Which one is it...calories net or total calories from food

NVM87
NVM87 Posts: 57 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm just curious how many of you consider calories net to be your total calories for day or just look at your total calories from food intake....I've never looked at my net because if I did I would probably eat back my exercise cals if that makes sense? Please share your thoughts on this...
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Replies

  • bathsheba_c
    bathsheba_c Posts: 1,873 Member
    You are supposed to eat back your exercise calories. The deficit is already built into the target. You need to eat to fuel that exercise!
  • NVM87
    NVM87 Posts: 57 Member
    I've constantly heard in these forums pple suggest to not eat exercise cals back for weight loss....now I'm confused...
  • kelly_e_montana
    kelly_e_montana Posts: 1,999 Member
    "People" say not to eat them back. MFP expects you will or it would not increase your "CALORIE GOAL" each time you add exercise.
  • bathsheba_c
    bathsheba_c Posts: 1,873 Member
    Some people like to treat calories burned through exercise as bonus weight loss. Others are concerned about inaccuracies in estimating calories burned or consumed, and deal with it by not eating them back. Those approaches are okay if you don't exercise much, but if you are more active, then you could have issues with feeling hungry, feeling sluggish, and even having your metabolism slow down, which makes it harder to lose weight.
  • NocturnalGirl
    NocturnalGirl Posts: 1,762
    It depends on how you set it up. If you are using MFP's setting, it requires you to eat them back. MFP tends to overestimate exercise calories burned so maybe eat back 75% or so of them.
  • BarackMeLikeAHurricane
    BarackMeLikeAHurricane Posts: 3,400 Member
    MFP always says you burned waaaaay more than you actually burned. I don't log my exercise because I don't plan on eating them back. The only time I'll log exercise is on special occasions like thanksgiving when I might eat a little more. Even then, I only eat half of them back.
  • bathsheba_c
    bathsheba_c Posts: 1,873 Member
    I've actually found MFP's estimates to be pretty accurate. If I don't eat back my exercise calories, I get incredibly hungry. Then again, my exercise usually involves burning over 1,000 calories in one day.
  • rmojo13
    rmojo13 Posts: 80 Member
    I think the answer depends on the individual. If you are eating your exercise calories and not seeing the weight loss you are hoping for I'd say to not eat them back. If you are not eating them and you are getting the results you want I'd stick with it. And of course if you are finding yourself weak and hungry all day and aren't eating them back I'd say to eat all or some of them back based on the results you are seeing.

    Someone already mentioned it and I agree completely that MFP waaaay over estimates calories burned with almost all activities. You have to be realistic and adjust them based on what you know or else you will be lying to yourself and the results you are working for will not be there.

    Good luck to you.
  • nellyett
    nellyett Posts: 436 Member
    I always eat them back now. I had stopped losing weight for weeks and couldn't figure out why. I did some research, upped my calorie goal to 1450 and now I NET my goal. I use a HRM to track accurately. Since then I've readjusted my numbers and my daily goal is 1428, but I still track the same way.

    If I burn 300 extra cals with exercise, then I eat and extra 300 cals for the day. I've also found that it motivates me to get out there and get my workout done....That means I get dessert!! :)
  • nanainkent
    nanainkent Posts: 350 Member
    I have a friend who is a firefighter and for fun he hikes and climbs mountains. (doesn't sound like fun to me) I ask him about the whole eat back calories and he told me that it is for people who have tuned thier bodies into a fine running machine. That in order to be able to do the intense body requirements for the intense activitys you must eat back you calories. But he said for a regular person who does not push thier body to intense, (INTENSE) levels it is counter productive. That , (I ask for my own reasons) since I am not doing that yet I should go with lowering my calorie intake and exercise. Not to eat back calories. And also to make sure I get enough protien. Just sayin, I trust his advice I mean he and his climbing buddies are always getting asked advice.
  • 8goodgirl0
    8goodgirl0 Posts: 127 Member
    Net calories for me because as the poster above said I get weak and hungry and liable to faint if I don't eat enough
  • jzammetti
    jzammetti Posts: 1,956 Member
    It depends:

    Did you use MFP's default settings? If so, eat back your exercise calories.

    Did you calculate your TDEE? if so, do not eat back your exercise calories.
  • RobynLB
    RobynLB Posts: 617 Member
    MFP exercise calorie estimates are wrong. I just set my food goal as 1800 and enter exercise as 1 so that those numbers don't distract me. I've built 600 exercise calories into that 1800 already, so I know I'm netting 1200, but I wouldn't go off MFP net calories.
  • thisisiamj
    thisisiamj Posts: 145 Member
    Net calories -- I try to eat my net calories though that doesn't always happen if I'm not hungry or if I do a late night workout.

    The only time I'd not eat back exercise calories is if I'm doing light exercises -- walking for an hr, etc.
  • bm_stclair
    bm_stclair Posts: 26 Member
    I always eat them back now. I had stopped losing weight for weeks and couldn't figure out why. I did some research, upped my calorie goal to 1450 and now I NET my goal. I use a HRM to track accurately. Since then I've readjusted my numbers and my daily goal is 1428, but I still track the same way.

