confused about net calories.

Ivana331
Ivana331 Posts: 230
in Food and Nutrition
I thought I was eating right, but I posted a topic earlier with some replies that confused me even more!! Please help explain this to me!! My quote is the first and last one. The middles is someone explaining net calories to me and saying that somehow I am eating under 1200 a day which baffles me and makes no sense. I am terrible at math as well so this is not easy for me.
I was before, but I upped my calories by lowering my weekly weight loss to 1/2lb.. Yesterday I got 1560, the day before over 1600.... I always try to eat back all of my exercise calories and my daily goal is around 1700. I usually only leave 100-200calories uneaten simply because I am not hungry anymore.
But what you all are saying makes sense. I will start taking one rest day per week. :) And maybe do a light walk that day.
Make sure you look at your NET calories on your home page - using yesterday as an example: Your diary shows you ate 1540 calories, but you burned 561 calories... 1540 - 561 = 979 net calories for the day. The day before, only 1055. The net number of calories is what you want to aim for - netting below 1200 is no bueno. :tongue:
that doesn't seem right to me.
It has my goal of 1791 INCLUDING exercise calories. I ate 1540 of those..... Without exercise my goal calories are 1230.
1230 plus the 561 I earn though exercise equals 1791 calories throughout the day, I ate 1540, leaving 251 calories uneaten.

Replies

  • Ivana331
    Ivana331 Posts: 230
    bump, anyone? This is really sconfusing me and it really bugs me.
  • rnscott25
    rnscott25 Posts: 2
    The net calories are taking into account how many you have spent up exercising. So if you burned 200 calories and then ate something that was 400 calories, you have actually eaten 200 calories.
  • LokiOfAsgard
    LokiOfAsgard Posts: 378 Member
    Okay, I'll try to make it simple lol.

    You eat 1,200 calories.
    you burn 200
    It's like you only ate 1,000

    so 1,000 is your net calories. Does that help at all?
  • MonkRocker
    MonkRocker Posts: 198
    I'm not sure exactly what your question is, but:

    Net Calories = Calories Eaten - Calories Burned.

    That's it.

    So if you ate 1500 and burned 200, then your Net is (1500 - 200) = 1300.
  • WickedBean
    WickedBean Posts: 244 Member
    I thought I was eating right, but I posted a topic earlier with some replies that confused me even more!! Please help explain this to me!! My quote is the first and last one. The middles is someone explaining net calories to me and saying that somehow I am eating under 1200 a day which baffles me and makes no sense. I am terrible at math as well so this is not easy for me.
    I was before, but I upped my calories by lowering my weekly weight loss to 1/2lb.. Yesterday I got 1560, the day before over 1600.... I always try to eat back all of my exercise calories and my daily goal is around 1700. I usually only leave 100-200calories uneaten simply because I am not hungry anymore.
    But what you all are saying makes sense. I will start taking one rest day per week. :) And maybe do a light walk that day.
    Make sure you look at your NET calories on your home page - using yesterday as an example: Your diary shows you ate 1540 calories, but you burned 561 calories... 1540 - 561 = 979 net calories for the day. The day before, only 1055. The net number of calories is what you want to aim for - netting below 1200 is no bueno. :tongue:
    that doesn't seem right to me.
    It has my goal of 1791 INCLUDING exercise calories. I ate 1540 of those..... Without exercise my goal calories are 1230.
    1230 plus the 561 I earn though exercise equals 1791 calories throughout the day, I ate 1540, leaving 251 calories uneaten.

    You are netting around 1500 which is fine. I don't think that person realized that the 1791 was AFTER your exercise and not what you ate before. as long as your number in your diary remains green you will be within your net.
  • TrinaJ11
    TrinaJ11 Posts: 159 Member
    What we see in your diary is your total calories eaten for the day. NOT your net calories. You have to subtract your exercise from your total to see your net calories. This is done for you on the main myfitnesspal home page (with the big green numbers) and not in your diary. In your diary it will show the correct amount of goal calories..but it will not update/show NET calories.
  • Ivana331
    Ivana331 Posts: 230
    I thought I was eating right, but I posted a topic earlier with some replies that confused me even more!! Please help explain this to me!! My quote is the first and last one. The middles is someone explaining net calories to me and saying that somehow I am eating under 1200 a day which baffles me and makes no sense. I am terrible at math as well so this is not easy for me.
    I was before, but I upped my calories by lowering my weekly weight loss to 1/2lb.. Yesterday I got 1560, the day before over 1600.... I always try to eat back all of my exercise calories and my daily goal is around 1700. I usually only leave 100-200calories uneaten simply because I am not hungry anymore.
    But what you all are saying makes sense. I will start taking one rest day per week. :) And maybe do a light walk that day.
    Make sure you look at your NET calories on your home page - using yesterday as an example: Your diary shows you ate 1540 calories, but you burned 561 calories... 1540 - 561 = 979 net calories for the day. The day before, only 1055. The net number of calories is what you want to aim for - netting below 1200 is no bueno. :tongue:
    that doesn't seem right to me.
    It has my goal of 1791 INCLUDING exercise calories. I ate 1540 of those..... Without exercise my goal calories are 1230.
    1230 plus the 561 I earn though exercise equals 1791 calories throughout the day, I ate 1540, leaving 251 calories uneaten.

    You are netting around 1500 which is fine. I don't think that person realized that the 1791 was AFTER your exercise and not what you ate before. as long as your number in your diary remains green you will be within your net.
    THANK YOU. The way I understood her was that I was to eat back my exercise calories TWICE?? LOL I get the whole eat 1200 burn off 600 that leaves 600... I get that! I eat my exercise calories back. ok so I will just keep doing what I am doiing. I was stressing thinking I cannot possibly eat more without bursting!!
  • Ivana331
    Ivana331 Posts: 230
    I'm not sure exactly what your question is, but:

    Net Calories = Calories Eaten - Calories Burned.

    That's it.

    So if you ate 1500 and burned 200, then your Net is (1500 - 200) = 1300.
    yeah I get that, thats why I was confused by the what I quoted in the OP. That lady who said I was netting under 1200 confused the heck out of me. I have been doing it right, she misread my diary or something.
  • Ivana331
    Ivana331 Posts: 230
    Okay, I'll try to make it simple lol.

    You eat 1,200 calories.
    you burn 200
    It's like you only ate 1,000

    so 1,000 is your net calories. Does that help at all?
    yes I understand that part of it. I wanted the quote of the OP addressed, to see if I was thinking the right way... the lady who I quoted just really confused me.
  • TrinaJ11
    TrinaJ11 Posts: 159 Member
    Sorry to keep going..but you just said it there yourself. Your normal calorie intake is 1230. you burned...561. Bumps it to 1791. So you ate 1560. Of which 561 of that was burned off. Leaving you with 999 NET.

    1791-561= 1230
    1560-561=999

    If you didn't log your exercise (and didn't eat the imaginary exercise calories) Your totals for the day would have been 999/1230

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