentary, lying around the house all day adult burns about BMR*1.2. With exercise you burn plenty more then this.

    If you eat anywhere below your real TDEE you will lose. Most people recommend taking a 10-20 percent cut and eat somewhere between your BMR and TDEE. The site I gave you above tells you what you would have to eat at your goal weight to maintain basically.
  • Goal_Line
    Goal_Line Posts: 474 Member
    Your net cals do not need to be negative. My net cals today will be around 2000. Ate 3,000 burned 1,000 net = 2,000.

    Your net cals should be what MFP suggests, 1,200 for example.
  • Goal_Line
    Goal_Line Posts: 474 Member
    lose*

    Classy
  • kittyhasclaws
    kittyhasclaws Posts: 446 Member
    Best guide for calorie consumption: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

    This helped me a lot and made SO much sense!
  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
    Best guide for calorie consumption: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

    This helped me a lot and made SO much sense!
    ^this also works and is fully explained

    You could also plug your numbers into a government weight loss simulator like this one:
    http://bwsimulator.niddk.nih.gov/
  • mermx
    mermx Posts: 976
    Hi Rach, good for you for wanting to change your life around a little :-) I took a peek at your diary, I hope you don`t mind?

    What works for me when I started is keeping with the MFP goals and staying with the minimum of 1200 cals a day Net ( so this did not include calories I used when exercising, they can be added on OK)

    Maybe you can add some nice foods, that you enjoy that are better for you, into your day that will fill you up more, protein is good! The crisps and stuff wil not really help and are full of salt...try to make some small changes each day to get yourself healthier and this will help!

    Good luck x

    PS forget the spelling Bee, lots of people make mistakes with the whole `lose` `loose` thing lol
  • rachiriot
    rachiriot Posts: 24 Member
    Hi Rach, good for you for wanting to change your life around a little :-) I took a peek at your diary, I hope you don`t mind?

    What works for me when I started is keeping with the MFP goals and staying with the minimum of 1200 cals a day Net ( so this did not include calories I used when exercising, they can be added on OK)

    Maybe you can add some nice foods, that you enjoy that are better for you, into your day that will fill you up more, protein is good! The crisps and stuff wil not really help and are full of salt...try to make some small changes each day to get yourself healthier and this will help!

    Good luck x

    PS forget the spelling Bee, lots of people make mistakes with the whole `lose` `loose` thing lol
    Of course I don't mind! I'm not used to a healthy diet at all so any hints/tips are very gratefully welcomed! Thank you!
  • rachiriot
    rachiriot Posts: 24 Member
    Thank you so much everyone! :)
  • rachiriot
    rachiriot Posts: 24 Member
    Would you mind linking the site you are referring to? I'd like to read it. thanks.
    The one which confused me? http://caloriecount.about.com/forums/weight-loss/net-calories-dummies
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    Would you mind linking the site you are referring to? I'd like to read it. thanks.
    The one which confused me? http://caloriecount.about.com/forums/weight-loss/net-calories-dummies
    This line?:
    If Net is negative (Intake is less than Burn) you have a calorie deficit, which leads to weight loss.

    yeah, it just means if you burn 2000 (between life, exercise, and everything else) and eat 1800 you should lose weight.
  • DiabolicBooger
    DiabolicBooger Posts: 198 Member
    ive lost 44 lbs in less than 50 days and in the last 30 days on average i exercise away every calorie i eat, meaning i net 0 calories on average
  • mermx
    mermx Posts: 976
    ive lost 44 lbs in less than 50 days and in the last 30 days on average i exercise away every calorie i eat, meaning i net 0 calories on average

    And that woud be good long term because .....???
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    ive lost 44 lbs in less than 50 days and in the last 30 days on average i exercise away every calorie i eat, meaning i net 0 calories on average
    And you've maintained this how long?
    Not trying to be snarky, it just doesn't sound like a good long term way to lose weight.
    Hope it works for you.
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