Will someone explain the Net Calories?

mrs_joshica
mrs_joshica Posts: 275 Member
in Food and Nutrition
OK. I know this topic always causes some debate regarding eat your work out cals back, don't eat your work out cals back. Let me start off saying this is not that! If you don't agree with the previous poster agree to disagree & move on, no fighting, because in all the arguing I've still not really seen this question answered. I have a recommened intake of 1800 calories. When I work out it is around 1414 burned. Where Im confused is when my burn is 1414 and my net is like only -265 or something?? Most days Im doing good to get 1200 calories in let alone 1800, so Im trying to figure out should I be working out more than that? Does this mean my deficit was only 265 calories? Can someone explain because Im at a loss of how I can work out so much, eat so little, and the net is so small. HELP!!

Replies

  • maricash
    maricash Posts: 280 Member
    I can't calculate exact numbers for you since I don't have all your information, but here's an explanation using general numbers.

    Say you burn 2000 calories a day through normal daily activity (NOT including your workouts). You tell MFP that your goal is to lose 1 pound a week. MFP subtracts 500 calories from 2000 and tells you to NET 1500 calories a day to lose a pound a week. This is the amount you should be eating if you DON"T exercise. NET calories is the number you should eat to stay at a 1 pound a week loss. (NET = TOTAL Consumed - Exercise, so this is the number you should eat with 0 exercise).

    If you exercise, then you are burning more than the 2000 calories you would from normal daily activity. In order to stay at the same steady rate of weight loss, you need to eat MORE. Say you burn 500 calories from exercise. If you add that to your normal 2000 calorie burn, you are burning 2500 calories. If you want to keep losing a pound a week, you should eat 2000 calories (2500-500) on that day. (1500 = 2000 - 500).

    I'm not going to get into all the opinions on whether or not you should eat your exercise calories, etc.; there are a thousand threads about that issue, but I hope this helped explain what net calories means.
  • Julie2402
    Julie2402 Posts: 126
    A lovely straight forward explanation:)
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
    Is this just a misunderstanding of the meaning of NET?

    You work a job, you get paycheck for the hours you worked. Say you get $10 an hour and work 40 hours a week, your GROSS pay is $400. But before you get it, they take out taxes, dues, or other stuff, so your actual take home, or NET pay, is less than $400. The NET is what you're left with.

    Same with food weights - a can of olives, packed in brine, will probably show a total weight and a net weight on the can. The total is with the liquid, but they assume you're going to drain the liquid off, so the consumable part, the olives, are the NET weight, or what you're left with.

    Same with calories - you have your total calories that you're allotted for the day, minus the exercise cals you burned, so your body is only left with the NET calories to use. Which is why I am always careful to make sure I at least NET my BMR every day - basal metabolic rate, which is the amount of cals your body uses just laying in bed - no activity at all.

    Netting below your BMR, or in negative NET territory over a period of time can lead to lack of energy, the "hangries" (angry because you're hungry all the time! :tongue:), decreased workout performance, lower metabolism, and gives your body a reason to store fat.

    If you have a hard time eating even 1200 a day, you might consider cutting back on the exercise and the high calorie burns. Overtraining and lack of food can eventually lead to burn out.

    Two great reads on this issue: http://www.shapefit.com/overtraining-exercising-too-much.html

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

    Check 'em out.
  • itsjilly
    itsjilly Posts: 40
    I can't calculate exact numbers for you since I don't have all your information, but here's an explanation using general numbers.

    Say you burn 2000 calories a day through normal daily activity (NOT including your workouts). You tell MFP that your goal is to lose 1 pound a week. MFP subtracts 500 calories from 2000 and tells you to NET 1500 calories a day to lose a pound a week. This is the amount you should be eating if you DON"T exercise. NET calories is the number you should eat to stay at a 1 pound a week loss. (NET = TOTAL Consumed - Exercise, so this is the number you should eat with 0 exercise).

