Quick question on Net vs Total Calorie intake

IanH_75
IanH_75 Posts: 3 Member
edited December 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi Folks,

Been using MFP for a while on and off - I lost 6st a couple of years ago and put 2.5st back on and I am now in training for the Nottingham Rat Race so for 2-3 weeks I have been back on logging, counting and in the gym and running etc.

My question is there are clearly many opinions about how many calories one should consume however do folks feel this is a net or gross figure?

I ask as I am roughly between 1300-1800 per day intake but I am generally doing 500-1000 calories worth of exercise daily and for instance today I am at a little over 1000 for intake and I have had three square meals, but I have done over 700 in exercise so my net is circa 250-300. I am well aware that there is a degree of variance in the tracking and logging so I don't expect it to to be a totally exact science.

So I just wondered what folks opinion is.

Cheers,

Ian

Replies

  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    Americans seem to break out in irrational rhetoric if you net below 1200 calories.

    If you're eating 1300-1800 and exercising 500-1000 then your deficit is probably 1500 - 2000 which most would regard as rather high.

    If he 500-1000 is net exercise calories (ie after subtracting the calories you would have used in the exercise time anyway, already accounted for elsewhere) then most would advocate eating at least part of them, especially if you're not looking for a high rate of weight loss.
  • tommayer
    tommayer Posts: 1 Member
    I have the same question. My daily target is 1800 calories. Today I burned 1400 calories from bike riding (HRM results). I ate 2093 calories. My net is 377 and MFP tells me I have 1423 calories remaining. Do I really need to eat 1423 more calories even though I am not hungry? Does this put me in starvation mode? Thanks.
  • shgreenw
    shgreenw Posts: 194 Member
    I certainly don't eat back all my exercise calories and sometimes it's because I'm just not hungry and I don't want to just "eat to eat". If I'm seeing a calorie deficit that I think is too much, I will down a protein shake or have a bowl of cereal. I know this is a very controversial subject on this site so be prepared for lots of responses. Good luck! :flowerforyou:
  • IanH_75
    IanH_75 Posts: 3 Member
    Thanks yarwell... I have noticed some "passionate" responses from some on the figures.

    As it goes I do want to drop as much as I can in the next 6 weeks as I am happy with my CV fitness and making the distance (it is 12k) but I don't really want to do it carrying too much extra weight.

    Tom - That is my issue MFP is telling me I should be eating another 1500 calories and that is with my goal set at 1750 a day intake and frankly I am just not hungry, I had fruit for breakfast, left over curry (Hairy Bikers diet one with no rice) for lunch at work and Mrs H cooked a skinny shepherds pie for dinner and I am not at all hungry.
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
    My input is that as a one day thing, a low net calorie intake isn't going to hurt anyone. So if you've eaten all you want today, even if it's a very low net, I wouldn't worry about it. That said, I'd be cautious of doing it on a regular basis and over a long period of time, however. There's going to come a point where you're going to plateau rather hard and probably hurt your metabolism, too.

    I was talking with a co-worker who competes in wrestling internationally. He's lost 40 pounds in the last few months by subsisting on mostly protein shakes, doing a lot of cardio and strength training. He plateaued about 20 pounds in and had to do a few crazy things to continue to lose weight to meet his weight bracket goal. I'm not going to post them here. His is something of an extreme case but he knows that as soon as he starts to eat normally he's going to put a lot of that weight back on quickly because his metabolism is completely messed up from his extremely low net calorie intake the past 2-3 months. For anyone trying to lose weight permanently, this is NOT the way to go.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    the Hairy Bikers were told to eat 1300 calories initially (from memory) and to exercise a lot, that came from a Prof at Newcastle University. Their "net" would be sub-1000 I think, hence their loss rate was quite high but they were obese to start with.
  • IanH_75
    IanH_75 Posts: 3 Member
    Yes they were...

    For what it is worth and if anyone is interested that new Hairy Dieters book has some cracking recipes in!

    In fairness it is a one off but as a report for the last 7 days all but one day my net is reading under 1000, as low as today is unusual. As far as short term goals, I am looking to get my fitness back up for the race and drop as much as I can get away with between now and then as I don't want to do 12k carrying any extra weight really!

    I am eating balanced and sensible as we generally cook properly in our house anyway and always have, plus I am still having the occasional G&T and glass of cognac of an evening too. So I am not being a puritan nutcase about it just trying to eat to the point of being full and keep the fats and carbs low and protein higher as I am doing some weights as well as cardio as the Rat Race has some interesting obstacles that will need some upper body strength, which as a rule I posses very little of! :)
  • golferd
    golferd Posts: 400 Member
    Mfp is based on a zero net number. Many don't eat back all of their exercise do to the many variances that can occur in a day.


    I myself just go with a flat number, which puts me at 950 net
  • lynz4589
    lynz4589 Posts: 389 Member
    I eat around 1300 regardless of exercise, any cals burnt on exercise I see as a bonus so some days my net might be 500 because of the exercise, regardless of numbers I only eat when Im hungry. I use the goal a bit like a speed limit, its a limit not a target, as long as i dont go over them and Im not hungry then I dont mind. As people have said the numbers on here arent always accurate so a difference doesnt do you much harm :)
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