    If I burn 300 extra cals with exercise, then I eat and extra 300 cals for the day. I've also found that it motivates me to get out there and get my workout done....That means I get dessert!! :)

    THIS!!!!
  • Brandnewme150
    Brandnewme150 Posts: 43 Member
    I'm one of those who is worried about inaccuracies in cals burned so I eat back 1/2 of my exercise cals.
  • Rachlmale
    Rachlmale Posts: 640 Member
    Just do what works for you... the forums are opinions on everyone else's journey, what works for one person may not work for another.
  • Mjhnbgff
    Mjhnbgff Posts: 112
    I have a friend who is a firefighter and for fun he hikes and climbs mountains. (doesn't sound like fun to me) I ask him about the whole eat back calories and he told me that it is for people who have tuned thier bodies into a fine running machine. That in order to be able to do the intense body requirements for the intense activitys you must eat back you calories. But he said for a regular person who does not push thier body to intense, (INTENSE) levels it is counter productive. That , (I ask for my own reasons) since I am not doing that yet I should go with lowering my calorie intake and exercise. Not to eat back calories. And also to make sure I get enough protien. Just sayin, I trust his advice I mean he and his climbing buddies are always getting asked advice.

    Thank you so much! This explanation makes the most sense to me.
  • auroranflash
    auroranflash Posts: 3,569 Member
    I don't understand how such a simple program can be so confusing.
  • zaph0d
    zaph0d Posts: 1,172 Member
    Depends. If you go with the MFP system, then you go with net calories. If you take a TDEE based approach then it's gross calories. Eating back exercise calories isn't an arbitrary choice. It depends on how you do your bookkeeping.
  • spoons81
    spoons81 Posts: 51 Member
    I just set my activity level to lightly active and then I don't log exercise calories. I work out 4-5 days a week so it seems to balance my diet out. It's working for me anyway :)

    **I also have a desk job where I'm on my butt for 8 hours per day with a 1.5 hr commute...
  • alw141
    alw141 Posts: 59 Member
    Just do what works for you... the forums are opinions on everyone else's journey, what works for one person may not work for another.

    THIS!!! Everyone is different. You have to find what works for you.
  • simplyeater
    simplyeater Posts: 270 Member
    I use net calories. When I burn more I eat more. That being said, when I log my exercise, I edit the calories burned downward because I think MFP overestimates.
  • zaph0d
    zaph0d Posts: 1,172 Member
    Just do what works for you... the forums are opinions on everyone else's journey, what works for one person may not work for another.

    No, actually it's simple math. SIMPLE math. How do you people balance your checkbooks?
  • daj150
    daj150 Posts: 815 Member
    Despite what anyone says, you need to listen to YOUR body. This means that if you are on a 1500 calorie plan, eat 1500 calories, exercise and get 500 calories from your exercise, and are not hungry, then you don't need to eat your exercise calories. If you find your energy going down or you are hungry, consume as much food within the exercise calories to SATISFY yourself, not necessarily to make yourself stuffed. As other notes, it depends on the individual, which is 100% true.

    The MFP calories for activities isn't the most accurate thing. If you are using a heart rate monitor that tracks calories, then you can use that...not 100% accurate, but close enough. Please note, you MUST subtract your daily-do-nothing calories from your exercise calories. For example, if your heart rate monitor says you burned 500 calories in 2 hours of exercise, and you are on a 1500 calorie/day plan, then you need to subtract (1500 cal divided by 24 hours divided by 60 minutes) multiplied by minutes exercises, then subtract that from your exercise calories. So, for the example, you would subtract 125 calories, meaning you have 375 exercise calories to work with.
  • Rachlmale
    Rachlmale Posts: 640 Member
    Just do what works for you... the forums are opinions on everyone else's journey, what works for one person may not work for another.

    No, actually it's simple math. SIMPLE math. How do you people balance your checkbooks?


    'us people' don't... and do just fine, thanks. I've seen many people get confused by this simple math and there's no need for it. Enjoy your math, I'll enjoy what works for me.
  • 3foldchord
    3foldchord Posts: 2,918 Member
    You are supposed to eat back your exercise calories. The deficit is already built into the target. You need to eat to fuel that exercise!

    THIS

    The calorie goal on !FP has my weight loss deficit. When I do extra exercise, I use more fuel. I have to eat more fuel to have enough fuel to exercise and not leave my body starving and burning my muscles for fuel. I want to keep muscle and lose fat, so I have to feed my body so it can feed my muscles so my muscles can burn more fat.
  • zaph0d
    zaph0d Posts: 1,172 Member
    Just do what works for you... the forums are opinions on everyone else's journey, what works for one person may not work for another.

    No, actually it's simple math. SIMPLE math. How do you people balance your checkbooks?


    'us people' don't... and do just fine, thanks. I've seen many people get confused by this simple math and there's no need for it. Enjoy your math, I'll enjoy what works for me.

    don't what? balance your checkbook? believe it math? what works for you? eating random calories every day?
  • Brunner26_2
    Brunner26_2 Posts: 1,152
    If you eat your exercise calories back and you're not making progress toward your goal, it means your numbers are off. You're not accurately logging food or exercise, or your energy requirements are off, or both. This is assuming you're going by the MFP method of net calories, and not the average TDEE method.

    I'm not saying that it won't work, but people who say "I don't lose weight if I eat my exercise calories" are mistaken. A more accurate statement is that without exercise they don't create a very big deficit and don't lose weight.
  • Rachlmale
    Rachlmale Posts: 640 Member
    Just do what works for you... the forums are opinions on everyone else's journey, what works for one person may not work for another.

    No, actually it's simple math. SIMPLE math. How do you people balance your checkbooks?


    'us people' don't... and do just fine, thanks. I've seen many people get confused by this simple math and there's no need for it. Enjoy your math, I'll enjoy what works for me.

    don't what? balance your checkbook? believe it math? what works for you? eating random calories every day?


    I don't balance my cheque book, I don't have one. I use debit accounts, money goes in money goes out with a statement at the end of each month. I follow MFP's allowances for me, it's been working for me.

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