    If you exercise, then you are burning more than the 2000 calories you would from normal daily activity. In order to stay at the same steady rate of weight loss, you need to eat MORE. Say you burn 500 calories from exercise. If you add that to your normal 2000 calorie burn, you are burning 2500 calories. If you want to keep losing a pound a week, you should eat 2000 calories (2500-500) on that day. (1500 = 2000 - 500).

    I'm not going to get into all the opinions on whether or not you should eat your exercise calories, etc.; there are a thousand threads about that issue, but I hope this helped explain what net calories means.

    Thank you! I dread reading these threads about the net calories, I understand NOW!!
    So simple when it is explained that way
  • mrs_joshica
    mrs_joshica Posts: 275 Member
    Thank you all for all the answers. I will have to read and re-read because I guess I'm still just not understanding., and yes I think the fact that NET is a negative number is what is confusing. I guess I'm looking at the NET it is saying this is what my deficit is. Is that wrong? When I see -265 I see it saying I only have a deficit of 265 after all I've eaten and all the work I've done. Is this right or wrong? Let me post my #'s and maybe this will help explain it to me. Sorry to be so slow on the take on this one but I really want to understand.




    3265
    Calories Remaining
    Goal Food Exercise = Net
    1840 346 - 1771 -1425

    Here are my actual #'s, don't panic, it is only breakfast time I haven't had lunch and dinner. As lunch time and dinner time comes around the number under food increases and the NET will decrease. Right now to me it says I have a deficit of 1817, and as I eat more throughout the day the NET will continue to decrease. So what I am trying to find out is, does that # under NET really indicate what I'm left with as a deficit at the end of the day? I think I grasp that MFP has allotted a 500 deficit already on purpose, but I guess because I can't see that it is hard to grasp.
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
    Your net is not your deficit, it's the number of calories available to your body to use as fuel.

    You do not want a negative net at the end of the day! Negative equals an empty tank, out of gas, no fuel for your body.

    The deficit is already figured in by MFP when it gives your daily calorie goal. That number is your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure - or the amount of calories you burn a day based on the activity level you entered, sedentary, moderately active, etc) MINUS a percentage based on what you entered for how much you want to lose per week, 2 lbs, 1 lb, .5 lb or whatever.

    So the number MFP gives you for the daily calorie goal is already at a deficit, you do not need to eat under that goal to create a deficit - it's already there.
  • PeakToValley
    PeakToValley Posts: 8 Member
    Try not to overthink it, it's very simple but you just have to understand how MFP is calculating things:

    Net calories = Food calories - Exercise calories

    If you have a negative net calories, it means you have burned off more calories from exercise than you have taken in through food.

    If you set things up correctly in MFP for what you are trying to achieve, then you should be trying to make your net calories equal your goal calories. But being off a day here or a day there is not going to matter, just try to make sure your average net calories are equaling your goal calories over time...
  • Fvaisey
    Fvaisey Posts: 5,506 Member
    This is slightly off topic, I'd like to know what you are doing to get a 1400 calorie burn. That is great!

    Anyway, back on topic. If you burn 1414 calories and eat nothing your net is -1414. Since you are allowed 1840 calories for the day to meet your goal, you have 1840 calories plus the 1414 calories remaining for the day (1840+1414=3254) to meet your goal. Just re-wording what everyone else is saying. Hope it helps.
  • felblossom
    felblossom Posts: 132 Member
    Are you sure 60 minutes on the Elliptical Trainer actually burns 1361 calories? I've never been on one but that seems awfully high!
  • maricash
    maricash Posts: 280 Member
    I guess I'm looking at the NET it is saying this is what my deficit is. Is that wrong? When I see -265 I see it saying I only have a deficit of 265 after all I've eaten and all the work I've done. Is this right or wrong?

    So what I am trying to find out is, does that # under NET really indicate what I'm left with as a deficit at the end of the day? I think I grasp that MFP has allotted a 500 deficit already on purpose, but I guess because I can't see that it is hard to grasp.

    Net is NOT your deficit. To see you deficit look at your goals page. This will tell you the deficit that MFP calculated. It should be 250-1000 calories depending on how much you told MFP you wanted to lose. It will tell you how much you can expect to lose at that deficit as well. As long as it's set up the way you want it, you don't have to think about that number again.

    You don't want the number under Net to be negative; you want it to be the same number as your goal at the end of the day. If it's negative now, you'll have to eat a lot more to get to that point. That's what people mean by "eating their exercise calories".

    It might be easier to forget that box at the top of the page and just look at the bottom of your food diary. Ideally, you want the "calories remaining" number to be close to 0 at the end of the day.

    I have to say, I think burning 1400 calories in a single workout seems unlikely. MFP seems to really overestimate calories burned, especially for things like the elliptical. I typically just input a third of the time that I did to bring the calories to a more realistic level.

    Really the best approach is trial and error. If you eat all your exercise calories and aren't losing, you might want to cut back on them. Personally, I eat them if I'm hungry, but I don't force myself to eat more just because I exercised.
  • mell6355
    mell6355 Posts: 171 Member
    Here is my 2 cents, I am a very simple brained person! This is what I get out of all of this.

    MFP has already figured your deficit for calories needed for weight loss, that is the magic! You don't have to figure it out!

    Hypothetical numbers:
    To stay the same weight and lay in bed all day someone should eat their BMR amount, lets say 2000.
    So if you want to lose 1 pound a week you should eat 1500 calories and do nothing else. (that is what MFP said based on what you put in for your settings)
    If you do something else like burn 500 calories you need to eat 500 extra calories to get to your 1500 a day (that is the NET). If you eat less your body isn't getting what it needs to lose the 1 pound a week. You could lose 10 pounds or you could lose nothing at all. That is the all ending debate! Not going there.
    MFP just wants you to lose healthy amounts of weight, so if you follow what it says you will lose 1 or 2 pounds a week whatever you said you wanted to lose!

    MFP is based on the long haul, no miracles or tricks.
  • mell6355
    mell6355 Posts: 171 Member
    It might be easier to forget that box at the top of the page and just look at the bottom of your food diary. Ideally, you want the "calories remaining" number to be close to 0 at the end of the day.

    YES THIS!!!!!
  • MrsSexton2013
    MrsSexton2013 Posts: 98 Member
    bump for later
  • PeakToValley
    PeakToValley Posts: 8 Member
    It might be easier to forget that box at the top of the page and just look at the bottom of your food diary. Ideally, you want the "calories remaining" number to be close to 0 at the end of the day.

    YES THIS!!!!!

    If your "calories remaining" number is close to 0, then your net calories will be almost the same as your goal calories!
  • RedHotHunter
    RedHotHunter Posts: 560 Member
    Are you sure 60 minutes on the Elliptical Trainer actually burns 1361 calories? I've never been on one but that seems awfully high!

    Yep, it is possible. As someone that is similar to her weight I have wondered the same thing. However, after a lot of reading and research it's a simple fact that bigger people burn more when working out. Kinda makes me sad to think I'll have to work harder as I lose weight. :grumble:
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
    Are you sure 60 minutes on the Elliptical Trainer actually burns 1361 calories? I've never been on one but that seems awfully high!

    Yep, it is possible. As someone that is similar to her weight I have wondered the same thing. However, after a lot of reading and research it's a simple fact that bigger people burn more when working out. Kinda makes me sad to think I'll have to work harder as I lose weight. :grumble:
    Yes, you will, but it's worth it. :bigsmile:
  • mrs_joshica
    mrs_joshica Posts: 275 Member
    Yes, someone my size will have higher burns. I actually figured this thing out now. Had to go back & get a better understanding of my BRM for myself to get it all. Thanks for all the wonderful answers. Simply put, I was working out way more than eating. Simply fixed I cut my eliptical time in half to accomodate that I cant eat that much & will be adding a protien shake after work outs to help.
  • mrs_joshica
    mrs_joshica Posts: 275 Member
    @FV. I was doing an hour on the eliptical walking to & from the gym. Unfortunatly the higher the weight, the higher the burn. Every time I lose weight that burn number decreases just a bit per the same amount of time. Meaning someone half my size has to work twice as hard to get the same burn I o from the same machine.

Categories